Pumped!

Not all visitors to the Minnesota State Fair can sustain themselves through a busy day of cows, thrill rides, free ruler giveaways, and funny cat videos by scarfing down fried food on a stick. Now granted, some of the younger fair-goers -- like my son, when he was a baby -- might be perfectly fine to embrace new foods like mini donuts (or even the more healthy baby-friendly foods, like hummus), but man -- and infant boys and girls -- cannot live on fried food alone. And for those of you with very young babies who don't even have the fun of finger foods, you may be wondering about the logistics of how to handle feeding of the baby variety while at the fair.

First, of all, breastfeeding mothers can feed their babies wherever they feel like. You want to feed the baby while on the sky ride, you go right ahead. But if you're looking for a quieter environment, somewhere a bit calmer and out of the hustle and bustle, or perhaps you're pumping and you don't relish the idea of locking yourself into a bathroom stall somewhere, the good folks at the Minnesota State Fair have you, er, covered. They offer formal "breastfeeding facilities" at the Care and Assistance Center, located on Dan Patch across from Heritage Square. Private rooms are available on a first-come, first-served basis. I've never used this facility so can't vouch for how well it works, but it's nice to know that it's there.

In years past the radio station 107.1 has also hosted a Lactation Station, which is an enclosed tent outfitted with rocking chairs, water, and some outlets for those who want to pump.