Illinois Restrooms are Changing to Help Change Diapers

You read the title right; bathrooms in Illinois are changing for the better and will make changing diapers easier. Taking effect in January, public restrooms in the state of Illinois are required to provide a baby changing station after an amendment to the Equitable Restrooms Act passed in August 2019.

The amendment requires public restrooms to provide a baby changing station that is accessible to both men and women if they are not already providing one. You might be thinking that total renovations were in store, but to any parent of a young child, you know how big of an upgrade this is. Having access to a safe and convenient baby changing station is something the people of Illinois have been waiting for, and they hope other states will take after the example they are setting.

The exact wording of the new law is below:
“Every public building with restrooms open and accessible to the public shall have: (1) at least one safe, sanitary, convenient, and publicly accessible baby diaper changing station that is accessible to women entering a restroom provided for use by women and at least one safe, sanitary, convenient, and publicly accessible baby diaper changing station that is accessible to men entering a restroom provided for use by men; or (2) at least one safe, sanitary, convenient, and publicly accessible baby diaper changing station that is accessible to both men and women.”