Getting out of the door is no easy task for new mothers. For Huang Ling, it can be especially difficult to change diapers for her eight-month-old son on a trip to the shopping mall.

"Sometimes I just find a corner in the bathroom to change the diaper for the baby," said the 33-year-old, who lives in China's southern city of Fuzhou. "It would be much safer if I could find a baby care room and put my son on a sturdy changing table with a safety trap to prevent him from falling."

In 2019 there were roughly 2,600 baby care rooms in China, mostly concentrated in major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong, according to Amap, a company that provides navigation and digital map services. 

At least 10 cities in China did not have any baby care rooms, which bring both convenience and a sense of safety in public places for nursing mothers. The private spaces allow them to breastfeed their babies or change diapers.

A modern baby care room is typically equipped with features including changing tables and wash basins. Diaper dispensers and microwaves to heat milk and food are also found in more luxurious versions.

In recent years, authorities across China have encouraged the creation of more baby care rooms in public places.

In 2021, Chinese health authorities issued the Breastfeeding Promotion Action Plan (2021-2025) in an effort to raise awareness of the importance of breastfeeding.

The plan calls for the construction of baby care rooms in public areas that are densely populated, including traffic hubs, shopping malls and parks. By 2025, over 80 percent of public areas will include baby care rooms if the plan's target is met.

Expanding the number of baby care rooms is also one of the support measures for China's three-child policy. The birth rate has slid in the country for five consecutive years, hitting a record low in 2021 of 10.6 million, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

To counter this, the country has ramped up efforts to encourage people to have more children. In 2015, authorities announced that couples could have two children and in 2021 the policy was further expanded to three children.

"It is hard to say there is a direct link between the number of baby care rooms and people's willingness to having babies … as in most cases, couples are more worried about child-raising costs, including the costs of childcare and education," said Han Xiaoyan, a professor from the Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences at East China Normal University.

"But to some extent, it is one of the steps to create a more baby-friendly environment, making it much easier for parents to take care of their babies outside home," said Han.

Cities across China are stepping up the building and upgrading of baby care rooms to offer a better environment for mothers to take care of their babies outside the convenience of their homes.

Last year, China's northern city of Tianjin mandated baby care rooms in public spaces.

In August 2022, the southern city Guangzhou became the first city with full coverage of baby care rooms in public places like malls, parks and metro stations.

"Going to the baby care room could be viewed as a family activity if the room is well-equipped and comfortable. With more baby-friendly facilities in the future, parents are more willing to bring their babies out," said Han.

Luo Kejing, a 28-year-old programmer in Beijing, just became a father. He said as well as airports and railway stations, baby care rooms in children's parks are necessary.

"Baby care rooms in children's parks would be welcomed by families with multiple kids. While the elder kids are playing, the younger ones also need to be taken care of. So baby care rooms would be extremely convenient for families," said Luo.

"Also, I really hope that one day I will be able to see the location of baby care rooms on map apps so that we can choose to go to entertainment venues with baby care facilities."