Baby care center review- from a breastfeeding perspective

[CandleontheWater]

Hi There, I thought I would post a review I wrote of the babycare centers from a breastfeeding mom perspective. I know there are a few people going with nurslings for the first time, and I thought the info may be appreciated!

I was fortunate enough to visit the Walt Disney World resort in April when my little mousketeer, Everett, was 4 ½ months old. Since I was exclusively breastfeeding, I was interested in checking out the information on baby care centers in the parks before my trip, and while I did find some good information, I didn’t find anything that specifically addressed breastfeeding. So, in order to provide some additional information, I present my review on the baby care centers, from the breast perspective J

The first baby care center I had a chance to try out was at the Magic Kingdom, since that is where we spent our first vacation day. I was excited for this new experience and I was not disappointed. I found the MK baby care center to be very conveniently located. Because it is right off the hub near the intersection of Main Street USA and Adventureland, it was easy and fast to get to it from virtually anywhere in the park. The MK center has a communal nursing room, and it was very pleasant! It was decorated like a Victorian parlor, and I got such at kick out of how even the nursing room was themed to fit in with turn-of-the-century Main Street. The attention to detail was not lost on a confirmed Disney geek like myself. There were two doors to access the nursing room, one for entering and one for an exit. They are clearly marked to control the flow of traffic. The lighting levels in the room were kept low, with light provided by two antique reproduction lamps. I found the lighting level to be perfect because it was relaxing and did not distract the baby, but it also wasn’t so dark that it was hard to see to latch.

The chairs were spindly wooden rockers with a hard back and arms, but they did have fairly comfortable cushions, that extended from the seat bottom up the back of the chair; however, there was no padding on the arm rest. There also were no ottomans or stools available to rest your feet. There were a few tables in the room (two, if I remember correctly) that you could use to set a water bottle or purse on while nursing. One draw back to the Magic Kingdom center was that you were not able to bring your stroller inside. I didn’t find this to be a huge problem, but I occasionally want to nurse my baby to sleep, and it is much easier if you can just transfer a sleeping baby directly into the stroller, instead of carrying them outside and hoping not to wake them. There is room for four mothers to nurse at the same time in the room, and during my three days at the Magic Kingdom, I found the room to be well utilized. It was the busiest nursing room of all the parks, and although I was always able to find a place, there was one point during my visit when there was a wait to get into the room. I enjoyed the communal environment, and even ran into the same moms throughout the day because our babies were on the same feeding schedule. If you prefer more privacy, you may not enjoy the Magic Kingdom nursing room, but I found it to be a wonderful environment, perfect for feeding little Everett.

 

[CandleontheWater]

On our second day in the World, we went to Epcot, where I was able to try out my second baby care center. I also thought that it was well located, between Future World and World Showcase. Epcot is a very large park and it difficult to pinpoint one area that would be the most centrally accessible, but I think they made a wise choice in placing it near the old Odyssey restaurant. The baby care center was not decorated in any particular theme, but it was very large and very quiet. The Epcot baby care center also had a communal nursing room, with four chairs. The lighting levels were higher than in the Magic Kingdom, but it was not too bright or distracting.

The chairs were heavy wooden rockers, but unlike the Magic Kingdom, they did not have any padding and were the most uncomfortable to nurse in of all the baby centers. Epcot also did not have any stools or ottomans. There were two tables adjacent to the rocking chairs at the Epcot center, roughly the size and height of a coffee table, so you could use them to hold a diaper bag, burp cloth or other baby paraphernalia. I also liked how the Epcot baby care center had a clock on the wall so you could time your nursing sessions. You were not able to bring your stroller in the Epcot center either, although one nice cast member let me bring mine in when Everett spit up all over my shirt, and I needed a safe place to put him while I changed. I think the cast member was willing to be flexible with the rules because the baby care center was empty. I only saw two other individuals using the Epcot center during my week vacation. I’m not sure if it is because of the location, or the time I was visiting, but it definitely was the most quiet of the baby care centers. That being said, if a communal nursing environment bothers you, I’d still check out Epcot, because in my experience it may very well be empty.

 

[CandleontheWater]

Animal Kingdom was the third park we visited and the third stop on my baby care center tour. I found the center to be not the most centrally or conveniently located, but this may just be more a comment on the design of Animal Kindgom than a fault of the location. Because AK is navigated on a loop, instead of a spoke and hub like the MK, when you are in Asia or Dinoland, you are pretty far from the center. I’m not sure where they could have placed it for it to be more centrally located, maybe near the tree of life?, but it wasn’t so far out of the way to be terribly inconvenient during most of my park touring. The baby care center at AK was roughly the size of the Magic Kingdom, however, strollers are allowed inside the center. I also found it to be decorated in keeping with the theme of Animal Kingdom and reminiscent of the shops located in the Oasis. It has a very bold color scheme with reds and blues and purples and a wallpaper boarder with many fancifully rendered animals.

