For those of you who have breastfed at Disney...

[kkayluvsdis]

how was it? Did you ever have a hard time finding a bench or spot to sit? Did you feel uncomfortable at all with the crowds of people? We are thinking of taking our first trip as a family of 4 and my ds will only be a few months old. Are we crazy? The thing is we got some money as a Christmas gift to be used for vacation and our dd, 3.5 is Disney crazy and is the perfect age, in my opinion (she has already been several times before). I'm thinking in many ways it might be easier to take ds sooner rather than later when he is crawling/walking. Any thoughts appreciated! Thanks!
-Kelly

 

[MinnieForMe]

Hi:
I found it very easy to be discreet if that's what you want. There are many benches away from the action if you just look around. I know some babies need that quiet time away from the general action. However, many will do just fine right there in the open. In the Tree of Life, my little one started fussing. We were in the last row, surrounded by family and I nursed him with a blanket because it was cold in there. He fell right to sleep. I did keep a light blanket to drape over us if I felt uncomfortable in certain places. I believe it all depends on your comfort level.

A few years ago, I was talking to a mom who was nursing while in line at Playhouse Disney. No one seemed to notice or care.

I know there is a nursing/changing station but we were never near it when it was lunchtime for the baby! LOL!

Go and have fun! People are very open and accepting of nursing these days! It's a beautiful experience. Enjoy it and your new baby!

 

[-Hope-]

If I were you I'd find out Disney's official policy- which I'm hoping is very open and accepting. I say this because a lot of the time even employees aren't aware of policies and I've had friends who have been approached by associates at Wal-mart who were unaware that Wal-mart's official policy states that breastfeeding is allowed in any public area of the store. If you know the official policy then you'd be able to politely let any CM who was unaware know if they approach you.

 

[msmama]

I nursed my 10 month old all over Disney.

Some good spots: dark rides like the Haunted Mansion and Nemo and Friends (he fell asleep), shows (Muppets, Nemo, etc).

Every time we stopped at a little playground (Pooh corner, the one by Splash Mountain, the Dinosaur one at AK) there were Mom's nursing while older kids played.

I saw lots of women with Hooter Hiders or some other nursing cover, but I think they're easier to spot than Mom's who are just nursing discretely, lol.

I only used a Baby Care Center for nursing if we happened to be there anyway. My DS didn't like them. The one in MK is really nice but it's not private and he was more interested in the other babies and kept distracting them, lol.

Have fun!

 

[TamaraQT]

I agree with finding out what the policy is for Disney. We went when my daughter was 1 years old. She wasnt being breastfed but I did use the changing station to clean her up and get her out of the sun for a little while. I think those stations are so relaxing. It gives you a few quiet moments away from the hustle and bustle to just sit with your infant or toddler and relax a minute. I saw a few kids that were asleep on their parents laps. They may not be intended to use for napping, but i sure found it to be relaxing and soothing enough that I wanted to take a nap in one of the rockers myself!! I remember telling my husband that even the changing stations have a touch of the "magic of disney" in them.

Come to think of it, I was in MK, and like the OP said, the ones in MK are nice. I really can't comment on the other parks, but MK is nice.

 

[HollyP]

I nursed my DD at WDW when she was 5 months old without a single glance, comment or double take. I was discreet and I'm sure very few people noticed. I usually sat on an out of the way bench. I nursed in just about every show, and on the long slow rides like ITSW and TTA. I had a maya wrap http://www.mayawrap.com/ . It's lightweight breathable cotton with a loose weave. If my DD got fussy in a public area I would put her in it with it spread really wide and it would cover my whole torso so there was no chance of surprise flashing. Plus it was very comfortable to carry her in. I didn't want to leave her in the stroller all day and I felt more secure with her in the wrap loading onto busses and rides. The Maya Wrap is a little pricy but I got a lot of mileage out of it.


