Specifying a baby change station comes down to one constraint most other washroom fittings don't have: how much wall it folds away against, and whether that wall has the depth to take a recessed unit. Get that wrong and you've bought a unit that won't fit the space it was meant for.
The options
- Vertical Baby Change Station, Off-White — ML_8100V, $830.19. Folds flat against the wall vertically, taking the smallest floor footprint when stowed — the right choice for tight washrooms.
- Horizontal Baby Change Station, Off-White, wall mounted — ML_8100H, $830.19. Same price as the vertical unit; the choice between the two is purely about available wall width versus height.
- Recessed Horizontal Baby Change Station, Stainless Steel exterior — ML_8200REC, $2,219.99. Sits flush within the wall rather than projecting from it even when folded — needs a wall cavity deep enough to recess into, and a significant cost step up.
- Surface Mounted Horizontal Baby Change Station, Stainless Steel — ML_8200SM, $2,400.19. The stainless steel equivalent of the recessed unit for walls without the cavity depth to recess into.
All four units are hi-density, bacteria-resistant polyethylene (or stainless steel-clad) and built to AS1428.1 for accessible washroom fitouts.
How to choose
Start with wall orientation and available depth: if the wall has a service cavity deep enough, the recessed unit gives the cleanest result and avoids any projection when the unit is folded away, which matters in narrower accessible bathrooms where every millimetre of circulation space counts. If recessing isn't possible, the surface-mounted stainless steel or the off-white ML_8100 series are the alternatives — vertical versus horizontal orientation then comes down to whether the available wall is wider or taller.
Frequently asked questions
Does a baby change station need to be AS1428.1 compliant?
Where it's installed in a designated accessible washroom, yes — all four Metlam options are AS1428.1 compliant, covering mounting height and clearance requirements.
What's the price difference between the off-white and stainless steel units for?
Primarily the exterior material and finish — stainless steel suits higher-traffic commercial and public facilities where durability and a premium finish matter; off-white polyethylene is the standard, lower-cost option for most washrooms.
Can a recessed unit be retrofitted into an existing wall?
Only if the wall cavity has adequate depth — this usually needs checking during design rather than after the wall is built. A surface-mounted unit is the practical fallback for existing walls without that depth.
How much weight do these units support?
They're built and rated for standard baby change use per AS1428.1 — check the specific product's load rating documentation for the figure relevant to your compliance sign-off.