AK has two private nursing rooms with a glider rocker and a changing table. The glider rocker was fully padded and the most comfortable of all the baby care centers. It is much more similar to what most individuals have in their nurseries at home. There is no ottoman or stools in the nursing rooms at Animal Kingdom either. I found the lighting level in the nursing rooms to be rather high, it would not be a good place to try and put an older baby or child to sleep. There were no tables in the nursing rooms, but you could bring in your stroller to hold items. I did find the AK nursing rooms to be busy, but it was not consistently so. The problem is that there are only two nursing rooms so it is very easy for them to get backed up. There were times when I stopped by when I was the only person utilizing the room when I entered, but when I exited after finishing nursing there were three individuals waiting to nurse. I did like that you could bring your stroller, and it was very convenient to have a changing table right in the nursing room, but the lighting levels were high and there is a chance of having to wait for a room.

 

[CandleontheWater]

The last baby care center I visited was at Hollywood Studios and I found it to have the least amenities for nursing moms. It was very inconveniently located at the entrance of the park, which is difficult if you are toward the back of the park, and it is impossible to get to the baby care center around parade time. There was no decorative themeing and overall the baby care center at the studios feels more like an afterthought than an area planned around the comfort and needs of parents. The Studios is definitely the smallest of the centers, but I was still able to bring in my stroller. There was no cast member assigned to the center, and there was no signage indicating that strollers were not allowed, so I was able to bring my stroller inside.

There are two nursing nooks at the Studios, both located right off the main room. This is not great for privacy because not only are you right in the action, but the nooks are only partitioned by a curtain. While I was at the center, a family with a raucous pre-schooler stopped by, and the child kept running around the center and pulling open the curtain. I was at the center mostly for the luxury of air-conditioning, not because I’m shy about nursing in public, but if you desire more privacy, you may not get it at the Studios. Another problem is that since you are right off the main room, the TV is rather loud and may disturb and distract older children from nursing. The lighting levels are also rather high, and not conducive for relaxation and would not be a great environment to lulling children to sleep. The chairs are spindly rockers and they have padding on the seat part but not on the back of the chair. Like the rest of the baby care centers there were no stools or ottomans to rest your feet. There was a bench inside each of the nooks that could be used as a table for baby gear. The nooks themselves are of a decent size, I have a full sized stroller, and I was able to wheel it into the nook and still close the curtain. Even though the Studios baby care center was the smallest, it was also the least crowded, I was the only nursing mom every time I went into the baby care centers, and with the exception of the family with the pre-schooler I only ran into one other family at the center. I don’t know if it is because of its size or location, but I did not have any trouble using the nursing facilities at the Studios.

Well there is my review from the nursing mom’s perspective, if there is anything I left out, or if you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment.

 

[Bren's Mom]

Sadly, my nursing days are long over...but I wanted to thank you for writing such a great review for all of the moms who are currently, or soon to be, enjoying that great experience!

 

[aidansmommy]

Thanks so much for the reviews! We'll be at the world in 10 days and I'm bf my 2 month old. It's super helpful to have a picture in my mind now of each of the centers. Thanks again!

 

[harleyquinn]

That was amazing!!

I would highly urge you to send all of those thoughts to Disney. Maybe if we all spoke up things might be more like MK than DHS.

Thanks so much!

 

[Ariel8676]

Great review! Thanks!

 

[momof1princess]

as a pp said, my nursing days are LONG over (DD is almost 13), but i have to say thank you for such a complete and honest review, and for sharing your personal experiences! i've never seen the baby care centers, but it's a shame the center at DHS is so out of the way. perhaps e-mailing a copy of your review to wdw could change that!

 

[napa]

Thank you for posting all this information.

We will be coming to WDW next month and bringing our baby who will be 3 months old by then. Although I am happy to nurse anywhere, based on the likely weather I will be grateful for the air conditioning of the baby care centres so will be in there more!

 

[laceemouse]

Great info, I LOVE your picture!

 

[ilovepooh]

wonderful review!! thanks!

 

[erin327]

Thank you for all the great information for nursing moms.

The only baby care center I have used is the one at the Magic Kingdom. Our daughter was about 6 months old when I went in there. As she has gotten older, we have just nursed out and about wherever we happened to be. One issue for us with the nursing room in the baby care center at the magic kingdom is that my husband was not allowed inside since it is a communal room. It was just the three of us on that trip. We didn't want to separate while I nursed. We preferred to stay together and visit with him while nursing. We ended up using the outer room where the tv is so that we could all spend our vacation time together. I know all families are different, I just thought I'd add this point to the conversation.