I'm experiencing some cabin fever and thought it would be fun to walk around the mall. The problem is that my 9-week-old baby nurses every 2-2.5 hours during the day, for about 40-60 minutes at a time.
Do you know of any good places to breastfeed in Charlestowne Mall in St. Charles or have any other ideas for the Elgin-St. Charles area? Thanks!
Hi A.,
I had a lovely time nursing my kids at the ladies lounge at Von Maur. Very nice and discreet. They also have a changing table with wipes(most the time). The maternity stores are a good bet.
Good luck with the cabin fever,
L. L.
When my girlfriend's and I were breastfeeding we discovered the best place was the bathrooms in Von Maurr just off of the boys section. There are nice couches in there along with a "Mother's room".
Von Maur at St. Charles mall has a very nice couch area attached to their women's bathroom. I breastfed my son there ALL the time. I found privae enough especially if I covered him with a blanket. Hope this helps. Lets hope for warm weather soon!
Is the Von Maur still open at Charlestown Mall? All Von Maurs have a very nice feeding area in their Women's Lounge area. I used to go and feed my daughter there all the time--for the comfy couch and nice changing area.
VonMaurs has a wonderful bathroon/feeding room for Moms. I personally cannot afford to buy anything in that particular store but I use their bathrooms often!
Springhill Mall in East Dundee has a very nice mother's room. It is located in the restroom around the JCP wing. The room is private (locks from the inside), they have 2 gliders in the room for your comfort. Your stroller will fit in the room as well for safe keeping.
I have used the room many times with my son when I was home last summer.
Good luck!!
Von Maur has a great area in the women's restroom. They have a couch and/or a rocking chair in there!
You could also take a blanket and go to the food court and sip on a drink while you nurse. If you're self conscious, just stay away from the area with all the kids.
M.
When nursing I always wander into a store that isn't very busy about that time and then take a few things into the dressing room. Especially if the dressing room has seats. I will try on the garments that I selected and maybe even purchase something if I find something I like, but I don't mind taking up a dressing room if they aren't busy. Most stores don't mind at all...as long as they aren't busy.
you can breastfeed anywhere! The more you do it the more comfortable you will be...just bring a boppy and a blanket if that will make you more comfortable and find a seating area...The first few times may be uncomfortable, but I promise you it will get easier each time you do it!!!
I agree with the Von Maur recommendation! The ladies room is lovely -- very clean and comfortable.
Von Maur has a Women's Lounge and a mother's area that is even more isolated. It is on the 1st floor straight back from the main mall entrance.
In a pinch any fitting room in any clothes store will do the trick.
Good Luck!
I'm not sure about the mall- if you're able to position the baby where you feel comfortably covered (I know when you are first learning to latch and everything sometimes you have to practically strip!) then you could just sit on a bench or in one of those massage chair things, etc. Or you could pop into a dressing room for a little while- Mothering or other maternity stores will usually let you go in if you tell them you need to nurse for awhile.
A great restaurant that I've had nursing success in is Paul's in Elgin. My friends and I nurse (even our toddlers) there all the time. Gail Borden Public Library is very nursing-friendly too and has really comfy chairs in the cafe part and rockers in the kids' section.
I have a 15 month old nursling and would be happy to meet you somewhere if you'd like company (we live in Elgin) or you're also more than welcome to join the AP group that I co-own with a friend:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ElginAPgroup/
Sometimes it's less daunting to nurse in public when you have a whole "gang" of nursing moms to hang out with and support you! :) It's a fun group that gets together at the Centre to swim, meets at parks or farmer's markets, library, etc. and has kids of all ages. We're planning a swap meet for baby/kid items, etc as well!
Luckily IL is a great state to breastfeed in public because there are laws that prevent someone from asking you to leave- you can breastfeed any place in public that you are otherwise authorized to be, AND there is an enforcement provision, which means it is actually punishable for someone to ask you to leave (they can be fined, etc). You might know this already, but it's always nice to remember and some other moms who read this may not be aware. You can visit the La Leche League website for details for any state's laws on breastfeeding in public.
Hope this helps! Luckily spring is in the air, so hopefully cabin fever is almost over :)
M.
