Nursing pods are becoming a growingly popular element of offices and public spaces. Being compact, comfortable, and convenient, they are becoming more than a trend – a standard. In this article, we describe why and how they became so popular. Are you interested in this topic? Then read on.
What Are Nursing Pods?
Firstly, let us define nursing pods. They are like office phone booths, with one significant difference – they are furnished and designed with nurturing infants in mind.
Nursing pods are soundproof, ventilated, closed spaces, equipped with seating and a table/desk. They are usually designed for easy cleanup since their primary role is to provide mothers with a safe, private, and cozy space environment whenever they need to feed or take care of their infants.
The Rise of Nursing Pods
The importance of a place for mothers to calmly breastfeed their children was recognized long ago. An example of that may be seen in shopping malls, where the toilet for the disabled often features a desk for mothers. Yet, for a long time, only such in-the-middle solutions were available, with nothing created directly to suit the needs of the women themselves, at least not until the nursing pods emerged.
With the demand for a type of space designed purely for women with children, and the turn from the conservative stay-at-home mother model to the working-mom one, a better solution had to be found, and nursing pods became the ideal answer to the current day problems. Created for one sole purpose – to accommodate mothers when they need to breastfeed their babies – they became a trend, which can soon turn into a standard.
Nursing Pods and Technology
Modern nursing mods are more than just a closed space – they are state-of-the-art booths, made of the finest materials to provide mothers with comfort and privacy. The finest ones consist of:
- Acoustic materials – Panels, glass, or foam used to prevent any outside sounds from entering the pod and inner sounds from leaving it.
- Electronic locks – To provide mothers with the comfort that nobody will interrupt them when breastfeeding their beloved child.
- Comfortable, ergonomic seatings – Since women’s comfort is as important as that of their child.
- Air ventilation systems – To build a space with clean air, safe for the children, and comfy for the mothers.
The Use of Nursing Pods
With their popularization, you might wonder where nursing pods are installed most often. In fact, there are a number of locations where they might be placed – it all depends on the demand in a particular place along with the awareness of the managers running it. Yet, typical locations where you can find nursing pods are:
- Offices – With mothers pursuing careers more often, and getting back to work after pregnancies as soon as possible, managers have to find ways to create proper conditions for their valuable employees. Nursing pods are among the solutions since they help both mothers and other staff members – the former can peacefully feed their child, while the latter can work without any disruptions.
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Airports – Flying is stressful itself, and customer experience teams at the airports understand that. Therefore, they often choose to install nursing pods for those who travel with their little ones. Not only does this help mothers nurture their children in peace, but it also gives them a safe space if their baby is scared or irritated by the ongoing hassle, so typical for passenger terminals.
- Shopping malls – Shopping is a must, and even mothers with little children will not avoid it. To make it less stressful with a baby, many shopping malls decided to reap the harvest of the benefits of nursing pods and install them. This way, mothers can avoid long toilet queues and cater to the needs of their children as quickly as possible.
- Public Institutions – Municipal offices or town halls are unavoidable – some cases can be solved only there. Yet, for mothers, a visit to such a place is strenuous – long waiting times in queues that take ages to move are far from what we could describe as comfort for women with infants. Nursing pods solve this problem, by letting mothers quickly jump in, breastfeed their babies, and quickly get back into the queue. If instead of queues every petitioner gets a number, it becomes even better – the mothers may sit comfortably nurturing their child in a soundproof booth until it is their time.
The Takeaway
Nursing pods are the solution to modern problems. With them, mothers do not have to worry every time they leave the house with their baby and have a guarantee of privacy and comfort whenever the time for breastfeeding comes. Therefore, it is not surprising that this solution becomes increasingly common, and should soon become a standard.
Did you like this article? You may also read: Nursing Pod Features: What to Look for When Choosing One