Pumping/Breastfeeding in the parks About This Page:

[koquinn]

DD is a NICU grad and only partially breastfeeds due to some swallowing issues. I'm pumping at this point pretty frequently. I don't mind BFing in public, but any thoughts on where to pump? I'm hoping by the time we go in Oct to be pumping at a minimum, but I imagine I'm going to have to take a few breaks to do so during the day. I'm not excited about the idea of pumping in a bathroom. Anyone else hauled a breastpump around the parks?

[WDWfan]

Each park has a Baby Station that has breast feeding rooms. Check your park maps for the locations. They are cool, clean, quiet private rooms and would be perfect for pumping and feeding.

[Caldercup]

Good advice, Lesley! These Baby Care Stations are well-reviewed by parents on the boards.

Hope they work out well for you too!
Eileen

[elisa1006]

Best of luck to you! I would be concerned about storage for your breast milk once pumped, but I'm sure you'll figure it out. The baby care centers sound like a great option.

[koquinn]

Yeah, I'll have to figure out the storage thing. I have more than enough at least for now so if I end up dumping some it would be fine. Thanks for the info!

[minushka72]

Like others have said, the baby care centers are great. They have large changing stations, as well as the private BF rooms. The ac is a great help too when the little one is needing to eat and it is so hot outside. I use the centers still for my toddler for a quick snack and cool down time.

[Buffalogirl18]

The baby care stations are AWESOME! They are very well equipped with everything from baby food, to diapers, to rocking chairs, baby toys, changing tables, nursing rooms, you name it, they have it, even a well educated staff. They are clean, private, and quiet. The one at MK is right next to Crystal Palace, The one at Epcot is on the walkway between Future World and Mexico. The one at HS is right near the front entrance to the left. I can't remember where the AK one is. Hope this helps.

[MelissaL]

As far as storing milk once it's pumped, it's possible that the Baby Care Centers will let you use a refrigerator there. If they don't, you can use an insulated lunch bag with a freezer pack in it. I've never tried that at Disney World, but I did that when I took business trips while I was still pumping. I could keep milk relatively cold for a several-hour flight. Rather than toting a pump around the parks, I'd keep it in a locker -- you could put the milk in there too.

Have a great trip,
Melissa

[koquinn]

That sounds like a good idea, Melissa. Do they have lockers in the baby care areas?

[MelissaL]

I don't think there are lockers in the Baby Care Centers, but there are lockers by each park entrance. That means the lockers would be close to the Centers in Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. At Epcot, unfortunately, the Baby Care Center is not near either of the park entrances. I'm not sure where it is at Animal Kingdom.

Melissa

[yalibrarian]

Try the First Aid Stations for keeping milk cold (they keep medicines like insulin for guests--just check when they close) and even for a quiet place to pump. They were very accommodating when I needed a place to clean up my adult son who has autism, and others have said that they give their family members tube feedings there too.

[vsonnier]

I pumped at wdw and loved the Baby Care Centers. I ended up buying a manual Avent Isis that fit in my backpack along with my sunscreen and other neccesities to take with me to the parks...that worked much better than lugging around my double-electric or having to walk all the way to the lockers everytime I needed to pump. Congrats on your NICU grad. I have a three year old who spent 2 weeks in the NICU who I managed to nurse until he self weaned at 2 1/2 years and I am currently nursing a 2 month old who did 9 days in the NICU.

[koquinn]

Way to go, Valerie, that is an AWESOME accomplishment!!!! Did you just pump in the bathroom then with the manual pump? I've never tried doing manual, I'm not sure I have the arm strength for it!

Thanks for the tip about the first aid stations, I'll definitely check into that too.

She passed her swallow study today, and we're getting a bit more license from the nutritionist to play with her feeding amounts, so I'm really really crossing my fingers that by the time we get there this will be much simpler than it is now...

[vsonnier]

I went to the baby care station to pump. I'm totally grossed out by the bathroom thing. I did that at the airport and was just totally disgusted. Some of the baby care centers do not have private nursing rooms, but the rooms are fairly dark with the rocking chairs facing away from each other so you still have a good bit of privacy.

The Avent Isis is not hard on your hands at all. In fact, I will only use it now...its so much more comfortable than my Medela Pump in style. It takes a little longer because you only do one side at a time, but I am able to get almost double the ammount of milk with it vs my electric. You can find them new in the box on ebay fairly cheap. They are normally around $50, but I got mine for $25 on ebay.

Congrats on your little one passing the swallow study. Hopefully you will soon only have to pump when you feel like it!