Breastfeeding at WDW and on flights

[Splasher]

I still BF my 17 mo DS and I'm wondering if anyone has had any issues when feeding on the plane or at WDW. Just wondering if cover-ups are required, etc. basically looking for what is the current socially acceptable procedure nowadays. My oldest is 17 years and I didn't feel super comfortable BF at the parks when he was 20 months. Any thoughts?

 

[Lincolnshire]

I'm still bfing my 21 month old. At home it's only twice a day but on planes he nurses much more, I assume because of his ears or maybe just to feel more comfortable in a strange situation. I've never used a cover up and sort of doubt a toddler would let you use one anyway! No one has ever said anything to me about nursing in public. I say do what is right/comfortable for you and your kiddo - probably no one will notice.

 

[marvinrms]

You shouldn't have any issues. Occasionally an ill-informed person might give you a dirty look, but breastfeeding in public is protected by law in Florida (and most of the country). A cover-up is completely optional. I've heard stories of nasty flight attendants trying to give moms trouble, but never experienced it. AFAIK all the major airlines officially support BFing on the planes, though some have legally unenforceable policies about covering up.

In breastfeeding my kids 2+ years each, I've had someone comment negatively once, and they shut up when I offered to let the baby scream. So, there is that.

 

[SweetMissy]

I nursed my son when he was 4 months old and 18 months old at disney and all worked out fine. I nursed wherever/whenever. We drove when he was 18 months but 4 months we flew and he nursed the majority of the time. No, covering is not required, lol. There's plenty of places...including the rides, this was a favorite for us because it was relaxing. Don't let ignorance of others scare you. Have fun!

 

[MichaelaF]

I think the Disney parks are great for BFing, because there are a lot of options, depending on what you and your child are comfortable with. We took our son to WDW when he was 5 months old, in October. It was CRAZY hot (90+ degrees), so I much preferred taking a break in the nice air conditioned nursing rooms at the baby care centers while nursing most of the time. I prefer to nurse with a cover, and the heat with a cover would just make it pretty unbearable for both me and my son. But if I were too far from a baby care center, there are also lots of out of the way places, some even with A/C. I definitely nursed during the Seasons of the Vine movie during Food and Wine Festival, it was a great place for it! At Disneyland, I nursed him in a rather abandoned corner of the Innoventions building (where the show used to let out, when it rotated, where Tom Morrow use to be....now it's just a walk-through space that most people ignore). He gets too distracted nowadays (he just turned 1), so when we were in DL in March we usually would try and go to the baby care center to avoid distractions. But there are so many families and nooks and crannies (and rides) where you can nurse, that it is great. I've flown a few times with him for work and had no issue nursing on Southwest. Cover, no cover, no problems flying or at the parks. I found lots of BFing mom camaraderie, too!

 

[Splasher]

Thanks, everyone! Very helpful info!

 

[JPDtheJD]

I visited all the baby care centers just to see how comfortable they were but my DD was also fine in the shade and on dark rides. No one ever made me feel uncomfortable. The only problem I remember having one time was in Adventureland near the entrance to Jungle Cruise I sat down in a shady spot to nurse and tons of people all of sudden were in that area smoking. I couldn't really stop and interrupt my daughter, but I thought it was so rude of the other guests.

 

[MichaelaF]

I visited all the baby care centers just to see how comfortable they were but my DD was also fine in the shade and on dark rides. No one ever made me feel uncomfortable. The only problem I remember having one time was in Adventureland near the entrance to Jungle Cruise I sat down in a shady spot to nurse and tons of people all of sudden were in that area smoking. I couldn't really stop and interrupt my daughter, but I thought it was so rude of the other guests.

I had a similar experience at WDW, before realizing I was actually in a designated smoking area. You can only smoke at the Disney parks in designated areas, so you may want to check the map to make sure you aren't in one before whipping it out (I learned the hard way...)!

 

[texasroni75]

Breastfed my toddler (23 months) at WDW last September. We were in the last stages of BF, mostly for comfort, almost weaned. DS always refused to nurse with a cover, so I did my best to BF modestly in public. I found plenty of places at WDW to nurse without being in a high-traffic, high visibility area. Dark rides, benches out of the way, etc. I also noticed that a lot of the most convenient shady benches were designated smoking areas though

In the end, nobody ever looked at me weird, nobody said anything and nobody made me feel uncomfortable.

