Any nursing moms ever notice. . . . .

[Mme. Leota]

in one of the nursing rooms in the AK baby center, there is a painting of frolicing animials, one of which is a dairy cow with GIANT pink udders? I did ask the lady working in there and she said no one had ever mentioned it. After I got home I wished I had taken a photo of it, but at the time, my son was refusing to nurse and it was upsetting me. (Nurse all night, refuse all day ) Mom said he might be going to self-wean, but once we were back home, not so much. Anyway, I just thought it was an odd choice for a nursing room. Not that I don't feel like that most of the time

 

[mommy-on-the-move]

I'm going to have to look out for that now! LOL

Actually- how did you find nursing in the actual parks/resorts? Do many people nurse in public (and what's the general reaction to that) or does everyone head to the baby station?

 

[Mme. Leota]

Well, the baby care centers were usually pretty quite. They are super nice, though, with great big padded changing tables with paper liners, comfy rocking chairs, etc. . . I did meet some really supportive nursing veterans who were sympathetic to my plight at MK. I nursed DS in public at Sea World and at DTD. I have a cover-up that I used, and nobody reallly seemed to notice. I tried in public as well as the baby centers at MK, AK, EPCOT, Wilderness Lodge, etc. . . and he just wouldn't do it. The only negative reaction was on the plane home. Our flight was pretty empty, but he started fussing a little and I offered and he accepted--again under cover. A couple in their mid-50s probably, sitting behind us got up and moved foward several rows. Maybe it didn't have anything to do with us, but I felt like it did.

DS was 8 months old when we went, and I was a bit nervous about it, but we had a really great trip. Just accept that you will have to go slower and you will have a great time. I will recommend that you use gardengrocer.com for all your baby necessities (and stuff for you) while you are away. They deliver to most hotels for a nominal fee, and it was SO nice not to have to worry about either hauling 7 days worth of nappies (saw you were from UK ) or going shopping while you are there. The baby care centers do have baby food, juice and diapers as well as medicines, but they are more expensive and their supply is somewhat limited.

Have a wonderful trip!!

 

[bumbershoot]

OP, that's funny. Oh how I hope I have a nursing baby when we go to WDW (and how I kind of secretly hope my son decides before then that he's too old for milk, LOL, but I can't really urge him to stop b/c I myself nursed until I was 4...karma and all that, along with my mom watching me from the beyond) so I can check that out!

I'm going to have to look out for that now! LOL

Actually- how did you find nursing in the actual parks/resorts? Do many people nurse in public (and what's the general reaction to that) or does everyone head to the baby station?

I've only been to Disneyland, and I only went into the nursing area with a 3 year old (we were NOT accepted, the lady didn't believe that we were going to nurse, and told me "if a nursing mom comes in you have to leave the area", though I was being a bit vague on why we wanted to sit in the rockers), but when he was smaller, I found the "dark rides" were perfect for nursing. He fell asleep nursing on POTC. Small World at DLR is a bit bright, but it also didn't have any security cameras (so no peeping toms, LOL)...but with their 10 month refurb that will be changed. I'm an adamant extended nurser, but personally I don't like participating in public nursing, so I try to be discreet. And I don't look at others, b/c I don't care to see any nasty looks...of course that insulates me from the YAY looks I might have gotten, but boy oh boy do I hate the nasty looks!

I hope WDW is as relatively easy as DLR is to nurse in! And I hope I get a chance to find out.

 

[tzolkin]

Actually- how did you find nursing in the actual parks/resorts? Do many people nurse in public (and what's the general reaction to that) or does everyone head to the baby station?

i have never been to disney with a nursling, so i can't comment directly on that. i guess i'll find out for myself this may.

i saw you were from the UK, so maybe you were asking about general US nursing practices/acceptance (?) i honestly almost never see anyone nursing in public. maybe it's just that i don't get out much or that i don't go to the right places. i have nursed all 3 of my children in public regardless of where i am. i really have not had any issues with it, although i have heard others who have received comments. the only times anyone has said something to me it was positive. my favorite was all the old ladies at church that couldnt believe i nursed my baby in the front row with the bishop visiting. in almost every state you have the legal right to breastfeed your baby in any public place. you do not have to cover. some say you should try to be "discreet", but are vague about what this actually means. in my state (ny) the law even explicitly states that your nipple showing before, during, or after feeding does not violate decency laws.

i could not imagine that any nursing mother could possibly head to the baby station every time they need to feed their baby. i believe there is only one in each park. this would be really inconvenient, not to mention the unhappy baby you'd be hauling across the park. one of my favorite nursing tricks depending on the age/size of the baby is to nurse while using a front carrier. (this was born out of necessity when i needed to grocery shop and my babies needed to be fed 24/7) you could nurse like this while walking around or standing in line.

