Good Evening All,
I have to agree with Yaffa.  I don't mind babies at conferences as long as
they are taken out when they get noisy.  I attended a WIC peer counseling
conference and I had a really hard time focusing on what we were supposed to
be learning.  At the next meeting, I brought a sitter with me to watch my
son.  I was able to pay better attention, but the other kids were
distracting.
I am not opposed to conferences saying 'No Kids Allowed', but if a Mom has a
baby that needs to be breastfed, I don't see any reason why she can't feed
her baby during breaks and lunch, with her peers.  Also, the conference at
which I was barred from the lunchroom never had any mention in their pamphlet
about not allowing children.  I don't think that these people had any right
to complain about my bringing my son when they had nothing on written saying
that I could not bring him, and especially since I brought a sitter with me
so that he would not disturb anyone.  I, frankly, think that I was much more
responsible than the organizers of this conference; I planned ahead!
My personal opinion is that if the organizers of a conference don't want
babies at their conference, even during breaks and lunch, they need to
CLEARLY state so in the flier advertising the conference.  That way Moms and
professionals alike can decide if that is the type of conference that they
want to go to.
Janet
My personal little soapbox!