Parents Rooms at the Mall

You know those parents rooms at the mall?... well I was in one today along with a bunch of other mothers (some who were breastfeeding), and while we were all in the lounge-type area another mother came in with her boyfriend and he sat around in the room. What I was wondering is, should there be guys in there? I mean, I know it's a "parents room" but on the door itself it says "mothers feeding area"... I just felt a bit uncomfortable flopping out the boob with some strange guy in there...

was it an area for breast feeding or a general area? If for breastfeeding, it is a bit odd, but then I imagine I would like the company of dh if I were there.

I think I would feel uncomfortable too, but I would think the guy would feel MORE uncomfortable! LOL! Imagine being the only guy in a room full of breastfeeding women...

I remember when Emma Rose was about 6 weeks old, a (female) friend came to visit and we went to Botany to *try* to do some shopping. My friend and I were sitting in one of the curtained-off cubicles chatting while I breastfed Em, and we heard the door to the parents' room open and the voices of some teenage boys, horsing around, running in and out of the door. Well, I excused myself to my friend, stood up, whipped around the curtain and yelled at them, "If you don't get the hell out of here, I'm going to call security!" Em was still attached to my boob, mind you... The sight of this wild-haired woman with a baby attached to her boob must have shocked the hell out of them, because they all turned tail and ran. The room got really, really quiet after that...

Our parents rooms also have curtained off cubicles for that reason as well...and they are only marked parents rooms they don't say mum's only.

I've seen guys (including one who must have been in charge of the kids for a day) in them and B has come in before too. Often the dads seem to be in there helping out the mum's, I often see them do the nappy changes while mum has a sit down.

To me it makes sense that dads be allowed in as well, I mean if they are looking after the baby then the baby still has to be changed and if the baby is taking a bottle and Dad is in charge he still needs somewhere quiet to sit down and feed baby not to mention somewhere to heat a bottle.

I personally have no issues with it at all, maybe suggest to your mall that they have curtained cubicles like the Westfields do in Auckland.

I agree that parents room are to include fathers but if it is just a random boyfirnd comming in and sitting dwon in between all the BFeeding mums then thats not right as they can easily sit outside if they are of no use to the mother they went in with. Just personal preference i guess as it is kind of the same as a Maternity annex where fathers arnt allowed to stay for the patients privacy whether they are father or not...although in saying that i dont like that rule but guess it makes sense

In Palmy there is the Mothers room off the womens toilets that has some comfy couches and a changing thingy. I have often wondered what a dad yould do if he was out with bubs and needed to change it. I guess they'd have to go to one of the other ones in town.

Anyway, ramble ramble, parents rooms should be for dads as well, and if those rooms have breastfeeding area as well it would be nice if they were curtained off.

aimeejoy i might be wrong but i think that dad's are allowed to go change babies in the Palmy one by going through the other entrance? But haven't actually been there with DH so haven't really looked.

It is a tricky issue cause what is a bf or dh supposed to do while waiting for his dw/gf to finish up feeding the baby? I personally wouldn't mind someone else's other half coming in to be with them but if it was just some random guy I would probably get up and leave.

In japan we had awesome parent rooms in the department stores, but as for public loos or in the train stations - mainly for women. Lewis had a hell of a time changing Jake's nappies sometimes. It is so bad that an online forum we belonged to tokyowithkids.com, had a thread advertising stations and areas with PARENTS room rather tnan just mum rooms.

Well as a man, it is hard, I have been in them with my wife and bub. I am full time SAHD now and if we go to the mall I change her(bub) before we go and feed also. But if she does need to be changed or feed even what am I to do? Parents room is the place is it not. I'm not going to change her on a seat in the food area. If theres a mum sittin in there feedin hers I can't wait outside till shes finished.   

Yay a dad's perspective!! Enough said really.

We used the parents room again last night and B was in there with me and a dad was in with his wife also. B also reminded me that we once saw a dad in there tackling 3 kids! (go him!)

I still think suggesting you mall put in a curtained area would help heaps, then women can have the privacy if they need it and dad's are still able to use the parents room without getting (so many)offended looks