 

[Zeebs]

In Disneyland I sat on a bench in toontown and fed while watching the world go by. Cullen was 11 months at the time nobody seemed to bat an eyelid. Seth will be 10 months when in WDW and I still plan on feeding him. If I am near a feeding station I might go for some peace and quiet but otherwise will just sit somewhere in the shade and relax. I checked Florida law and it is legal.

I fed Cullen on the plane to from the uk to NZ I pretty much had a him attached for all four of the 12 hour flights no body said a thing. In fact I am waiting for the day for someone to say something I have plenty of retorts stored up.

Kirsten

 

[NotUrsula]

I never saw it, but then I didn't bother going to the baby care centers; the parks were crazy crowded on our recent visits, so it wasn't worth backtracking.

As to NIP; I did it in every park, and I seriously doubt if anyone noticed. Maybe the CM's working the cameras in POTC, but I'm guessing that NIP is by far not the raciest thing they've ever seen happening out there in the dark, LOL.

I don't own any special nursing clothes, but I find that in theme parks a tank top with an open shirt over it works very well for discreetly nursing. Among the places I've nursed: in the rockers in the store outside of SplMtn, on the MK train, on the TTA, in POTC, in SW, in ITTBAB's pre-show area, while watching Specto in Frontierland, at Pecos Bills, waiting in line for nearly anything, on the boat from WL to MK, on the boat from MGM to EPCOT, during FOTLK, benches all over the place, etc. I do use a sling to nurse when standing, it's easier on my back.

And for the poster who had someone move on the plane -- odds are that they moved because your baby fussed, not because you were nursing him to quiet him down. Some people are huffy about sitting anywhere near a baby. So it probably was because of your family, but not because of nursing.

 

[jhnsnfamily]

I nursed my son for 9 1/2 months, and I did it wherever I happened to be. I figured God made our bodies to produce milk to feed our kids, so if anybody else has a problem with that (like my inlaws did), then they can look away, leave the room, stare at the sky, ignore me, etc. (like my inlaws did). I've seen people be so discreet when nursing that until I wanted to take a peek at the baby, I didn't realize they were nursing. And of course, I always apologized for disturbing them. One of my friends nursed all three of her girls for 1 year each, and she'd nurse at get togethers, at church, where ever. She was so good, she go from a crying baby to a nursing baby to a sleeping baby at church in the blink of an eye. And she didn't wear special 'nursing' clothes either. On the other hand, I've seen mothers with both breasts completely exposed and trying to get the baby to latch on in public. I understand that frustration, but other people and most children don't understand what they are seeing. Unfortunately, most adults react to that instead of taking a moment to explain to their kids what they are seeing. Most of my friends nursed their kids and my kids are the oldest ones of our group of friends, so they understand. But I can see how some people may be surprised to see an exposed breast in public. Soooooooooooo, to those people that nurse in public, it's a free country, you paid your ticket to get in, so nurse away! Can I get an AMEN for all the happy babies in the bunch?

To the OP, maybe the picture of giant udders is supposed to send you a subliminal message to help you experience "let down." Hmmm....

 

[Ariel8676]

That is so funny..i wish i would have spotted that. We aren't nursing anymore but i may have to stop in and check it out.

As for nursing in the parks..i always wore a tank(like the tight ones with the built in bra) under another shirt...and if i was to nurse sitting on a bench i always used my awesome Bebe au leit nursing cover...on a ride nothing.

 

[emh1129]

I never noticed that painting.. sounds funny
I only saw a few of the baby centers when I was there with my nursling. We mostly nursed wherever we happened to be.. it's just easier that way. Although there was one particularly hot day where I REALLY enjoyed the AC in that nursing moms' lounge
I've never had a negative experience nursing in public. I mind my own business and I expect others to do the same.. but nobody has ever stared or said anything negative. I do find that other moms will often smile, though, probably remembering their own nursing days.. so that's always nice.

 

[michellekl]

while i've never noticed the giant cow utters, the AK nursing room is certainly the most entertaining nursing room for my son. & while that can be a good thing, it is also not-so-good because he is easily distracted! lol. he always pops off to smile at the animals!

i've nursed in public quite a few times at disney, and usually everyone is oblivious. this most recent time though, i was at the studios, and i had a blanket kinda fluffed around noah, just because, and some lady said "where are you from?" & i told her, and she said "well, where i'm from, we don't need to cover up." honestly, i know her intentions were good, but it made me feel a little strange. like a bad mom for "hiding" my kid. all i know is, what is good for some, may not be good for others.

