Another Doctor's Office Disappointment

I was recently in the doctor's office for a blood test for my daughter.  Usually, I bring the whole diaper bag and whatnot in with us for a doctor's appointment, but since it was just a blood test, I figured, why bother?

So, when we got to the doctor's office, I parked, grabbed the kid, and went in.

I've never seen anyone wait for a blood test at this office.  It's out in the middle of nowhere semi-suburbia/semi-rural Shakopee, Minnesota.  So, it's not a busy office, especially when it comes to blood tests.

Well, we ended up waiting for about 15-20 minutes, just to get back to see the phlebotomist (that's the person who draws blood). The blood draw itself was fairly quick.  In fact, it was the quickest, best draw that we've ever had for our daughter.  (If you've ever had to  have a blood test for an infant, you KNOW the parental trauma that occurs when you have to hold down your kid to let them get stuck, so when I say that she didn't cry at all, it's really something)

Anyway, so now we're about 25 minutes later than I thought we'd be.  Like all good parents, I had taken a slot during my daughter's "active time", which for her is first thing in the morning.

Of course, it's also when I have coffee.

Can you see where this is going?

Well, after the blood test, I REALLY needed to pee.  So, after I make sure my daughter's calm, I find the bathroom in the doctor's office to take care of business.

And that's where I found the problem:

There is NO PLACE in the doctor's bathroom to put your kid while you pee.

Literally, when you walk in, you find the typical tiled bathroom of a doctor's office, with a sink and handicapped railings around a toilet.  There's the little trolley with urine sample cups.  And there's one of those scary Koala Kids changing tables.

That's it.


Where are you supposed to put your kid!?!

You certainly can't put them in the Koala Kids changing table- it specifically says DO NOT WALK AWAY WHILE YOUR CHILD IS ON THE TABLE.  It's because those are UNSTABLE.

Now, luckily, my daughter is old enough to stand on her own AND I had put shoes on her.  I managed to have her stand, with her hands against the wall while I put my hand on her back and squatted to take care of business.  I then had to manage to continue to entertain and hold her against the wall while I finished with the toilet paper (luckily, it wasn't a open bar style), and then guide her over to the sink to wash my hands before picking her up.

Now, I have seen a solution to this problem in the local mall:  in the bathrooms, there are little jump seats that you pull down to have your kid sit in while you pee.

What I don't understand is why a doctor's office, particularly a General Practitioner's office in the middle of young family-land wouldn't have the same set up.