Furious at what I saw today - UPDATE post 92

[minkajane]

I was grocery shopping today and had to go to the bathroom. I walked through the lounge area and into the section with the toilets. There was a chair sitting there with a sign taped to the wall over it. The sign said "This chair reserved for mothers nursing infants." Excuse me, WHAT??? Why in the world would a chair reserved for breastfeeding be required in the bathroom? Not to mention the fact that there was plenty of room in the entry/lounge for a chair for mothers that want privacy.

Their bathrooms are famous, so pictures are posted on their web page. Here is the page about the bathrooms. You can see the lounge area and even the aforementioned chair's location in relation to the toilet stalls. If the chair was in the lounge, I wouldn't have said anything.

I'm going to email and complain. Here's the contact page. Please email and let Jungle Jim's know that this is not acceptable! If the situation is not remedied, I think a nurse-in is in order!

[Ruthla]

I honestly don't see what the big deal is. Some women do prefer to nurse in bathrooms, and may find even the lounge area too "exposed to men who might see me when the door is open". I can't see any pictures of a lounge area on the website- is it a general lounge area for men and women, or a specific lounge area for women after the "fake porta potty" door?

Having one chair near the toilets, with a sign over it, is taking nothing away from women who choose to nurse in the lounge area or elsewhere in the store.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

As long as they also dont mind the mothers refusing to use the chair.

[Momily]

I think when people who are not breastfeeding or educated about breastfeeding see a sign like this (unless of course there are also signs in other parts of the store), it reinforces the idea that nursing belongs in the bathroom.

Therefore, while I certainly would never question a mom who chose to nurse there, the sign bothers me.

Why can't the store make several signs that say "Please give priority seating the elderly, disabled, and parents feeding children" with a breastfeeding symbol, and place them in several locations where they have seating.

If they did that and had one in the bathroom too I wouldn't blink.

[minkajane]

Originally Posted by Ruthla

I can't see any pictures of a lounge area on the website- is it a general lounge area for men and women, or a specific lounge area for women after the "fake porta potty" door?

Sorry, didn't realize that you can't really see the lounge in the pictures. It's on the left and the toilet area is on the right. Right now, it has a table, several plants, and one of those chairs shaped like a high heel. There's plenty of room for a chair that can't be seen from the door for mothers who want privacy.

The reason this bugs me so much is the implication that mothers SHOULD nurse there. Having chairs available for mothers who choose to nurse in privacy is one thing. Signs like this subtly reinforce the idea that the bathroom is where BFing should take place.

[StrawberryFields]

I actually think it is kind of nice and thoughtful that the grocery store had a chair reserved for nursing women. I don't see that the sign meant to imply that anyone nursing had to sit there in the bathroom. Rather, I think they meant that other people shouldn't use it to sit down and take a load off because it is meant as a space for someone who wanted to come in and use it to sit down and nurse their baby. My local mall has a family restroom area and it is always such a pain when I go to sit down and nurse and people are sprawled all over the couches and chairs and there is nowhere for me to sit.

I think removing it would be doing a disservice to flustered new moms trying to grocery shop and nurse their babies. Or even well-seasoned moms who would rather duck out of the hubbub of a busy, bustling grocery store to take a moment and breastfeed! I end up in the car a lot in these situations because sitting on the floor of the produce department with people and carts whizzing by just doesn't help keep my baby focused so I can finish my shopping and get out of there.

[jennifer_lc1]

Originally Posted by Ruthla

I honestly don't see what the big deal is. Some women do prefer to nurse in bathrooms, and may find even the lounge area too "exposed to men who might see me when the door is open". I can't see any pictures of a lounge area on the website- is it a general lounge area for men and women, or a specific lounge area for women after the "fake porta potty" door?

Having one chair near the toilets, with a sign over it, is taking nothing away from women who choose to nurse in the lounge area or elsewhere in the store.

