Two observations..

[Disneyhayes]

I am not saying that women shouldnt breast feed in public, not at all...what i am saying is, imagine a completely topless woman sitting at a dinner table at a reestaurant feeding a baby.that is the thing i am talkimg about..most women remain with their tops on, and cover where the baby is eating from..there IS a difference. Now if u want to walk around in your home topless and feeding, fine..but not in a restaurant.
And my niece has two kids, both in diapers and she manages to take them to a restroom or babycare center when they need changing...why is it so dificult for others to do???

I know you said that this lady had someone with her but sometimes it is very difficult to juggle 2 kids in diapers at a changing station that is not inside a bathroom stall. You are changing one crying kid and trying to keep an eye on the other while juggling bags cause the hook was broke and you don't want to put them on the floor. Some bathrooms here have the changing stations in the handicap stall along with toddler seats..those are few and far apart tho.

 

[1girln3boys]

i dont know why people still amaze me by doing this stuff, but they do..lol No, the little girl was not special needs,( mom was just lazy) she was running around and laughing and talking with her sister. Ive seen moms changing their kids in restaurants and ive seen moms breast feeding their kids in restairants, i mean moms chest fully exposed breast feeeding while dining in a restaurants..

That doesn't really mean the child isn't special needs. You never know what the child's needs may be. My child is special needs but you wouldn't know it by looking at him. Never judge someone by appreance.

 

[The Hendies]

I am amused that between the possibility of a bomb and the breast feeding mom, most folks get bent out of shape by the nursing mom. Crazy!

 

[maxiesmom]

That doesn't really mean the child isn't special needs. You never know what the child's needs may be. My child is special needs but you wouldn't know it by looking at him. Never judge someone by appreance.

Even special needs children should be changed in the bathroom. People walk around eating, and who wants to see or smell that anyway? Ick.

These are not the dark ages where we dump our bodily waste into the streets. We have specially made plumming that disposes of that stuff in a sanitary way, which keeps it away from people just walking around enjoying their day.

We may all "go" but I don't want to see it, or the results of it. A bench in the middle of a public place is not the place for a diaper change, and it is totally disgusting that some people think it is just fine and dandy to do so.

 

[flortlebap]

The thing with breastfeeding is that nobody really needs to know you're doing it. I learned to feed my daughter very discretely by wearing two vest tops - one pulled up and one pulled down so no flesh exposed. I found wdw quite bf friendly, btw

 

[pampam]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the hygene of changing a baby away from the washroom. How do you wash up?

Once at AK I saw a man changing his baby on the table at Tusker House, and then walk away. I imediatley notified a CM to clean the table that looked clean, but wasn't.

 

[Millermom0606]

The thing with breastfeeding is that nobody really needs to know you're doing it. I learned to feed my daughter very discretely by wearing two vest tops - one pulled up and one pulled down so no flesh exposed. I found wdw quite bf friendly, btw

^^THIS^^^^^

I think BF is an amazing thing to be able to do for your children and would never tell someone she cant do it.... but you can do it discretely

 

[lisateaches]

Interested in views on this breastfeeding scenario. We have a volunteer parent at our school. She has her baby with her at school and nurses. So, one day the custodian and I were needing to get an extra desk out of the room for a new student. So there is the male custodian, me and the new student behind me. I knock on her door to see if it is ok to enter. She says come in. She is giving a form back to a student while she takes the baby off one breast and moves it to another. Within thirty seconds both breasts were fully exposed at one point or another. Now, I do realize our U.S. culture is different. She is from here, but a lot of my students are not and they would actually not think it was as big of a deal as I did.

 

[candielips]

Now, I understand how hard it might be to get to a bathroom, but there are hygiene issues involved with changing diapers in public. I don't care if you use a pad or not. Other people are going to stop and use that bench for maybe an afternoon snack. Ugh! If you cannot make it to a bathroom, please use your stroller. If you want us to take the time to be considerate of the urgency of a diaper change, be considerate about germs.
I never changed my kids on change tables after my DD ended up in the hospital with severe dehydration from rotavirus she caught off a change table! We changed her in her stroller and did the same when our DS came along.

As for the breast feeding comment, I have never seen anyone at WDW nursing while having the "girls" out. I breastfed both my children and almost always did so w/o any type of cover. But the way I pulled the shirt down near my child's mouth, keep myself discreet. But when it comes to BFing it is almost always the child who is exposing the girls. My DD & DS hated that stupid blanket covering their face. They wanted to be able to touch my skin, look into my eyes, etc... This sometimes resulted in a quick flash which I corrected as quickly as it happened.

 

[lisateaches]

candielips- that sounds like my daughters! That I understand. Full frontal while our volunteer switched the child with no attempt modesty. I just was baffled. All while she just finished handing a form to a student.

