[MommyHawk]

I was in the severna park KOHLs store today with 2 mo DD in my sling, and she woke up wanting to nurse. I walk around a bit looking for a place to sit, but decided to try to do it in the sling...well, with the both of us hot as anything from the heat it just wasn't working, so I set out to find somewhere to sit. I saw two chairs being occupied near the entrance by the oldest couple on the planet, so I didn't want to bother them. I was about to just sit on the floor, but I thought, "well, hey, why not just ask if there is some comfortable place to sit...I mean after all, I'm just looking for a place to feed my baby". So I asked one of the cashiers, and she mentioned the two seats but saw my dilemma - so she asked the next cashier - who was about to mention something when a third cashier jumped in with, "

: why? do you need to feed him?"

"well, yes actually

" - I have to admit, that I had a pounding headache and wasn't in the mood to have a confrontation, but I have heard countless stories from other moms and I had never had it actually happen to me. I had nursed my DS for 25 months without even the slightest glare and now here I was with baby #2 not even 2 months old...and I was getting the look of death from this woman. "oh, my dear.

: you had better do that in the dressing room ".

"I'm not going to sit in the dressing room".

"oh, but why not!"

she was so put off by my not wanting to use her suggestion.

one of the other cashiers stepped in saying to the mean one, "oh, no, no, no..." she was trying to figure out something else I could do, but I had had it! The tears came and I left...I cried all the way out to my car and nursed DD in the back seat with the AC on...I totally flopped! But really, honestly, I was only asking for a spot to sit to feed my kid...what was with all the hoopla!!?!?!?

: It's not even that the one woman was rude, but the fact that it's so RARE and out of place that it takes a task force and a 5 minute conversation to find a place to breastfeed!

:

what is with this country??? in all the stores that we go into, there is NO WHERE that we can sit to nurse. you have to either hide in the dressing room or do it on the floor...it's like a neighborhood with no sidewalks...it's like they want moms there, but not really - no resources and no places for us...it's like it's against the rules of society to be a mom...I hate it. And this after WBW...like it didn't even happen...

after I calmed down and DD was fed, I had half the mind to go in and politely mention that I wasn't looking for a place to hide, but just a place to sit, but I just left. maybe I should have. I feel like I failed my child by not standing up for her in such a small little moment. I feel so bad for her that her wanting to eat was such an event in a stupid clothing store...I think I cried more for her than for me. She's a baby for crying out loud. it was just so ridiculous...

 

[mommystinch]

I'm so sorry you felt like there wasn't a good place to nurse

 

[charmcitymama]

Do you want to have a nurse in @ Kohl's in Severna Park? I'm down.

 

[Pinky Tuscadero]

I have an hour free tomorrow evening and I need to be in Severna Park to pick up the older boys. I think I'll go shopping at Kohl's...

I feel a little

coming out in me.
I'll let you know what happens.

 

[Pinky Tuscadero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MommyHawk It's not even that the one woman was rude, but the fact that it's so RARE and out of place that it takes a task force and a 5 minute conversation to find a place to breastfeed!

I so totally agree. I was at a wedding once and needed to pump. I had to ask 4 or 5 people to help me find a room with an outlet. It was an old historic mansion and there were no outlets ANYWHERE! Finally, an older lady who worked there understood what I needed without me really laying it all out for her. I got a great room! It was basically the bridal changing room. It was mortifying, though, having to explain over and over what I needed and why to the teenaged boy, the maintenance guy who didn't speak much English, the housekeeping staff and so on. They were all just as uncomfortable as I was once they figured out what I wanted!

 

[Selesai]

Quote:

Originally Posted by charmcitymama Do you want to have a nurse in @ Kohl's in Severna Park? I'm down.

:

 

[sun-shine01]

Sorry that this happened to you - YUK!

I always nurse in the chairs in the shoe section.

 

[Missy]

I guess I'm just really, really confused...no one told you couldn't nurse somewhere, right? And the one place you saw as an option was already taken? So, maybe the clerk just saw the dressing room as an alternative. And you rushed out before they were able to determine why that wasn't acceptable and offer you yet another option...A nurse-in seems just a tad much here. No one told you that you had to nurse in the dressing room or tried to stop you from nursing anywhere else, right? So what's the point??

 

[Pinky Tuscadero]

I don't think the OP is wanting a nurse-in. She's just lamenting the fact that it is so difficult to find somewhere to sit and nurse. That's all. And she's right that it does seem like a really big deal sometimes to just find a place to sit and feed your baby. Stores used to have chairs all over the place but anymore there's just no where to sit. When you're feeling a little post-partum (which can be similar to going postal) having to ask 3 cashiers to help you simply feed your baby gets a little overwhelming. Especially with the shocked responses you sometimes get.

 

[hillymum]

I posted this on another forum, but it sems to apply here as well.

I am bowled over. In so many other countries there are programs where stickers can be placed on shop/store windows showing they are nursing mother friendly. This site for ******* (Scotland) is great. Why do we not have anything like this in the US? I wonder if the LLL would be interested in doing something like this?