[lizw]

I agree that it is not that big of a deal. At least the store is acknowledging breastfeeding moms who don't wish to NIP and giving them a spot to seek privacy. Is the lounge for males and females? If so, the store may have put the chair in the bathroom for those women to do not want to nurse in front of strange men. For those that do not care about that, hopefully they can just sit in the lounge or wherever they choose.

[riverscout]

Originally Posted by Momily

I think when people who are not breastfeeding or educated about breastfeeding see a sign like this (unless of course there are also signs in other parts of the store), it reinforces the idea that nursing belongs in the bathroom.

Therefore, while I certainly would never question a mom who chose to nurse there, the sign bothers me.

I completely agree.


also that chair looks very uncomfortable

[Peppermint Leaf]

Originally Posted by Ruthla

I honestly don't see what the big deal is. Some women do prefer to nurse in bathrooms, and may find even the lounge area too "exposed to men who might see me when the door is open". I can't see any pictures of a lounge area on the website- is it a general lounge area for men and women, or a specific lounge area for women after the "fake porta potty" door?

Having one chair near the toilets, with a sign over it, is taking nothing away from women who choose to nurse in the lounge area or elsewhere in the store.

[riverscout]

And are people really jockeying for position to sit in that uncomfortable looking chair when there is a lounge outside the bathroom? I can't imagine a nursing mom would have trouble with it being free if she wanted to use it. Who else would just plunk down there? And since it is in the bathroom, why not just sit on the potty if the chair was occupied? It's about the same thing. The sign seems more like a reminder for nursing moms to sit in there hidden away rather than a nice gesture to help out nursing mothers.

[noahs.mom06]

I think I'd just move the chair and the sign into the lounge area...

[hollyvangogh]

Originally Posted by noahs.mom06

I think I'd just move the chair and the sign into the lounge area...

I LIKE that idea!

[Mulvah]

I am another one that doesn't see what the big deal is. I suppose I view the sign as a notice to other people not to sit there, as it is reserved for nursing mothers

[prothyraia]

Okay, because I can't resist playing devil's advocate and picking this apart...

...why is the chair only reserved for mothers nursing INFANTS, hmmm? What about mothers nursing toddlers? Are they not allowed to use the uncomfortable chair in the bathroom?

[jazzybaby9]

As long as it's ok for a nursing mom to bf in the lounge area if that's what she chose to do...then i see nothing wrong with it.

maybe the sign is a nice way of telling others to move their @ss from the chair if a mother and infant walk in the door to breastfeed. I know I have bf'ed in bathrooms before and had to stand so I think it's a nice gesture, honestly.

[jazzybaby9]

Originally Posted by prothyraia

Okay, because I can't resist playing devil's advocate and picking this apart...

...why is the chair only reserved for mothers nursing INFANTS, hmmm? What about mothers nursing toddlers? Are they not allowed to use the uncomfortable chair in the bathroom?

We will never be satisfied!

[annettemarie]

I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that it was the only place I was allowed to nurse. I'd think "Oh, how nice" and then nurse wherever I wanted to.

[swimswamswum]

Originally Posted by annettemarie

I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that it was the only place I was allowed to nurse. I'd think "Oh, how nice" and then nurse wherever I wanted to.

Me too. I will nurse anywhere, but DD won't . Now that she's an active toddler, she has to be somewhere calm and quiet to nurse seriously. We often end up nursing in bathroom lounge areas or in the car. I wish there were more quiet, out of the way designated nursing areas. I think women should nurse wherever they want. Some people are just more comfortable doing that in a quiet place, some babies and kids are more comfortable in quiet places too. I think the most important thing is that nursing is accommodated anywhere.

[minkajane]

Originally Posted by swimswamswum

We often end up nursing in bathroom lounge areas or in the car.

In the bathroom LOUNGE area, right? This is my problem with the chair. I don't mind that it exists, or that it's connected to the bathroom. My problem is that there's a perfectly good lounge area that could easily accommodate this chair. Instead, it's placed in the area with the toilets.