Help with nursing baby

[sahmom]

We are headed to disney on April 7th with our 7 month old baby. I am still nursing since she absolutely refuses to take a bottle. I am a little nervous about nursing her in public. I know about the baby centers but if she wants to eat and we are not near one I am unsure where to go. Anyone have any suggestions about other locations to use? Do the restrooms have a bench in them? Does anyone know the policies on nursing during shows/rides if need be? Any advice or help would be great. Thanks alot!

 

[ksoehrlein]

WDW is VERY nursing baby-friendly! The baby care centers are awesome! We tried to stay near them when it was close to baby's mealtimes. But since that does not always work out, Disney does not prohibit or discourage nursing during shows or attractions, as long as the ride vehicle and common-sense safety precautions permit.

Sometimes, it's the best thing to do to quiet a cranky baby and allows everyone else to enjoy the attaction without the distraction of baby's hunger cries. Even though there are MUCH more exciting things for strangers to watch at WDW, I tried to keep away from prying eyes. Dark rides, like Ellen's Energy Adventure, were great for nursing and my modesty alike. I did break down and nurse on the more-brightly-lit Carousel of Progress once, but felt a little self-conscious. But keeping my son from crying did allow everyone to hear the show's soundtrack and I doubt too many people were aware of the reason why he "magically" stopped crying.

Rest rooms are great for changing diapers but tough for nursing. I hid with DS in the restroom at Artists' Point during dinner with the in-laws and grandparents-in-law once, and it was rough! (And I know I "could" have nursed at the table, but trust me, the family dynamics involved definitely prohibited that!) Park restrooms would probably be even more difficult to nurse in.

Good luck, don't stress out about it, and have a magical trip!

 

[4greatboys]

Well there is probably not much time to nurse during an attraction but it is possible at some of the attractions like Mickeys Philharmagic, The Muppets and places like that.
I dont remembering seeing any benches in the bathrooms. You could also pop into one of the counter service restaurants and nurse.

 

[WDWorBUST]

My DD was still nursing when we went this past December....however she was 13 months old so it was mostly at bed-time. I did nurse her a couple of times in the parks and did not feel uncomfortable at all (and I only nursed in public probably a handful of times total). If I remember correctly Hall of Presidents, Haunted Mansion, Tomorrowland Transit Authority, Philharmagic were all places that I would have been comfortable nursing. Any of the 3D shows are good. I did happen to see a lady walking along carrying her baby through Epcot and it wasn't until after she had already walked past me realized she was nursing the baby. I think WDW is one of those places everyone is so wrapped up in what they are doing they aren't even likely to notice when you are discreetly nursing. Have a great time.

 

[sleepyone]

I nursed my ds (8mos.) in the air conditioned shows and rides. I really don't think anyone paid attention to it because they were watching the shows. As far as nursing in the restrooms; I never did that with any of my babies. I wouldn't want to eat or drink in a public restroom so, I wouldn't feed the babies in there either. I used the baby center once during our week long stay to nurse ds. I don't know about laws in FL but, in some states it is illegal to tell a mother she cannot nurse. In my state you are allowed by law to nurse anywhere that you have a legal right to be...so, that means I can nurse anywhere except the mens' restroom .

 

[sleepyone]

You may want to check out La Leche League's website. Here's a link regarding legality in FL: http://www.lalecheleague.org/Law/NBNovDec94p164.html

 

[Disneyonmymind]

during shows or laid-back style rides, if you and baby are comfortable doing so. Anywhere other babies may eat, your baby may nurse as well. Why should she have to eat in a disgustingly dirty bathroom? I would think many of the shows would be perfect places, as are the restaurants. As long as you are discreet, nobody will even notice. There are many nursing mothers in WDW. I am not positive, but I do believe your rights to nurse your baby are protected by law, as they should be.

Have fun with the little one!!!

Jackie

 

[Rellim]

We took our 7 month old and I used the Baby Care Centers and they were great. I didn't mind having to go back and forth because it was such a slow paced trip with the baby anyway. I wasn't comfortable in public because DS was such a squirmer, but i know it can be done without people noticing.

