Pat,

Like you, I am not much distracted by content babies. However, I can be
very distracted by noisy attendees....

My personal feelings on the subject are:

We are supporting, encouraging and sometimes pushing-the-boundaries on
Baby-Friendly..so I think we should live what we preach. Nursing babies
should be tolerated. Pumping rooms should be available.

However, I think we should also make very clear that we expect ALL
attendees to behave in a professional and respectful manner....Not
speaking over the Presenter, and removing distracting babies from the
session. (maybe even announcing this at the beginning of each session).

Most mothers who would bring their baby to such a conference understand
that they may miss some/much of the presentation. If they choose to
attend with baby, they have decided that the portion they will hear is
worth the inconvenience of getting up and leaving if baby becomes
disruptive.

True, there may be the odd mother or two, who  will not take their baby
out....Just as there are those who will hold side-discussions during the
presentation. Having strategically placed "staff" available to ask these
people to leave may seem sophomoric, however, the rest of the paid
attendees will remember it as a benefit and register again next time.

The only conference that I have any experience coordinating (and only
from the sidelines) is cosponsored by LLL, so we absolutely have babies
present. I personally do not remember any of them being disruptive. We
also have several breaks....so if someone wishes to move away from the
baby during a break, no offense is given.

So much for my personal feelings on the issue....

Hope this helps!

Laura Wright
Jackson, MS

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