 

[ahsquared89]

I nursed all over sans cover (on the plane, disneyworld, and disneyland). I never got any looks. Florida is a breastfeeding supportive state, you are protected nursing uncovered, and Disney is pro family. If any Arline personal attempt to ask you to cover up just smile and say no thank you. Honestly I nurse a 3 and 1 year old and I've only gotten a handful of snarky looks. I try to exude confidence And mind my own business. enjoy your trip.

Edit: I did find the nursing centers a nice cool break, but usually chose other places my whole family could enjoy. The people mover was one of my favs.

 

[~Fisharefriends~]

I never had any problems BF in disney with my son when he was 4 months. Would just find a nice shaded bench and enjoy the scenery whilst he had his feed. I also made use of the child are centres that had some lovely and cool feeding rooms with rocking chairs which was great to help get him settled after a feed as sometimes the noise feeding outside was too much of a distraction.

 

[Splasher]

Sadly people over will be down for refurb while we're there. still I can think of a few others that will work. COP, for one! I know breastfeeding has become overall more accepted everywhere. Glad to hear FL and WDW are with the times. We are flying on Airtran and I found an article online from 2007 about a very bad experience. I went to their website and searched for breastfeeding policy. I couldn't find anything, so I sent them an email.

 

[Splasher]

That should be peoplemover. Can't edit on this app right now for whatever reason...

 

[suzyq0626]

I've nursed 3 kids over the past 8 years and never had a problem on flights or Disney. I think you can always find isolated incidents on things, but overall it is a rare thing. I never had any problems at Disney or flying, and we've flown a lot! On our most recent trip, I found that my 16 month old daughter rarely wanted to nurse in the parks because there was so much to look at. But I certainly would have and did several times. We took a mid day break each day so between that and morning and night, she nursed mostly then.

 

[MandiC]

I would say you will be fine. The parks are busy enough that I doubt most will even notice and on the plane...well any person who matters won't mind

As for one of the other posters, that shaded area with all the benches in Adventureland is a designated smoking area. There aren't a ton of them in the park so unfortunately if you sit there you are bound to eventually have some smokers around. It is a big enough area that I would hope they at least didn't sit right by you. My husband is a smoker and that was one of those designated smoking spots I just didn't understand. Most are off the beaten path a little but that one is kind of right there in the middle of everything.

 

[bafleyanne]

I've nursed toddlers on a couple of visits to WDW and never had a problem. (I did have a nasty lady come up and confront me in a restaurant on our way home from our last trip! But that's another story.)

In case it's hot or you just want a break, the baby care centers are fantastic. I also like nursing on dark rides (the boat in Mexico!) and places with theatre seats like CoP, American Adventure, Hall of Presidents, etc. But a lot of the time we just nursed at a bench or table and it was fine.

 

[CaryHaven]

I still BF my 17 mo DS and I'm wondering if anyone has had any issues when feeding on the plane or at WDW. Just wondering if cover-ups are required, etc. basically looking for what is the current socially acceptable procedure nowadays. My oldest is 17 years and I didn't feel super comfortable BF at the parks when he was 20 months. Any thoughts?

I've BF both my girls while at DW and had no problems. Plenty of places to do it at, and no one has given me any problems over it. One time I was waiting for Philharmagic to start so I could sit down and feed privately. There was already a group of us waiting for the doors to open. DD was getting antsy, and another woman walked up to the group, plopped down on the floor and started breastfeeding her baby in front of all. I was thinking, "I should have done that." LOL

I like wearing a wicking racerback or tank top with a very light/sheer/gauzy cotton top (peasant top or tee) and that way I can keep everything covered but what the baby latches onto. (pull up the top and down the tank)

 

[MommyBell08]

I still BF my 17 mo DS and I'm wondering if anyone has had any issues when feeding on the plane or at WDW. Just wondering if cover-ups are required, etc. basically looking for what is the current socially acceptable procedure nowadays. My oldest is 17 years and I didn't feel super comfortable BF at the parks when he was 20 months. Any thoughts?

Please do not think of anyone else and what is "socially acceptable" when referring to your childs health. Do whats best for your baby. Do what works for you! Coverups are not required and against the law. Go mama, great job making it this far! I went to 24+mts with DS2 and I'm so happy I did. Way to rock motherhood

 

[katclicks]

I breastfed all over the

 

[katclicks]

I breastfed all over the parks. I always found shows like the monsters inc laugh floor and mickeys philharmagic were some of the easiest places. I didn't use the baby care areas because we were never in the area when I needed to. The train was also a nice spot. I don't think it bothered anyone