 

[liznboys]

That's hilarious!

I nursed in WDW on four trips, and I never nursed in the Baby Centers (I used them for diaper changes though!) I nursed whereever we were when he was hungry. I was discreet. I never got negative looks, but did get supportive looks from other moms.

 

[bunnyscootles]

I will have to check that out! Although we will probably find a shady place to sit and nurse.
I kind of like nursing in public without a cover, I want breastfeeding to be "normal" and you must be the change you wish to see in the world right??
People don't realize we are nursing though, my LO is 18 mo's but he could pass for 2 yrs easy, so people probably think... nahh she's not nursing him!!

 

[ILoveMickeyandMinnie]

Lol! I never noticed that. Although I've not spent much time nursing in the baby areas. I nursed everywhere with our son on our last trip. He was 13 months. Were pretty descrete about it but we did get a few comments here and there. Mom's saying that they wished they could quiet their babies like that. There was one man on a bus that started staring at DS and I when he started fussing. I really wanted to get him latched on when no one was really looking our direction. But this man wouldn't stop looking at us, so after a minute or two I decided what the heck. The man quickly looked away after realizing what we were doing!

 

[mommy-on-the-move]

fabulous to hear! DS will be 18 months when we travel and it was the extended-nursing aspect I was more worried about gaining stares! We used to nurse in the sling if standing but he's a biiiig boy (98th centile- he's a big one) so he's got a bit tall for that now (although we do still babywear). I did worry about attitudes being a different country (as mentioned, I'm in the UK and here you get a mixed reaction- the majority of negativity is muttered and implied but rarely spoken however 99% of comments have been positive ones but the looks are getting odder as he gets bigger) I am also thinking he'll want to nurse more due to the heat (he's not a big fan of the sippy cup when he knows mom is on offer) but he is easily distracted and the last thing I want to do is flash mickey if he decides to suddenly turn around

 

[blessedby3]

I didnt notice that either while in the nursing room at the AK. I did think that was the nicest baby care center of the ones I visited (AK, MK, EP). I loved the dimly lit rooms for nursing. It was nice to sit in a rocker and have such a subdued atmosphere to nurse in. My baby was also on a nursing strike while we were down there. I couldnt believe it. She wouldnt really nurse during the day, but would at night. I still tried nursing first (resorted to formula if she wouldnt) and would nurse at the centers (if nearby) or wherever we were in the parks. Never had anyone give me any looks or comments.

 

[lexmas]

Well, I haven't nursed at WDW (yet!) but last year at Disneyland I nursed in the centers and all over. Really, I was surprised, I saw mom's nursing their toddlers everywhere! I felt in on some club or something lol. I very very rarely see anyone nursing even tiny babies in public at home, but it was certainly commonplace at DL, there were so many nurslings! I loved it!

 

[Mme. Leota]

I resorted to the baby care centers when he refused to nurse other places. I thought the cool, quite and dim lights might help, but they didn't. He did finally accept a sippy, though, which has been a BIG help. I work, but have a care center here, so I usually just go nurse him during the day. Sometimes, though, I have meetings and he began refusing the bottle at 6 mo. At Disney, he started drinking juice/water with ice in it, I think because it was warm outside. Anyway, now the ladies who take care of him during the day and his daddy can get him to take breast milk and even formula COLD out of a sippy. I don't know when I will wean him totally, but it is a big help to know he won't be hungry when I can't always be right there. The pediatrician said maybe he just needed to get really hungry to reaccept the bottle, but I just didn't have the heart for that.

It's funny, I never really notice other Mom's NIP, but maybe I'm just in my own little world sometimes. I do it all the time, though. I do use a cover, I am just more comfortable that way and my son is easily distracted these days. My cover, though, is designed to stand out at the top so you can see what is going on down there. I have realized that anyone standing up close to you can see too I was nursing him in a restaurant one day and I heard, "Oh, how sweet" and looked up to see a lady looking right down at DS.

 

[skitt]

bumbershoot Wow, it is a small internet! I'm magrat on CC, thought of you when I read your post and then looked at your avatar and it was actually you! Do you have a lj?

I just decided to join my parents in WDW in less than a month so I'll be taking my 8 month old (poor DH can't go). I haven't had any problem nursing discreetly in public so far, so I'm not too worried about it, but it's good to know there are baby centers if I need them! I like hanging out at places like that just for the warm glow I get being around other nursing moms I spent a lot of time in the "lactation station" at the State Fair this summer even though I could nurse just as easily sitting on a bench or in the dairy barn