 

[robinb]

I nursed in public just about anywhere at WDW. The only problem was when my DD was in the "looky-loo" stage where she would stop and turn her head suddenly to see something. **ouch** Oh, and it's hard to get your top down fast enough, too.

I was nursing on the bench in front of Chef Mickey's once and a little boy about 6 or 7 came up to me and asked me, "What's that baby doing?". I answered, "Eating." and he said, "Oh." and walked away.

 

[ptslp]

We are also going to WDW in a few weeks (4/6-11) with our nursing 6 month old dd. She is my second child and I will pretty much nurse her anywhere! She has been nursed in restaurants, malls, the car, the library. As a previous poster mentioned, the problem now is that she is nosey! I am going to bring a lightweight blanket to cover her if her looking around becomes a problem. I personally wouldn't nurse in a restroom- besides the smells, there are too many germs and people walking through. You can probably find a bench somewhere out of the way or even in a busier area. Most people just think the baby is sleeping and don't realize she is nursing unless she turns to look at them. Depending on how long your baby nurses (dd is quick, my ds was a slowpoke!), you can figure out if nursing during a show will work for you. Another option is while members of your party are waiting in line for a ride- get a baby swap pass, let them go, nurse the baby on a bench nearby and then you can go on the ride when you are done. The only place I wouldn't nurse is on a ride where it would be a safety issue. Some of the rides are continuous (the Transit Authority by Space Mountain is great! if your party is in a line near there), so that is okay, but most of them are bouncy or bumpy, etc.
Good luck with everything! PM me if you have any other questions!!
kathryn

 

[rt2dz]

Last sept I was there with a nursing 7m baby who also would not take a bottle. To make matters worse, he was a premie, small, and has health issues so he ate every 1.5 to 3 (if lucky) hrs. I couldn't be at a baby care center that frequently.

Nursing in public is no big deal. And he had to everything just perfect--not too hot, not too loud, etc., etc. Nursing him was the biggest pain. Whereever your baby is allowed (by law) you are allowed to nurse. And would YOU eat your dinner in a bathroom, especially a public bathroom?

Just bring a large nursing shawl or big blanket. Practice at home before you go so baby is used to it. A lot of rides & shows are good for nursing--hall of presidents, kilamajaro safari, the train ride a few more that I can't think of. Just try your best to sit out of the way. Most people won't even notice and more will care less as long as you are trying to be discreet. I even found that quite a few people would give up bench seats or do what they could to help--usually with a "been there".

Of course, I also have the attitude that if someone has a problem with it, as long as I'm trying to be discreet, it is THEIR problem. They can leave. I don't personally want them looking anyhow.

 

[DisneyPhD]

We just got back from WDW with a nursing 7 month old that won't take a bottle. The problem is she now has teeth and was going through a stage that if it was my idea to nurse her she had to have things completly quiet and I couldn't talk at all or she would bite me! I took advantage of the quiet moments when I could. I never did end up nursing at the baby care center, even though I did visit them and spent some time in them (warmed up some baby food once, peas aren't good cold!)

However if it was HER idea to nurse she did just fine almost anywhere (and I mean anywhere, monorail, bus etc..) I drew the line at the safari ride, I wasn't about to attempt it with those bumps! All in all we did pretty well, it was rather a non issue. Infact in our group we had 2 nursing babies and moms and it really just happended where ever and whenever we needed it to. Most people didn't even notice what was going on.

I thought I would nurse her in the movie at France, she would have nothing to do with that. She nursed fine until the movie started then bit me (she knew I would "close up shop then" and she stood on my lap and wacthed the whole movie.) She loved it. I guess it really is rather Baby Enstin like, (music and beatiful senery.)

I am finding if they are hungery enough they will tune out the distractions.

 

[Gillian]

I am/was (while nursing) kind of large chested and had a little trouble nursing in public because of that. I didn't care if people knew I was nursing, but it was hard to avoid giving a free show. I found a lightweight cape with a stiff band in the neck band so you could look down and see what was going on. It was probably more obvious than not using it, but I didn't care if people looked, as long as they couldn't see, you know?

