Design School Project · 2024
A wall-mounted baby changing station designed for public and institutional spaces. Minimal in form, purposeful in function — engineered for hygiene, dignity, and ease of use.
Explore the design
Design Intent
When a parent opens the unit, everything they need is already there. The paper roll dispenser delivers a fresh, hygienic surface for each use. The three-section padded mat in soft blue provides comfort and containment. The large lid doubles as a protective shield when folded up.
Key Features
Designed for institutional durability with consumer-grade aesthetics.
Hygienic Paper Roll
Integrated roll dispenser ensures a clean surface for every use. Easy to reload, impossible to forget.
Wall Mounted
Folds flat against the wall when not in use. Space-efficient for bathrooms, airports, and public facilities.
Smooth Hinge System
One-hand operation with a controlled-descent hinge. Opens quietly and stays open during use.
3-Section Pad
Segmented blue foam padding allows flexibility when folding and provides a cushioned surface for baby.
Raised Side Rails
Low-profile raised edges at the sides and foot prevent rolling, keeping the baby safely centered.
Easy Clean Surface
Smooth moulded plastic shell with minimal seams. Wipe-clean in seconds. No crevices for bacteria.
Research & Insight
Modern baby changing stations in public restrooms are barebones, bare-minimum products — and they exacerbate an already imposing mental load. Through interviews with parents and caretakers, it became clear this was a design problem hiding in plain sight.
Anxiety around baby illness and injury is elevated in public changing situations — parents expect the worst from shared surfaces.
Existing stations felt flimsy and unstable — the flex and creak of cheap plastic actively undermines confidence.
Diaper bags never have a place to go — caretakers juggle supplies in hand or set them on a wet floor.
Caretakers already bring their own wipes, liners, and covers — a higher-than-normal sanitation baseline the product ignores entirely.
Feature Rationale
Structural Confidence
Integrated wall supports transfer weight directly to the mounting surface, taking significant load off the hinge. The result is a unit that feels solid and fixed — not like it's about to fold.
Comfort & Safety
A three-section padded mat gently cradles the baby. Soft enough to be comfortable, segmented enough to fold flush when the unit closes. No hard edges in contact with skin.
Diaper Bag Space
Positioning the baby transversely — across the width rather than along the length — frees up the remaining surface as a dedicated staging area for the diaper bag, wipes, and supplies. Finally, somewhere to put things down.
Layered Hygiene
UV sanitizing lights built into the lid sterilize the pad surface when closed. Disposable wax paper from the integrated roll adds a physical barrier for each use. Two independent sanitation layers — passive and active.
Development Process
The design process began with full-scale cardboard prototypes to validate proportions and human factors before testing texture in foam and finally constructing with upholstery. Scale models with infant dolls tested usability at each iteration.
The final foam upholstery is contoured to accommodate the baby laying in either direction, with an easily wipable synthetic surface.
In Action
A single smooth motion unfolds the station from the wall. The hinge descends in a controlled arc, the paper roll is pulled and torn, and the unit is ready. Watch the full operation cycle below.
Gallery
Technical Diagrams
Paper Roll
Dispenser
Wall
Mounting
UV
Sanitizing
Compilation
The disposable paper cover, foam mattress insert, and the finished unit shown together — the complete system for hygienic baby changing in public spaces.
Each product targets a different moment where hygiene fails.
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