Holly

 

[TamaraQT]

I nursed my DD at WDW when she was 5 months old without a single glance, comment or double take. I was discreet and I'm sure very few people noticed. I usually sat on an out of the way bench. I nursed in just about every show, and on the long slow rides like ITSW and TTA. I had a maya wrap http://www.mayawrap.com/ . It's lightweight breathable cotton with a loose weave. If my DD got fussy in a public area I would put her in it with it spread really wide and it would cover my whole torso so there was no chance of surprise flashing. Plus it was very comfortable to carry her in. I didn't want to leave her in the stroller all day and I felt more secure with her in the wrap loading onto busses and rides. The Maya Wrap is a little pricy but I got a lot of mileage out of it.


Holly

Thanks Holly. I have a neice who is expecting a baby in August and I think this Maya wrap would be a perfect gift. I never heard of them. They are so versatile. I love these!!! I have to get one for my neice!! Thanks again!!

 

[Cedarmom]

I nursed our 9 mo all over Disney with no problems. I nursed her during lots of the shows or longer rides (ask as you get on, they can tell you exactly how long the ride is!), at the playgrounds, sitting on benches waiting for the older kids to play in things like Donald's boat, on the train around the MK, on the monorail...Just about anywhere that I wasn't right up against someone else and could find a second to get her attached discreetly.

 

[MinnieForMe]

Hi:
I love the term Hooter Hiders - hilarous!

Off topic:
At my brother's wedding I had a gown made with nursing slits. I was nursing my son discretely at a table when the wedding photographer came over and snapped a picture. He had no clue I was nursing. He said he couldn't help himself because he loved the way the baby was snuggled into me and I was looking down at him. My brother, the groom, pops over and says "are you done nursing him yet?". The poor photographer turned about 8 shades of red!

 

[arielmomma]

I nursed both of my children when they were babies all over WDW without any difficulties. I just nursed as I always did at home and no one noticed or cared. I never used the baby care stations until after I was done nursing. There are many nice shaded areas. You shouldn't have any problems.

 

[Keri]

Clearly it wasn't very memorable for me ... I know I did BF my DD in 2008 - she was about 7 months old, so not BFing a ton, but still a few times during the day. The only time I distinctly remember was before the parade one day, and I just scooted back out of the way & sat down with her & fed her. I'm sure I did it other times too - just found a bench or whatever. I know she wasn't drinking formula yet, so it was me or water ... clearly it was easy, because I don't remember any real specifics!

 

[Mommy2Abby]

I nursed my 3 month old DD at Disney as well. She tends to startle easily so we pretty much stuck to nursing in the Baby Care Centers.

The one in the Magic Kingdom is pretty centrally located, right near Crystal Palace, so it wasn't too big of a deal to head over there to nurse when she was hungry. The one at HS is a little bit more inconvenient, since it's at the park entrance. It's also much smaller, so you may have to wait for a place to sit.

I did nurse at EPCOT in The Land pavillion in the waiting area for The Garden Grill on an out of the way bench, as we were in a hurry and I didn't want to drag all the way to the Baby Care Center.

I also nursed in the Magic Kingdom one night on Main Street in a little out of the way raised platform area with benches that I stumbled upon. We arrived late and Spectromagic had already started...there was no way I was fighting my way through the crowd to the Baby Care Center. It was dark and completely desserted, but I still had a great view of the parade. That's one of my best memories from our trip...just me and youngest DD taking in one of my favorite attractions in WDW.

 

[tartemis]

Nursing in Disney is sooo easy. There are mothers doing it everywhere, so you will never feel out of place. I love the baby centers, but they are not always conveniently located. To hit on a few of the other points raised:
I would be SHOCKED if it were not Disney policy for their to be open nursing everywhere. Usually, it is an issue of state law, but even if Florida doesn't protect nursing moms, I have sure a place like Disney would.
I have never been able to nurse in a sling - or for that matter been able to use a blanket as a cover. I think my babies are just too big to nurse in a sling and they hate a blanket covering their face or head, so they always push it off. That being said, it isn't hard to be discrete without the gimmicks. I just pull my shirt up, so that my shirt will cover most everything above and the baby covers everything from below.
It is definitely easier to take a baby then a newly walking toddler. Babies go with the flow, young toddlers are into everything, are clumsy and don't listen well yet - on the flip side the joy seen on a toddlers face is precious.

