Breastfeeding?

[Sleepy425]

I saw quite a few breastfeeding moms last week. This is my second trip while breastfeeding my son. Honestly I am the type that will feed him anywhere ( I do try to throw an extra shirt or something over me, he tends to try his best to embarrass me if I don't. His hands start wandering...). One poor guy on a boat to Wilderness Lodge last trip was so oblivious to what I was doing and kept trying to play with my son - his wife had to finally tell him what was going on! LOL it didn't bother me at all, it was dark and he was a bit older and was definitely more embarrassed than I was.

And breastfeeding was a lifesaver both trips on the plane. One time I was next to a stranger and felt a little bad for her, but once she saw what a hellion he was when he was awake I am pretty sure she was OK with me breastfeeding him to sleep!

 

[dpswift]

Let me start by saying I'm not the type of guy who thinks breastfeeding an infant in public is weird. I'm fine with it.

But I guess what I don't understand is why you'd even bring an infant who is breastfeeding to Disney to begin with. Aren't they too young to understand and comprehend where they are and what they are seeing?

I won airline tickets 21 years ago. They had to be used within a year. So we used them to go to Disney. I was also pregnant(my doctor was fine with me breastfeeding) So if we were to go not having an infant was not an option. We have 5 children and I was not going to stop living my life just because I had a little one.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Who says Disney's for the baby?

Mom wants to go to Disney. The baby gets to come along.

After all, when you're nursing, it's not terribly workable to leave the baby with a sitter for a week.

Exactly. We took our 8 month old daughter, and I was still exclusively pumping for her. It was a family trip, with my brother/SIL/nephews as well as my parents. I wasn't going to leave DD home, so she came with us. Logistics with pumping were interesting at times, but it worked out just fine.

 

[Angel Ariel]

There is a breastfeeding support thread on the Disney for Families board. I would suggest checking there for tips.

Yep - it's a great thread! Here's the direct link

 

[Love Tink]

Just want to say that the greatest place to breastfeed at WDW is the TTA (People Mover). I breastfed all three of mine on it.

There's never any wait (well, almost never) and you can have privacy - a car to yourself and sometimes a few cars between you and the next person. You can put your feet up. You swoosh around with the nice wind in your face, entertained by the view. The CMs will let you stay on as many loops as you need to finish feeding, and the motion of the cars usually puts the little one to sleep as he/she finishes. Lovely memories for me.

 

[Catrinabeach]

We took our DD at 6 wks for her first time

I nursed here wherever we were when she was hungry. I was nursing her on the AK Safari. She was still nursing when we got off so I just kept walking off while she was nursing. I had a receiving blanket over her just to keep her from being distracted.

A CM came over and asked to peek. I told him she wasn't sleeping. He obviously didn't understand because he promised he wouldn't wake her. I repeated She is NOT sleeping. I laughed. He got it and apoligized. So I quickly detached her and let him see her He was so excited to see a baby Every CM stopped to look and adore. I think they all genuinely love kids and it shows when you bring a baby

I think the only time we have noticed someone BFing was the time a woman was sitting on a bench with BOTH breasts on display while the baby nursed from one of them. My niece noticed and exclaimed to me lol She was very happy that no one could tell when I nursed my DD during that same trip.

 

[nitrot150]

I am here now and have used all 4 parks baby centers, (babe is 11 mo now) they are great and air conditioned. We went to DL in April when he ate more often and I just found a quiet corner, no problems. If he ate mor soften now I'd have to find ,ore places, but its worked out to just use the centers.


As for why to take a nursing baby? Well, we want to go and so does his older sister!

 

[wywuas]

like everyone else has said just find a quiet place off to the side in any of the parks and you should be good. never got any bad looks from anyone just smiles from some moms which was nice and comforting for me since it was my first child to be doing this at the parks with i was quite nervous. he was 9 months at the time so he was able to go a little longer between feedings which helped also.
funny story i have about one incident though..we were eating at O'hana for dinner. he wasn't quite having it that night was a little fussy. my husband took him out to feed him some baby food by the bar area since he was getting restless at the table. he ate the whole big jar but wanted more. we had an awesome table at the front of the restaurant by the windows for the fireworks too. he came back with him still fussing and hungry so i am like ok i'll feed him and thankfully i had my cover up. well i wasn't paying attention to the time and i had my back to the window and just as i put him on...the lights dim and everyone in the restaurant turns their chairs to watch the fireworks. now i know they weren't looking at me. the fireworks are the main attraction but it was still very embarrassing for me because it was towards the beginning of our trip and i was still getting used to bf in a very large public place. but i just acted normal and went with it and it kinda helped me get more comfortable doing it around the parks more.
the baby centers do have nursing rooms but i never was close to use them. plenty of places to do it between rides and shows have fun!

 

[rosemerry]

I think you should not be worry about it. Simply find a baby station and if it is not near then a little bit quite spot.

 

[cseca]

The baby care centers are wonderful.
Some are tinier than others. But they are always well stocked and taken care of. So you're never worried.
Although the nursing room at MK baby center really reminds me of the Haunted Mansion room... ...

Have a wonderful trip!

 

[Shleedogg]

When I was nursing I didn't see that many nursing out in the parks - maybe one or two a day. But I did see and talk to many who had nursed theirs and weren't the least bit uncomfortable with me nursing next to them.

I was always surprised by the number of moms in some of the nursing rooms at times. I only used them if we were close and it was really hot (with the exception of our first trip with my oldest at 2 mos - I wasn't comfortable nursing in public yet). It takes so much time to trek in and get settled. I always found it far easier to nurse wherever we were. Have fun!!

