Yet Another Reason To Love Target: Baby Feeding Stations

These Target stores that offer public baby feeding stations are everything

A friend shared an image to her Facebook page the other day that took me by surprise: a public “feeding station” at Target. And here you thought you couldn’t love Target any more than you already do.

The station has two comfortable chairs, a little table, and a box of free breast pads women can partake in It also has a Boppy and a breastfeeding cover if a mom wants it. And the best part? It’s in plain view — not a hidden, private room.

“How progressive! The Target in New Braunfels offers a feeding station for mothers, complete with a basket of free breast pads,” she captioned the photo.

The Facebook page Breastfeeding Mama Talk shared a similar image last week, from the same store. Women began chiming in with their own stories of local Targets offering them the same thing. One woman from Yreka, California wrote, “My target has one of these! And the last time I used it, a Target employee brought me snacks and a water bottle.” Snacks and a water bottle! Who is this unicorn?

Another commenter pointed out the semantics of the sign: “Notice it doesn’t saying ‘nursing station,’ it says ‘feeding station.’ Good for you, Target!”

There is nothing more daunting than trying to time an outing with an infant. Knowing that you have a comfortable place to stop, relax, and take care of business for your fussy baby is so comforting — especially for new moms who may not be used to negotiating the whole public feeding thing yet. This is such a great thing to offer customers.

We reached out to Target and a representative confirmed that while there were no current plans to roll this out everywhere, they are testing nursing rooms in a couple of stores to see what customer feedback will be.

“This space is not something that is rolling out to other Target stores,” Kristy Welker, a representative for Target tells Scary Mommy. “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.”

“Fitting rooms are available for women who wish to breastfeed their babies privately, even if others are waiting to use the fitting rooms,” says Welker. “Guests who choose to breastfeed in public areas of the store are welcome to do so without being made to feel uncomfortable.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.”

So let your store leaders know — this public space is awesome.