 

[tofumama]

Have you been able to nurse your babe in the sling? I have always just done that and continued on with what I am doing. Did it with all 3 kids without so much as a glance. Most likely, b/c no one knew what I was doing.

 

[AmyCarin]

I like nursing in a dressing room - I'll admit it's the full length mirror and I like being able to watch my baby nurse.

But I digress, I have found it difficult to nurse a newborn in a sling - they don't have the head and neck control and need too much help. I could do it with ds1 at about 4 mos. but it's more comfortable to stop and sit.

I do nurse in shoe departments and I have nursed on "display" furniture - though I'm more comfortable doing that if it's either Leather or Outdoor furniture. I'm scared of getting Milk *everywhere!*

OP, I'm so sorry you had such a rough day and that Kohl's doesn't have a "baby care" room. If only all stores could be as nice as Nordstroms... <<sigh>>

 

[lilyka]

sorry that hapened

that cashier was clueless. I used to work at Kohls and I know for a fact you can nurse there. unfortunately they do not make it easy. those chairs at the front are the only ones we have at our store. No display furniture even. I usually went out into the mall hall to nurse (ours was open to the mall with benches right outside, just a few steps past those chairs) or just found a cozy peice of floor or edge of a manaquin stand to sit on.

 

[hillymum]

I actually dislike "baby care rooms" even though I know many love them. I feel fine nip and prefer to do so. I do not shop there much (once in the last 3 yrs?) so do not know of they have any other seating areas other than those two chairs? Is there a chance that the lady suggesting the changing room was telling you the only other area that you could actually sit? Maybe if someone can walk around the store to check it out before taking further action?

 

[MommyHawk]

I find that most fitting rooms have a tiny spot to sit, no real chairs with a back and being 'behind the curtain' just doesn't sit well with me. I was going to just sit at the foot of one of the displays, but like I said, no back support and I was having a bad day physically and mentally. I thought a quick pop in the store to find a replacement for the flip flops that just broke would cheer me up...then the confrontation which wasn't so much as a confrontation to me as it was just too much comotion for such a simple matter!...I've seen those stickers at the Motherhood stores in the mall, but the only place there to sit is inside a fitting room...I NIP DS the entire time and never sat on the floor or hid in a dressing room...but then again I stayed home more. I'm trying to get out and get over this cabin fever thing I have, but I'm running into more and more challanges and trying to find a place to sit and nurse my 2 mo who doesn't latch so well, I want a good place to sit...I would have stayed longer if the water works hadn't turned on so quickly...

:

 

[Missy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pinky Tuscadero I don't think the OP is wanting a nurse-in. She's just lamenting the fact that it is so difficult to find somewhere to sit and nurse. That's all. And she's right that it does seem like a really big deal sometimes to just find a place to sit and feed your baby. Stores used to have chairs all over the place but anymore there's just no where to sit. When you're feeling a little post-partum (which can be similar to going postal) having to ask 3 cashiers to help you simply feed your baby gets a little overwhelming. Especially with the shocked responses you sometimes get.

But several posters mentioned nurse-ins and that's just over-the-top here. Unless someone actually objected. Which it doesn't sound like they did. Kohl's doesn't offer much in the way of seating. The few times I was shopping in Kohl's, I nursed in the sling while walking (which the OP tried, and I can certainly relate to there being times that it just doesn't work...), or in the shoe department. It sounds like two of the cashiers were trying to be helpful, but there simply weren't many options available. Sometimes during those first months post-partum, there were days that *everything* seemed overwhelming and too complicated, but it certainly doesn't sound like nurse-in material... Maybe it would be more effective, since it seems to be an issue in all Kohl's, to contact the company and suggest that they provide more seating throughout the store--not even just for nursing moms, but for tired shoppers as well..

 

[MommyHawk]

it can be a nurse-out thing then. just shop and nurse and be happy. I will contact the store manager about the limited seating issue and mention that it would be nice for everyone - would be nice if all places did this, but it seems that like Pinky stated, in recent years, chairs have been replaced by tons of merchandise...some places you can't even walk between the hanging clothes!

 

[Cullens_Girl]

not to stir things up (saw this in new posts) but the kohl's around here are very nursing friendly... I don't see anything wrong with using a dressing room or having that suggested (although I understand being annoyed by the cashier's attitude - you said someone else WAS trying) Seriously Kohl's have some of the larger more comfortable dressing rooms. Much bigger than Walmart and cleaner than Target. How much seating do you expect them to provide? There were chairs available and you chose not to disrupt the couple understandable... I don't think a seperate room or chairs just for nursing mom's is absolutely necessary in retail stores. I mean there were chairs and there were dressing rooms... what more do you expect?

Definitely not nurse-out material, but maybe a letter to management encouraging them to train the cashiers on how to react in this situation might be warrented.

 

[momto l&a]

I sure as heck wouldn't want to go eat my dinner in some changing room. Yuck!

 

[Cullens_Girl]

I must be a bad mommy - I have no problems with NIP - do it all the time, however I welcome a nice quiet area to nurse my distracted toddler and a dressing room does the trick. Like I said - the Kohl's in my area has real nice dressing rooms... Walmart's are gross.