Like many businesses, the Chicago Children's Museum caters to kids and by extension, women and families. Unlike most businesses, they've taken a proactive stance to show their support of breastfeeding and the women who choose to nurse their babies. When you go to the Chicago Children's Museum you don't have to worry about an ignorant staffer harassing you if you have to nurse your baby. You don't have to wonder if there's a space for nursing moms if you prefer some privacy. Why? Because this sign is posted throughout the museum.
It is the international symbol for breastfeeding and the text below the picture reads "Please feel free to breastfeed or pump anywhere in this museum. If you would like some privacy, we do have a caregiver center, located in KidsTown on the 3rd floor."
I don't think I've ever seen anything like this and I have to give major props to the museum for being so welcoming to breastfeeding mothers. I know many of you who read this blog will be attending the BlogHer Conference in Chicago in July and bringing your kids with you. If you do, I hope you visit the museum and support them with your dollars. You can also send them a tweet of thanks. We're planning on visiting some family in the Windy City this summer and we'll definitely be stopping at the Chicago Children's Museum!
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Monday, June 15, 2009
This Is How You Do It
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8 comments:
I will be there a week from Friday (at the museum is our plan!), so I am super excited to see their nursing policy so prominently displayed. :)
The "...or pump anywhere" really impressed me.
I think even I might do a double-take if I saw someone walking through the museum pumping! :-)
I was visiting Alicia in Queens this past weekend, and walking down the street in Woodside, around 8 or 9 pm, A woman was walking holding a large baby (possibly a toddler) and breastfeeding as she walked along the street and the woman was also carrying on a conversation with a man walking beside her. I thought that was awesome and wanted to share with you!!
That is very, very cool. I'd now just love to hear a story about a mom pumping on a bench in the halls.
YES! Someone gets it! Thank you for the information.....
THIS is exactly what it should look like - Good job CCM!
The problem is rarely the staff, it's the obnoxious people who come up to the staff complaining that there's some mom nursing her kid in public, and that's it's disgusting and distasteful, etcetcetc that causes the problems. I can't count how many times I had to hear that, and how many times I tried so hard not to get too defensive. I just explain, it's natural, you can't see anything anyway, etc.
(I've worked at two children's museums now, and this was an issue at both.)
DuPage Children's Museum out in Naperville is supportive of breastfeeding, and has a number of resources. In my honest opinion, it's a much better museum.
Thanks for your comment, Anonymous. I've never been to CCM, but I was just impressed that they made their position on nursing in public VERY clear. You would think someone who works in a children's museum wouldn't be bothered by nursing in public, but you'd be amazed at the things I've heard from people who work in day cares, after cares, camps, etc. about moms who nurse their babies there. And like you said, lots of people will complain about public nursing. Signage like this makes it clear to those people that complaining isn't going to get them too far because the staff understands that moms need to nurse and their employer supports nursing in public. There is no gray area and no room for a staff member with a bad attitude or an overly sensitive patron to cause problems for a breastfeeding mom.
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