Walt Disney World Resort has long been a family-friendly destination, welcoming millions of visitors each year. Families with young children, in particular, can benefit from the park’s Baby Care Centers, which provide spaces to feed, change, and rest. Located in the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, these centers are a lifeline for parents trying to juggle the demands of a busy park day.
However, a recent experience shared by a guest has cast a spotlight on the Baby Care Centers and raised questions about whether the spaces are truly as accommodating as intended.
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A guest’s recent experience at Disney’s Baby Care Center has sparked a conversation about privacy and comfort for nursing and pumping mothers.
The Discomforting Experience: A Grown Man in the Nursing Room
The story began when ForsakenPianist9310, a new mom visiting Walt Disney World with her family for her birthday, entered one of the Baby Care Centers to pump breast milk. She was directed to a room specifically intended for breastfeeding and pumping mothers—a space designed to provide privacy and comfort.
However, what she found inside was not what she had expected.
This past weekend my husband and I went to disney to celebrate my birthday. While there I had to use the baby care center to pump for my baby. When I went into the nursing room, there were a few moms breastfeeding but there was also a whole family, including a grown man sitting in there. I do not feel comfy pumping or breastfeeding around a lot of people, especially in front of someone that is not family. I went to the cast member and she told me there was nothing she could do, so i went back in and turn the chair around so i can pump and leave. Am i wrong for feeling uncomfy here?
Edit: when i was there i asked the cast member where the lactation room was and she guided me to the room spoken about above. She verified it was in fact the room for moms to breastfeed/pump in
Am i wrong for feeling uncomfy
byu/ForsakenPianist9310 inDisneyWorld
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The mother’s discomfort was palpable. Despite her unease, she approached a nearby cast member, hoping for some assistance. Unfortunately, the cast member told her that there was nothing she could do about the situation. Feeling frustrated and helpless, the guest chose to turn her chair around, trying to make the best of the situation.
The Cast Member’s Role: A Missed Opportunity for Privacy
The situation raised concerns about the role of Disney cast members in ensuring the privacy and comfort of parents using the Baby Care Centers. Many Reddit users expressed confusion about how the situation had been handled, particularly when a grown man and his family were allowed to stay in a room that was clearly designated for nursing mothers.
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Commenters speculated that the cast member may not have fully understood the purpose of the nursing room.
As one user noted:
That’s weird the cast member said that. The first time I went into the nursing/pumping room my husband and I had no clue (or we were overwhelmed and didn’t realize) what room we were about to enter and a CM stopped my husband in time. Once she told us what the room was we were grateful she stopped us. My husband would have been mortified to make any mother feel uncomfortable like that.
This raised an important point: Should cast members receive more specific training to recognize the boundaries and importance of these spaces? For new parents who are already juggling the challenges of caring for young children in a busy park, privacy and comfort should be paramount.
Guest Perspectives: Different Views on Privacy and Public Spaces
As the conversation continued on Reddit, many commenters were divided in their opinions. Some were sympathetic to the mother’s discomfort, noting that every parent should have the right to breastfeed or pump in a space that feels private and secure.
Nope. Breastfeeding rooms are specifically for moms and babies. It’s not a whole family hangout- if everyone and anyone can sit and watch someone pump there is zero point to a lactation room.
Others, however, pointed out that cultural differences could have played a role in the misunderstanding. One Reddit user suggested:
You’re not wrong for feeling uncomfortable, that should be a safe space for you to go and pump but I think also that some of the other commenters should take a beat before demonizing that man who was probably there to help his wife and help with his kids and most likely wasn’t there to perv on breast pumping women or be a creep in any way.
Also, a lot of Disney guests are not from the US (or at least that’s how it was) and so their views on modesty or what is and isn’t appropriate in public may not be aligned with ours. It doesn’t make it right or make anybody feel better but perhaps it can offer a different perspective to the situation and how the CM was trained on how to handle it.
The Role of Cast Members and How Disney Can Improve
Disney prides itself on providing an exceptional experience for all guests, and it’s clear that the Baby Care Centers are a crucial resource for parents. However, incidents like this highlight the need for clearer policies and better training for cast members in handling sensitive spaces like the nursing rooms.
One possible solution could be implementing more stringent guidelines for who is allowed in these rooms. While men and families are certainly welcome in the Baby Care Centers, rooms designated for nursing mothers should perhaps be more strictly reserved for mothers and their immediate family members only.
Additionally, Disney could consider adding more visible signage or clear explanations about the purpose of each room, ensuring that guests understand the specific purpose of these spaces.
Proper training for cast members, particularly in regard to privacy and comfort, could go a long way in preventing future misunderstandings.
Despite the challenges presented by this particular incident, the Baby Care Centers at Disney remain an invaluable resource for families. The centers offer much-needed respite for parents dealing with the pressures of a theme park day, providing quiet spaces to care for children, change diapers, or feed.
This situation has sparked a larger conversation about the expectations and experiences of guests using Disney’s Baby Care Centers. Have you ever experienced discomfort in a Baby Care Center, or do you have thoughts on how Disney can improve these spaces? Should there be stricter rules for who can access nursing rooms, or is this simply a misunderstanding that could have been handled differently?
This mom was certainly not wrong for feeling uncomfortable in that setting. It would have been a polite gesture for the men who were in there to excuse themselves and wait in the child care area, but sadly that didn’t happen. Here’s the conundrum for the Cast Member: Society’s insistence on non-binary inclusivity and the “rights” that go along with that. Kind of a “da**ed if you do,” “da**ed if you don’t” situation for that CM.