 

[kandb]

Women can breast feed and cover their breasts up and be discreet. I saw a woman on her cell phone with both ****s exposed with the kid hanging almost down to her stomach trying to get some milk and she was chatting up a storm and totally ignoring the kid and everyone who was walking by was staring at her. This was at dutch wonderland in Pennsylvania. She didn't look like she had much class to me.

 

[laura428]

As for the breast feeding comment, I have never seen anyone at WDW nursing while having the "girls" out. I breastfed both my children and almost always did so w/o any type of cover. But the way I pulled the shirt down near my child's mouth, keep myself discreet. But when it comes to BFing it is almost always the child who is exposing the girls. My DD & DS hated that stupid blanket covering their face. They wanted to be able to touch my skin, look into my eyes, etc... This sometimes resulted in a quick flash which I corrected as quickly as it happened.

I'm so glad you said this. While DS was great with the blankets and covers, my DD turned it into one big game. Imagine trying to nurse while your baby girl is more interested in play peek-a-boo? Other times, I think she was just really uncomfortable with a big cover over her head, and she'd just rip the whole darned thing off.

Believe me... it isn't as easy as it looks.

 

[Guyton dis lover]

 

[wbeem]

I didn't demonize it, you didn't finish reading apparently.... I said there is NOTHING WRONG WITH IT..... BUT THERE IS NO GOOD REASON FOR BOTH OF A WOMANS BREASTS TO BE SITTING OUT FOR THE WORLD TO SEE....... is that easier to read???

The person directly below me posted almost the EXACT SAME THING

Well, you actually are kind of demonizing it by your attitude that it must be hidden. Just as you say there is no good reason for both of a woman's breasts to be sitting out for the world to see, there's also no good reason to hide them.

I mean, come on, they're breasts. Mothers switch sides. It's not like anyone hasn't seen them before or there should be any shame involved. So why are you so insistent that it's wrong for them to be exposed while feeding?

In my mind, you're making it out to be a bad thing - which is demonizing it.

 

[lizabu]

I've nursed my kids anywhere and everywhere and no one ever had to see my breasts. When they're toddlers they wiggle and try to lift your shirt and pull blankets off themselves so it's a little trickier but it can be done.

The diaper change thing is gross. Change a baby somewhere and you may get fecal matter in that place. Someone sits there or touches it without noticing and touches something else or touches their face and now you have people getting sick. I'm more concerned about people spreading fecal matter and germs all over the place than baby genitals being seen by someone walking by. I'm mean who cares really but to risk making people ill is really irresponsible. And people changing diapers at the dinner table...how are they washing their hands after? Do they just return to their meal? You're just asking to get sick doing something like that...makes no sense.

 

[kvnchapman]

I am amused that between the possibility of a bomb and the breast feeding mom, most folks get bent out of shape by the nursing mom. Crazy!

 

[ppony]

With all due respect, there's no possible way you could know if there was or wasn't something wrong with the child. My son looks extraordinarily healthy to the untrained eye but he isn't. However, I agree, changing in public is disgusting. I've been changing DS's diapers for years now and nobody would ever even know he wears one. I want to ensure he feels I've protected his dignity.

100% agreed! People shouldn't judge or assume why or when children should be out of diapers. You don't know the reasons.
Out in public as the OP said though was not acceptable.

That doesn't really mean the child isn't special needs. You never know what the child's needs may be. My child is special needs but you wouldn't know it by looking at him. Never judge someone by appreance.

Also agreed. OP, you'd look at my son and say he's not special needs either, but he is. Don't assume. You canNOT tell the needs of a person like the cover of a book. No one walking the Earth can.

 

[larryz]

Well, between the feeding and the eliminating, looks like this thread has exposed both ends of the argument.

 

[HeatherLassell]

100% agreed! People shouldn't judge or assume why or when children should be out of diapers. You don't know the reasons.
Out in public as the OP said though was not acceptable.

Yes. There is no excuse for a diaper change being made outside on a bench (that people are going to sit on!) and especially NOT in a restaurant. Just the thought of eating dinner and seeing that makes me sick. It's NOT unreasonable to expect bathroom stuff to be dealt with in the bathroom.

I've never had an issue with breastfeeding. I photograph newborns and babies and almost all of them need a feed at one point during. All the mothers either had a blanket or one of those cool breastfeeding blankets that go over your head so the baby can't pull it off. Is this really an issue?

 

[KellyNY]

I just do not get argument of urgency to change diaper to the point that you cannot take few minutes to go to one of multiple bathrooms all over the park.
I appreciate honesty of those who said they do not want to put baby where others dirty diapers were, honest and no BS about urgency. I think Disney should consider disposable table covers. I hope you guys do it in your stroller, away from people to see or smell and go wash your hands after you are done.
For those with multiple kids, you do take all of them to bathroom if you need one and you are alone with kids, so what is difference here.
Anyway, if having baby in disney complicates things that much for parents maybe some people should consider waiting few years till child can go on his own, I say it with best intentions, no sarcasm or hidden meaning.