Woman seen changing child's diaper & wiping his butt in middle of VivoCity Kopitiam as diners eat nearby

Charminn Ngiam was having a meal at the Kopitiam food court at VivoCity on Nov. 29 when she saw a mother changing her child's diaper in the middle of the food court.

The act "disgusted" her, and Ngiam called out the mother's lack of consideration for others eating in the vicinity.

Dinner time

Ngiam, speaking to Mothership, said the incident occurred between 7:30pm and 8pm, during the peak of dinnertime.

In the middle of the food court, a woman began to change a small child's diaper, with other patrons eating their dinner nearby.

Ngiam shared that the woman used wet wipes to clean the boy's rear, and apparently even "pried" his buttocks open in order to thoroughly clean the child.

In the photos Ngiam shared, the child stood on the bench in full view of the food court, unperturbed by events, his attention given fully to the phone he held in his hands.

Summoning the floor manager

Not quite believing her eyes, she said she quickly took a picture of the scene before alerting a stall vendor to what was going on, and subsequently getting them to alert the floor manager.

The floor manager took a few minutes to arrive, and after being informed of what was going on, told the woman "firmly" to stop cleaning the boy's posterior in public.

But by that time, the woman had finished cleaning the boy and was packing the wet wipes away.

The boy remained undressed, although the woman did put on his shoes at one point.

Ngiam says the woman was watched by the floor manager, who stood nearby to ensure that the woman did not continue cleaning the child.

Wash your hands!

However, while the woman had stopped, Ngiam said she did not address the manager at any time, looking away and apparently talking to herself.

She also did not leave the area, instead remaining at the seat until after Ngiam left.

Ngiam also observed that the woman failed to wash her hands, but posited that she might have cleaned her hands using wet wipes.

Ngiam also claimed that the entire area smelled like faecal matter.

No manners at all

Ngiam said that she did not feel it appropriate to approach the woman herself, saying that the mall's or food court's management had the "higher authority" to address the situation.

She and other commenters on her post, published on the Complaint Singapore Facebook group lamented the situation, with some noting the woman's lack of manners, respect, and consideration for others.

Another wondered what could be done, and if the incident was illegal.

Others suggested that there were no toilets nearby.

However, Ngiam believes that the nearest toilets were close enough, noting that they were two minutes away and that there were diaper changing facilities available.

Top image from Charminn Ngiam/Facebook