Of course, it would be awesome to have this visit your institution:

www.themilktruck.org

I agree with Liz, it is important for institutions and their employees to remember that feeding a baby is quite the opposite of changing a baby's diapers--and again very different from being sick.  I think many mothers would argue that the most convenient place to feed their children is where they are at the moment the child is hungry.

Some folks worry that a breastfeeding mother would make other patrons uncomfortable--in these instances, I encourage people to reflect on exhibits at various museums that can cause discomfort, but in that internal conflict, we have the opportunity learn important lessons about ourselves and what it means to be human.

lauren b. allen
u of pittsburgh ctr for learning in out of school environments

On Jul 21, 2012, at 12:28 PM, Elizabeth Maurer wrote:

> Hi Diana,
> 
> I would suggest that you stop asking breast feeding mothers to go to another room. It doesn't matter what the law is technically; citing the letter of the law when you ask mothers to leave will only make them angrier. 
> 
> Today's moms are used to breast feeding around young children playing because they do it at play dates, at the library, and in the coffee shop. From their prospective, what they are doing is a natural extension of parenting. It usually doesn't take long, can be done discreetly, and allows the older kids to keep doing the activity (rather than trooping the whole family off to the first aid room).  
> 
> Most importantly, your institution does NOT want to be on the receiving end of a social media campaign orchestrated by a mom who was told to stop breast feeding in the HOH room.  Ask Target or the Smithsonian how they liked it when it happened to them. In Northern Virginia, where you are located, a nurse-in could be organized at the click of a mouse.  
> 
> Choose your battles wisely. 
> 
> Liz
> 
> 
> 
> On Jul 21, 2012, at 10:16 AM, "Diana Cordray" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> 
>> I’m interested in the same topic regarding sick persons entering the museum as well.  In the Hands-On-History Center in the Education Center at Mount Vernon, we keep antibacterial hand sanitizer, tissues, and Clorox or Lysol disinfectant wipes available at all times.    I don’t feel we can ask them to leave although we would like to.
>>  
>> A question I have falls into a similar category – parents feel that our Hands-On-History Center is the ideal place to breastfeed and change diapers.  We nicely encourage parents to use the changing tables in the men or women’s restrooms and we invite mother’s into our first-aid facility or an office to breastfeed for their privacy.  Occasionally a parent becomes outraged even though we’re trying to assist for their convenience.   In the Commonwealth of Virginia, a parent can breastfeed openly if the building stands on property owned by Virginia, but Mount Vernon is not government property.
>> Any suggestions?
>>  
>> Thanks,
>>  
>> Diana Cordray
>> Education Center Manager/
>> Special Projects Coordinator
>> George Washington's Estate, Museum & Gardens
>> P.O. Box 110
>> Mount Vernon, VA   22121
>> 703.799.8602
>>  
>> From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Kathy DiPhilippo
>> Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2012 6:56 AM
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Policies for sick patrons
>>  
>> Dear fellow listers,
>>  
>> I'm wondering if any of you have had encounters with sick people visiting your museum, and if you have a formal policy dealing with this that you would be willing to share?  We recently had a quite visibly sick person visit our museum, who stayed for about 45 minutes while coughing, hacking, clearing sinuses, blowing the nose repeatedly, etc., which made everyone in the building quite uncomfortable. We have no written policy to deal with this, so she was not asked to leave, especially since we suspected from the way she was talking to her family (who left and waited outside for her) that she would not have left without making a scene and demanding to see our policy.
>>  
>> If you have a similar policy dealing with patrons who appear to be under the influence, we'd love to see that, too.
>>  
>> Many thanks!
>> Kathy
>>  
>> Kathryn DiPhilippo, director
>> South Portland Historical Society
>> 55 Bug Light Park
>> South Portland, ME  04106
>> (207) 767-7299
>> www.sphistory.org
>>  
>>  
>>  
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