who has the best facilities for feeding/changing?

[theUrbanDryad]

i have to say - whilst driving back from the PIL's the other weekend i was shocked when we stopped at the M1 services at Teddington (which are the first services you come to if you're heading North out of London) and i changed DS in a miniscule feeding/changing "room" (cupboard). the whole place stank of poo and the chair provided for feeding was incredibly uncomfortable. i ended up taking ds into the restaurant to feed him, and i was dying for someone to come and tell me that i couldn't, but no-one said anything.

by contrast, H&M in my town centre (Northampton) has a fantastic feeding/changing area (which they call a "parents room" which i think is nice as it doesn't exclude fathers), lovely and clean with a really comfy chair for feeding.

would love to hear other people's experience of feeding areas - do most of you feed in them or do you take your LO and feed them wherever? i'm just nosy, really!

stop only at a moto services on the motorway or if further north meadowhall!

Personally I wouldn't feed my baby in a changing area - I don't eat my dinner in a toilet so why should they?!

John Lewis has good facilities IMO

In a combined 3+ years of breastfeeding, I think I used a feeding area once - was in John Lewis, and I needed a chair, and didn't want to a snack or coffee. I just feed wherever.

I was pleasantly to find that the train I took yesterday had a semi-usable changing shelf thing!

yes, i'll quite happily get my norks out in public now (ds is only 6 weeks, so i think i'm doing ok!) and in fact fed him on a bench in milton keynes shopping centre yesterday...got some funny looks off some 14 year old chavs pushing their babies in lurid pink strollers.

John Lewis has great facilities - rocking chairs, loads of changing mats etc etc ...

I think someone should create a database of changing places in various towns/cities so you can search by place before going somewhere so no panic when sudden nappy explosion. Good to know which shops or restaurants have parent room not just area in ladies so dad can do it. Good to also include "black spot" places which dont allow bf.

I am sure all of us at mumsnet would help fill it in.

The Mothercare in Glasgow city centre is fabulous.
Big changing area with several 'stations', big loo you can take a pram into and a fab bf lounge with Glider rockers, a water cooler and peaceful muzac.
John Lewis tend to be good too.

The joy of living in Scotland is the law is on the side of the bf mum. No-one is allowed to stop you feeding. So my dd has been fed in many and varied locations

John Lewis is good ime of Edinburgh & Glasgow branches.

New mothers in Glasgow get a copy of this booklet called Out and about with your baby which gives details of feeding and changing facilites. They were assessed by volunteers from the Glasgow Breast Feeding Initiative. I agree it would be an excellent idea for other areas to do this sort of thing (I'm sure lots do already).

I'm fairly comfortable with just feeding wherever but had my first experience of changing on the floor of a disabled toilet at the weekend and it was a right pita.

feed whereever proudly - it will hep normalise the imagr, and may make another mum more comfortable ablout attempting bf.

If you are partic. shy, though...

m'care reliably good - as are big shopping centres.

lakeland is the best!

I think it was Cheltenham Mothercare that I fed DS in (2 yrs ago) that had the glider rocker chairs and footstools, water machine etc.too. Surprised me.

However in our nearest Mothercare you have the choice of feeding in the nappy changing area or outside the toilets at the back of the shop

Agree that John Lewis facilites in Edinburgh are great. Great for meanies like me who don't want to go and buy a cup of tea just so I can sit somewhere nice to feed the baby. They have a water cooler too for that constant breastfeeding induced thirst!

Our local Mothercare has a breastfeeding room, with soft rocking chairs and rocking footstools, water cooler and dimmed lighting, completely separate from the baby changing room, its fab! On the other hand we went to Olympia the other week to the travel show (whistfully dreaming of hotter climes!), no bf facilities at all and a baby changing room in a toilet i couldnt even get the buggy in, did i miss the "real" facilities?

Sorry, should read feeding room, its not exclusive to bfers!

Our Mothercare is usless, have to go up 3 steps to use the feeding/changing area which means leaving the pushchair, shopping bags etc etc unattended in the shop
Debenhams is slightly better although crap chair to feed in, music really loud and you can't get a double buggy in through the door.
So I can't do much unless I'm with someone who will stay with the buggy and children.

If you are ever on holiday there, Walt Disney World in Florida was the ebst I have ever had to visit. Ambient rooms, subdued lighting, a full range of facilities available (nappies, wipes, food, dummies..everything)

For anyone in the North..just had dd#2 and our local Health Visitor have just issued me with a booklet they have compiled for friendly BF facilities in Bury, Lanchashire. Marevllous they have picked suggestion up and run with it. But I echo the commendations of John Lewis in Cheadle and any Mothercare in Manchester in their facilities.

Selfridges in Oxford Street has a nice mother and baby room. ......and most italian restaurants i feel very comfortable feeding at the table.

I've never used a feeding area on principle. I don't feel comfortable being shut away when I could be in a cafe stuffing mky gob! I heard a rumour that sometimes Bfing mums get free drinks, but it's never happened to me