 

[StuckInKS]

Let me start by saying I'm not the type of guy who thinks breastfeeding an infant in public is weird. I'm fine with it.

But I guess what I don't understand is why you'd even bring an infant who is breastfeeding to Disney to begin with. Aren't they too young to understand and comprehend where they are and what they are seeing?

Seriously? I'm sure the trip is not merely for the enjoyment of the infant, there are obviously other people in the family who want to go. Why should mom/dad or older siblings be deprived a trip just because there is an infant in the family? And why should a mom have to choose between accompanying her older children on a Disney trip and leaving an infant behind or staying behind with the infant while the rest of the family enjoys Disney? How about an infant that is not breastfeeding?

 

[LilyWDW]

Just want to say that the greatest place to breastfeed at WDW is the TTA (People Mover). I breastfed all three of mine on it.

There's never any wait (well, almost never) and you can have privacy - a car to yourself and sometimes a few cars between you and the next person. You can put your feet up. You swoosh around with the nice wind in your face, entertained by the view. The CMs will let you stay on as many loops as you need to finish feeding, and the motion of the cars usually puts the little one to sleep as he/she finishes. Lovely memories for me.

I will warn against this though as well. I have seen personally AND have read on these boards about times when the CM will NOT allow you to stay on. It happened on one trip in October that I witnessed. So, you can't be sure 100% if you will be allowed to stay on.

 

[Granny square]

I will warn against this though as well. I have seen personally AND have read on these boards about times when the CM will NOT allow you to stay on. It happened on one trip in October that I witnessed. So, you can't be sure 100% if you will be allowed to stay on.

Our trip in January was the first time ever they wouldn't let you ride around even though it was empty.

 

[Bullseye]

Let me start by saying I'm not the type of guy who thinks breastfeeding an infant in public is weird. I'm fine with it.

But I guess what I don't understand is why you'd even bring an infant who is breastfeeding to Disney to begin with. Aren't they too young to understand and comprehend where they are and what they are seeing?

Plus they don't meet the height restrictions for any of the rides... not even the slow "baby" rides.

 

[JanaDee]

Just want to say that the greatest place to breastfeed at WDW is the TTA (People Mover). I breastfed all three of mine on it.

There's never any wait (well, almost never) and you can have privacy - a car to yourself and sometimes a few cars between you and the next person. You can put your feet up. You swoosh around with the nice wind in your face, entertained by the view. The CMs will let you stay on as many loops as you need to finish feeding, and the motion of the cars usually puts the little one to sleep as he/she finishes. Lovely memories for me.

They rarely let you stay on anymore.

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

like everyone else has said just find a quiet place off to the side in any of the parks and you should be good. never got any bad looks from anyone just smiles from some moms which was nice and comforting for me since it was my first child to be doing this at the parks with i was quite nervous. he was 9 months at the time so he was able to go a little longer between feedings which helped also.
funny story i have about one incident though..we were eating at O'hana for dinner. he wasn't quite having it that night was a little fussy. my husband took him out to feed him some baby food by the bar area since he was getting restless at the table. he ate the whole big jar but wanted more. we had an awesome table at the front of the restaurant by the windows for the fireworks too. he came back with him still fussing and hungry so i am like ok i'll feed him and thankfully i had my cover up. well i wasn't paying attention to the time and i had my back to the window and just as i put him on...the lights dim and everyone in the restaurant turns their chairs to watch the fireworks. now i know they weren't looking at me. the fireworks are the main attraction but it was still very embarrassing for me because it was towards the beginning of our trip and i was still getting used to bf in a very large public place. but i just acted normal and went with it and it kinda helped me get more comfortable doing it around the parks more.
the baby centers do have nursing rooms but i never was close to use them. plenty of places to do it between rides and shows have fun!

Oh man! I can totally picture this, just getting started and then the whole restaurant swiveling their seats just to face you! I would have sat for a minute and had that totally panicked feeling before I figure out what was going on!

OP, feeding should be fine, it'll be a great excuse if you want it to find a shady spot and sit down, and if not, just keep swimming!

 

[hgeisler]

Generally because the rest of the family wants to go. And honestly, infants are often much easier to manage than toddlers. I took my infant all the same places I went before I had kids. It wasn't until he was walking that we started to change our plans around him. And of course if you have older kids, it may just work for you.

Very true! All they do is eat, sleep, and poop!

 

[hgeisler]

Both of my sons were those babies who wanted to nurse every 2 hours or so, and I probably spent about 6 weeks in the parks with them combined while they were still nursing.
Most people didn't even notice, those who did generally didn't care.

The one out of probably half a million people who noticed and didnt like it was a 12 year old boy. It was awkward for everybody, we were on an extremely crowded bus so he was pushed up against me. He got upset so his family was mad. Overall, I suggest not nursing on an overcrowded bus next to a moody pre-teen boy with self image issue if you can help it. Otherwise you're good.

I found it a good way to pass time in boring lines with nothing to look at.

My DD was like that too!I felt like she was super glued to me

 

[Angel Ariel]

Plus they don't meet the height restrictions for any of the rides... not even the slow "baby" rides.

I can't tell if this is in jest?

Babies can ride any ride without a posted height requirement. At 8 months, DD rode Dumbo, Spaceship Earth, Pirates, Buzz Lightyear, The Living Seas w/Nemo, Kilimanjaro Safaris, etc...

That's not including the shows like Monster's Inc Laugh Floor, Enchanted Tales w/Belle, MuppetVision3D, and TurtleTalk with Crush that she went to as well.