Feeding an infant

[lman2b]

Has anyone ever had a problem nursing a child at Disney? I'm very discrete, my infant will be 8 weeks old next week at WDW and I will have to feed him throughout the day. But its obvious when I feed him with the cover-up what I"m doing and I'm sure that people will know a baby is under there.

But our friends' who just returned from WDW seem to think Disney has a rule that no breastfeeding is allowed in the park other than in the designated family areas. I called Disney and they said they don't have a "written rule" about it and they weren't sure what to tell me. Just wondering what others' experiences have been.

 

[all4fun]

I believe that Florida law allows nursing mothers to nurse in public although I could not cite a specific code. I know I have seen mothers NIP many times at WDW w/no problems. If you do a search on this board just using the word "nursing" you'll find tons of info on this subject. Here's a link to a search I did

http://www.disboards.com/searchbt.php?search=NURSING&order=1&user=&scope=4&cat=1&frm=23

I wouldn't worry about it personally. You should have no problems, especially if you intend to be discreet. Congrats on the new baby.

hth

 

[Ariel8676]

I nursed all over WDW lol...I was always VERY discreet..but i have also seen Mommas walking around nursing with nothing covering them at all.. and im fine with that, no one said a word.
Be proud Momma!!!!

 

[needabreaknow]

You are good to go

http://www.ncsl.org/programs/health/breast50.htm

Thirty-nine states have laws with language specifically allowing women to breastfeed in any public or private location (Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, and Wyoming).

* Twenty-one states exempt breastfeeding from public indecency laws (Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin).

 

[NotUrsula]

Your friends are mistaken. You can nurse wherever you like. I find that IASW, Pirates (after the drop, of course), and the TTA are good rides for nursing on, plus whatever quiet areas you might like.

Also, no matter what anyone thinks, minimizing of exposed skin is all anyone has a reasonable right to expect in terms of discretion. So what if they know what you're doing -- it's not like you're robbing a bank. The kid's gotta eat, after all.

 

[Disneylush]

Also the baby stations are WONDERFUL (if you are close by)

 

[Camno's Mama]

You will have no problem nursing in public. I have nursed pretty much anywhere that I have ever been, including WDW, and have never had any bad experiences. Maybe some curious looks and a couple of older women staring a little harder than they should, but I have never had anyone tell me to stop. (God help them if they did!)

You're nursing your sweet baby and just focus on that. Don't worry about anyone else. Worrying about how they will handle it will just stress you out during your trip and you should be enjoying yourself. Like a PP said, find a quiet ride or a nice bench and get comfortable. Enjoy people watching and relaxing and the rest will take care of itself.

Have a great trip and congratulations on your little one!

 

[FatElvis]

I had no problems nursing my baby either, I saw LOTS of breastfeeding moms there. I always made it a point to nurse during the shows - it kept her quiet, plus I wouldn't have to make the whole family stop later while I fed her. The baby care centers ARE great though, if you're near one.

There are loads of benches and out of the way places you can sit. And even if you're sitting smack dab on Main Street, don't worry about it! I think the vast majority of people won't notice or won't care.

Have a ball! Nursing babies are so easy on trips.

 

[tanyaandallie]

Have nursed both of my kids at Disney and never had any problems. With my dd I was far more paranoid and always used a blanket. My only problem (and I think I've posted this somewhere before) was that every time I would find a nice, quiet shaded spot, it would end up being a smoking area!!!!

If you are concerned or paranoid about nip, just remember that for the most part, no one is paying any attention to you at all. In general people are just far more concerned with what they are doing then what you are doing. Most have no idea what you are doing nor do they care.

The babycenters are awesome so take advantage of them when you are close to them. I didn't use them much b/c they are not all the convenient, but they are very nice. We went in one night when a cold front came through and I sat in there and nursed my dd in the nice warm room in a nice comfy chair. It was nice!!

 

[Zeebs]

Am very glad to read this, as I still plan to be breast feeding my little one when we are in WDW in October and he will be 10 months. I feed Cullen at Disneyland he was 11 months I sat on a wall in toontown and just watched the world go by it was nice and relaxing for the both of us cause he fell asleep.

 

[weloveprincesses]

I've fed several times at the Hall of President's show. Very dark and the seats are comfy. And air conditioned.....

Have fun!
Maggi

 

[momof3littlelilos]

Has anyone ever had a problem nursing a child at Disney? I'm very discrete, my infant will be 8 weeks old next week at WDW and I will have to feed him throughout the day. But its obvious when I feed him with the cover-up what I"m doing and I'm sure that people will know a baby is under there.

But our friends' who just returned from WDW seem to think Disney has a rule that no breastfeeding is allowed in the park other than in the designated family areas. I called Disney and they said they don't have a "written rule" about it and they weren't sure what to tell me. Just wondering what others' experiences have been.

Your friends are wrong.
When we lived in Orlando we were at the parks just about every Sunday, and I had 2 babies during that time.
There are plenty of places to sit throughout the parks and nurse, and most everyone in the park is too excited to be in Disney to notice people sitting on benches anyway.
There are also plenty of rides where you can nurse, and the baby centers are great if your near one when the baby needs it.
Have a great trip!