 

[Sazuburns]

I'm glad everyone's had such good experiences. I was still nursing my second child the first time we took him to Disneyland Paris (he was 6 months old) and never had a problem.

I'm not sure if it will be so easy this summer with my youngest. She will be 18months and she's just started playing peekabo with my breasts. She gets a cheeky look on her face, lifts my top and if she's in the right position she latches herself on, and otherwise she covers them up again, only to lift my top a few seconds later. Hopefully by the time we go she'll just be nursing morning and evening, so I'll be able to do it in the privacy of our hotel. Could get quite embarassing otherwise...

 

[Sugardimples]

I think that Florida has a state law that says a mother can nurse anywhere.

 

[sahm1000]

We went last September when our third daughter was 8 weeks old. I had the same thinking as you...easier to do when they are this young and portable instead of crawling and getting into everything (I'll contend with that this spring when she is 20 months though!).

I did nurse a few times in the parks. I sat on a bench in the Land while waiting for DH and two other daughters to come out of Soarin' and once in the Pooh plaground area by BTMR. I, personally, prefer to be as "comfortable" as possible while nursing so I tried to use the baby care centers. All of the baby care centers were air conditioned (a blessing for us since we were there in the beginning of September when it is hot and steamy), had really nice real changing tables (not the ones in the bathrooms - honest changing tables), and rocking chairs with ottomans for nursing moms. They also had attendants who you could purchase baby food, diapers and wipes, formula, and infant medicine from if necessary. The ones in the Magic Kingdom and Epcot were the nicest and roomiest. They even had little play areas with TV's for my older girls to sit and relax in with their Dad (the nursing areas are separated). It was really an easy experience for us. Good luck!

 

[kimcwl]

I highly recommend the Maya wrap. My DD was 5 mos. when we went to WDW. I don't remember any specific places to sit, but there are plenty of benches and out of the way spots, as well as the Baby Care centers if you are near one when you need it.

But really, using the Maya wrap, I never needed to stop and find a place to breastfeed. She sat up and looked around from the sling when she wanted, or I could lay her back down and she ate or slept as needed. She usually ate during all dark shows or slow moving rides, but there were many times I could even nurse her in line or while walking! The sling is so adjustable, you can spread it around to be very discreet and supportive. Most people didn't even realize I had a baby, but those who did kept commenting on how wonderful the sling was and how they wished they had had something like that.

Enjoy your time at WDW and the joy of nursing--they will be growing up way too soon.

 

[nemofans]

I breastfed DS at Disneyland. I used the baby centers which was so nice. They had a separate area just for breastfeeding. It had dim lighting & rocking chairs.

 

[shaylahc1]

I breatsfed DS all over Disney. We went when he was 2 months old. The most awkward place was nursing him on the monorail DS was screaming (as he did most of the trip, which is a story for another day) and it was my desperate effort to try and shut him up It worked Unfortunately some of the other guests on the tram looked uncomfortable---I AM a discreet nurser, and I did the best I could. I figured they could either listen to him scream or get over their discomfort of having a mother nursing a baby and look away. It's not like I invited them to look anyway

 

[Desiree1972]

I nursed everywhere in this sling! I have nursed in Disney as well. While I loved the baby care centers there aren't enough of them. Nursing in the sling on the longer rides (jungle cruise, IASW, most of the rides in EPCOT) is easy peasy.
Have fun

May I recommend the one with the padded shoulder?


eta: it has a learning curve so practice for a couple of weeks and by the time you get to Disney you will be proficient at nursing while slinging