I did nurse in a restroom at a baseball spring training game. DS 5 months was hot & didn't want a bottle, although he usually didn't have a problem. There were lots of men around and many of them had been drinking. There was a bench in the ladies room & it was cooler. Not ideal circumstances, but not dirty either. It's not like DS was eating off of a toilet. And I didn't have to touch any door handles. I'm funny about that.

No one will care but you. It'll be fine!

 

[justhat]

I have used the baby care centers many times with my nursing daughter at 3,4,and 9 months (and 6 months in DL). At 3 months, my cousin and her nursing 6 month old were with us, and they both ate every 2 hours so since we got up the same time and stuff, they ended up getting hungry the same times, so we'd head off to the baby care centers together while the others did a ride. That was May though and it was very warm so I was glad to get out of the heat, plus have a nice place to change her diaper and let her have some tummy time on the changing table since they're so big.

At 4, 6, and 9 months it was just me and the baby (and my husband!) so I nursed wherever on those trips. Still used the baby care centers if we were near one, but if not then we nursed on a ride/show or a restaurant. Never really just used a bench cause we were always 'somewhere' when she got hungry.

We're going back in April (18-26) and Madison will be 13 months and is still nursing, but mostly daytime self-weaned. She usually nurses at naptime, bedtime, and then during the night, so we'll probably just nurse in the room. At this point she will usually nurse if she's hungry/sleepy, but at 6 and 9 months it was horrible with the distractions. Even the baby care centers were bad cause she'd want to see the other babies!

 

[KerriMc]

When we went last year in February my youngest dd was 7 mos too. She also refused bottles, but I found it much easier to travel and not have to worry about all of that anyways. Just bring along the girls and she was happy I didn't ever use the baby care centres. I had read about them on here, but never really did locate them as we were never near one when needed! We also had cold and wet days while there, so it made it somewhat difficult at times. Once we were caught in a downpour and tried to find cover under a porch near Country Bear Jamboree. I was standing there trying to hold this baby, pull out the ****, hold her and discreetly nurse without freezing myself! Finally the mom in the chair in front of me realized what I was doing and her dh gave me his rocking chair to sit in. The next day we were there was much better and I nursed in a few places. Small World was great as it was kind of dark. She nursed for most of the ride and then all of a sudden opened her eyes and saw all this 'stuff' and couldn't take her eyes off of everything

Good luck ... it really is the easiest way to travel!

Kerri

 

[sahmom]

Thanks for the advice everyone! You have all made me feel alot better and have given me the moral support I needed. Thanks again.

 

[Nicks2Angels]

I nursed my daughter until she was 14 months & my son until he was 13 months. I nursed them where ever I was, whenever they needed to eat. Most people never even noticed & I wouldn't care if they did. I was discreet, of course, but that is what breasts are intended for-it is natural & normal. Enjoy!

 

[Tinkerbelle99]

you will find WDW very accomodating. my sister and 3 month nephew joined us on our last trip and she was nursing him at the time. she found it comfortable to nurse descreetly in public and just loved the baby care centers!

 

[kelma]

I think you'll be so glad you don't have to pack bottles - soooo much easier. I've taken a nursing 12 month old (DD) and a nursing 8 month old (DS) - different trips btw
It really was not an issue for anyone. I would recommend taking a sling. I could nurse my babies in it (which provided a little privacy) and then carry her/him around if they fell asleep and we were waiting in line.
The first trip with my 12 month old was one of my favorite, easiest trips to Disney since we've had kids.

Have fun!

 

[MinnieGi]

I have a little one that doesn't take a bottle either! He is 7 months also now but was 5 months when we were in WDW. I used the baby centers for nursing. They each have a nice room for nursing mothers that I found very relaxing. My little guy is very distractable and does not nurse well in public (he sucks, looks around, gets back on for another suck then repeats to look around) so the baby centers were awesome for us. I sometimes went by myself but usually my DH and DD came too. They all had a room with a tv and child friendly tables that were great for my DD to have a snack too. The cm's at the centers were all very nice too. Have fun. I'm sure you will have a great trip!