 

[mom2aredhead]

I am prepared to be flamed for this.
I don't understand why this comes up so often? If you are comfortable nurisng in public, is nursing at Disney really any different than in any other public place?

 

[2 princes 1 princess]

I am prepared to be flamed for this.
I don't understand why this comes up so often? If you are comfortable nurisng in public, is nursing at Disney really any different than in any other public place?

I agree. Has anyone been confronted by staff members anywhere for nursing their child in the past few years? I know it used to be a problem but these days more mothers nurse than before( meaning women from my mother's generation). Why is nursing in public discussed so often? If you are considerate to others in public (while doing anything) why should nursing be a problem?

 

[applechips]

Obviously as already stated your friends are wrong!! Nope Disney can not tell you you can't nurse there. Be free to nurse however and wherever you want. No need to coverup unless YOU want to. I nursed my son all over WDW from the restaurants (even the very crowded Chef Mickey's!), the monorail, to the fountain by the back of the castle. And I never used a blanket. My shirts always just covered myself up. Wearing a nursing bra or shirt will help immensely with making you feel comfy IMO, if you want to use those.

I was just there this past Monday and was sitting at the tables near Pooh's playground and saw a mama nursing her little girl. She didn't use a coverup, just her shirt covered things and really only *I* knew what she was doing because well I am weird and can recognize another breastfeeding mama... you can just tell. I also saw a mama USING a blanket at a bench at MGM and I thought that was way more obvious!

The more we nurse in public, the more the public will see it and see it as a normal event.

 

[lighttech]

Had to chime in and offer my support although I can't give any advice from experience. I think breast feeding is SO important and SO natural. So, go ahead and do what you need to do for you and your little one. (Although, I applaud your statement about being discreet. I'm done nursing for the time being, but, even though I have no issue w/ it, I always try to be considerate of others beliefs and feelings even if I don't agree w/ them. In turn, I hope others do the same for me... Ahhh, wouldn't the world be a better place... ok - off that soap box.)

As for practical advice. If you need help locating the baby centers (where they have chairs and private areas for breastfeeding) go to disneyworld.com and type in "babycenter little ones" under search. It brings you to an area of the website specifically for planning w/ small children. If you click on one of the links for the Playskool travel pages (can't remember the exact link), you'll get to the area. Click on Travel Tips. On the right hand side is a link that will take you to maps of each park w/ all the toddler appropriate rides, character meet-n-greets, kid friendly eating areas, and babycenters marked right on them.

Also, when I was nursing, I got some GREAT nursing tops from Motherhood. They are tank tops w/ built in nursing bras. They have a little clip where the strap meets the top and you can just fold down the little flap and nurse away. I often wore them w/ a light button down or sleeveless button down shirt and was able to nurse discreetly w/o carrying an extra towel or covering up my poor, sweaty DS's head. OMG! It would have been way worse w/ the wet spot from his little baby radiator sweat machine than anything else!

Hope this helps!

 

[livndisney]

I agree. Has anyone been confronted by staff members anywhere for nursing their child in the past few years? I know it used to be a problem but these days more mothers nurse than before( meaning women from my mother's generation). Why is nursing in public discussed so often? If you are considerate to others in public (while doing anything) why should nursing be a problem?

I think this is very important. Thank you for posting this.

 

[SueM in MN]

I nursed an 11 month old at WDW, 20 years ago. I mostly nursed inside attractions - if it was dark and not bumpy, we nursed. We were with my in-laws, who didn't realize I was doing it (several times, they asked when I was going to feed the baby!!).
We nursed a number of times sitting on benches. Our main problem was little old ladies who thought DD was sleeping and wanted to "just have a little peak at her. I promise not to wake her."

I've seen some women sitting on benches nursing on subsequent visits. As someone noted, once you've done it yourself, you can recognize it. But, it looked like most people were not paying any attention to it.

 

[L8blumr2]

Our experience this summer was a woman with full breast out in line for Maelstrom. Then got on the ride in the same condition. No discretion and no one said anything.

 

[GEM]

I nursed my little guy "around the world" on trips at 12 months, 18 months, 22 months, and just over two years. No problems at all, only great experiences! I nursed on rides, in shows, in restaurants, on benches, while waiting in line, on curbs waiting for parades, on busses, on monorails, on boats, just walking through the park - pretty much everywhere EXCEPT the baby care centers. I never even saw the inside of one of them. I know they are nice, but there was no way I was hiking back there everytime Paul wanted to nurse. Too much wasted time! They are great for those who want to use them, but you don't have to use them if you don't want to.

I was never one to cover up with a blanket or anything like that. It was too hot and Paul never tolerated it anyway. Yes, you could definately tell I was nursing, but you couldn't see anything at all. I never had one negative comment or unfriendly look, just lots of smiles from other mommies.

And, I just got back from a trip with my sister and her 15 month old who is a very frequent nurser, her experience was just the same - purely positive.

So, go and don't worry about it a bit!

By the way, as mentioned before, it is illegal in Florida (and lots of other states) to ask a nursing mother to leave or cover up. You are legally allowed to nurse your little one any place you are legally allowed to be.