Target Now Has Public Baby Feeding Stations and They're Amazing
As if I needed another reason to spend hundreds of dollars and entire days of my life wandering through Target ("Just popping in to grab some toilet paper...and shoes...and snacks...") on a bi-weekly basis, the store has provided something pretty damn awesome for moms of babies. Photos of baby feeding stations in a Target store have been making the rounds on Facebook, and people are really freakin' excited about it.
Hannah Castillo, a Texas mom, posted a photo of the Target feeding station in her local New Braunfels, TX store. The station features cozy chairs and pillows, a side table, a Boppy, a breastfeeding cover (if wanted), and a basket of free breast pads. While that's all great, it's the fact that the station is in full public view between store aisles (between the baby and bra sections, to be exact) - not squirreled away in a private room or corner as if feeding a baby is a shameful secret - that really has people talking.
Since Castillo shared the photo on March 28, it's been shared over 44,000 times and commented on over 1,400 times. Notably, the station isn't limited to breastfeeding moms. The sign in the photo calls it a "feeding station," and clearly the set-up works just as well for moms who are bottle-feeding (or even those who might need to pump in a pinch).
Facebook page Breastfeeding Mama Talk shared another photo of the same New Braunfels feeding station taken by a reader. More moms chimed in, remarking about their experiences with similar set-ups in their own local Targets. One California woman commented that the last time she used the feeding station at her local store, an employee brought her snacks and a water bottle. That employee deserves a raise, stat.
Unfortunately, at this point, there are no plans to set up feeding stations at all Target locations. "In late 2016, we began testing designated nursing rooms at two stores in Minnesota. We will continue to evaluate guest feedback on this test to determine broader rollout to additional stores and we always appreciate hearing from our guests about how we can better meet their needs," Kristy Welker, a Target representative, told Scary Mommy. Welker noted that, currently, fitting rooms are made available for women who choose to breastfeed privately and public breastfeeding is always welcomed. "Additionally, store leaders are empowered to make decisions that help meet the needs of the guests they serve, as our team did at the New Braunfels store," she continued.
It sounds like individual stores are making the progressive decision to lend new moms of babies a helping hand - and it's great that they get to have that sort of freedom. Hopefully, Target takes into account the enormously positive social media reaction and press coverage and decides to make feeding stations standard practice at every store.
(h/t ScaryMommy)
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