Tag: where to pump

Looking for a Family-Friendly Vegas Resort? Try The Desert Rose!

This low-key home away from home checked all our boxes

Fridge and Freezer: Yes
Stroller-Friendly: Yes
Overall Child-Friendly: Yes
Time Spent: 5 nights

When you envision a trip to Las Vegas, several famous hotels might come to mind. The Desert Rose Resort, located near MGM Grand, probably isn’t one of them. This unassuming option might not be famous or fancy, but it did cover our most important f-words: family and friendly! Our family of three stayed there with our 10-month-old daughter on a trip with extended family in May of 2023. For us, the Desert Rose was affordable on a budget, and it offered amenities that accommodated our unique needs with a baby in Las Vegas. For that reason, I’m listing it at #4 in my ranking of baby-friendly attractions in Las Vegas.

In Vegas, it’s tricky to find a hotel that accommodates families who pump to keep baby fed. For us, the most elusive amenity was a full-size refrigerator with a freezer. My husband and I searched high and low, and our options were limited. But the freezer wasn’t optional. We needed it to re-freeze our icepack, so we could carry breastmilk at a safe temperature throughout our trip. In the future, it would be great to see more hotels providing this essential amenity for pumping families. During our trip, the Desert Rose Resort was the solution, with the freezer we needed and several other helpful features.

For starters, parking was very simple. There was no fee when we visited in May of 2023, and there were always plenty of spots near the walkway to our room. From there, we found that our suite was clean and pleasant. The layout was like a small apartment: both practical and comfortable. The fridge and freezer were located in a full kitchen, which made it relatively easy to keep our daughter fed. We stuck our Medela ice pack in the freezer daily, so we could explore with multiple bottles on hand at a time.

I used my Medela Pump in Style breast pump throughout our trip to Las Vegas. The battery pack and travel accessories came in handy countless times on our trip.

Back at the hotel, we used the stove and dishes that were provided to prepare additional meals, since our daughter was well into her journey exploring a limited selection of solid foods. “Messy” and “picky” are two very apt keywords to describe this journey. For that reason, we appreciated the flexibility to cook meals we knew she would like, and we especially appreciated the dishwasher when clean-up time came around. Beyond the kitchen, we made use of the small dining table, couch, end table, and coffee table, where I set up my pumping station. 

One of our favorite features at the Desert Rose was the family-friendly pool. Our daughter took her first “swim” there, and I enjoyed the hot tub. We also enjoyed our quiet, poolside breakfasts on site. The same waiter helped us throughout our stay and always made sure my breakfast burrito had no meat. 

The bottom line: Compared with other resorts, the Desert Rose has less of the flashy, Vegas appeal that you might expect. But if you can let that go, it’s the perfect refuge for families with young children after a busy day navigating the Strip. 

Get Lost in Novelty With Your Family at Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart

Bewildering sights and sounds for babies and parents alike! 

Family Restrooms: No
Gender-Neutral Restrooms: Yes
Diaper Changing Stations: Yes
Lactation Space: None
Stroller-Friendly: No
Overall Child-Friendly: Yes
Time Spent: 2-3 hours

If you like weird, you’ll love Meow Wolf. As a new family of three, we’ve seen our share of enjoyable zoos and museums, but nothing quite compares to Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart. This attraction did something unique: it put us on a level playing field with our daughter, allowing us to experience the world together through new eyes. In my ranking of baby-friendly attractions in Las Vegas, Meow Wolf easily comes in at #3, despite a couple of small challenges.

Omega Mart, located just northwest of the Las Vegas Strip, took us through a labyrinth of dizzying colors, unearthly sounds, and unexpected visuals. Perhaps for our 10-month-old daughter, this wasn’t much different than a typical day, encountering curiosities in a world that’s still new in so many ways. For my husband and I, it was a reminder of just how strange and exciting the world can be at any age.

We used our Infantino baby carrier to bring our 10-month-old daughter into the immersive experience at Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart in Las Vegas.

Although the experience was awash in novelty, this actually wasn’t our first Meow Wolf adventure. My husband and I visited Meow Wolf’s Convergence Station in Denver about a year earlier, a couple of months before our daughter was born. Between the two attractions, I preferred Omega Mart. Both locations offered a fully immersive art experience that combines comedy, commentary, story-telling, and mystery in a visually stunning soundscape. And I think both would be enjoyable for children. But for me, the humor and commentary struck a chord in Las Vegas that didn’t quite come together at the other location. I’m sure it also helped that, on the second time around, I wasn’t seven-months pregnant, and I wasn’t as worried about Covid-19. 

In Las Vegas, this stop was also doable in the restroom category. The gender-neutral restroom near the stairwell on the second floor provided a spot for me to pump in private while my husband assisted. While there was no public lactation space for breastfeeding, I was able to use the single-stall, gender-neutral restroom without too much trouble. In order to pump on the go, I used my Medela Pump in Style breast pump, which comes with a battery pack, tote bag, and mini-cooler.

Because we were using this space as a stand-in for a family restroom, the lack of a diaper changing table threw us for a loop. We ended up improvising and used our Skip Hop changing pad and some blankets. Looking back, I wish we had checked the other restrooms.

A follow-up inquiry with Meow Wolf confirmed there are changing stations in both the men’s and women’s restrooms on the first and second level within the exhibit. This aligns with a relatively new law in Nevada that requires new buildings to have at least one changing table accessible to men and women. I’m all for this update to state policy. It’s always frustrating to find changing stations in the women’s restroom but not the men’s.

This is just one example of the humor you’ll run into at Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart in Las Vegas. It earned a chuckle from me.

The other important note at Meow Wolf is that strollers aren’t permitted inside— you’ll understand why when you arrive and start exploring. My husband carried our daughter in our Infantino Flip 4-in-1 Convertible Baby Carrier, and he was able to access most of the exhibit without any trouble. I use a backpack-style diaper bag from Target, and that made a big difference, as well. I was able to carry everything our daughter needed on my back throughout the experience. 

In terms of timing on a feeding schedule, Meow Wolf is very doable. We spent about 2.5 hours there, including drive time. Depending on your plans throughout the day, you could easily fit this stop between hotel feedings. For us, this wasn’t an option, because we had a packed schedule both before and after. The amenities at Omega Mart made it easier for us to hop from place to place throughout the day.

This is actually a photo from Meow Wolf’s Convergence Station in Denver, but it’s still a great example of what to expect at either Meow Wolf exhibit.

Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart is located in an entertainment district near the Strip known as Area 15 (it’s worth noting this area has its own restrooms that we didn’t explore). The drive time is minimal, depending on the location of your hotel. While you’re at Area 15, if you can spare an extra half hour, grab a treat at Conduit Cafe, or check out the Rocket Fizz candy store. Like Omega Mart, all of Area 15 offers a visually stunning escape from the norm, although parts of it are more oriented toward nightlife.

Overall, Omega Mart accomplishes something rare. It has excitement to offer for babies, children, teenagers, parents, and grandparents alike. Don’t make the mistake of envisioning Meow Wolf as a typical art museum that your baby might be too young to appreciate. Add it to your list, and get lost in wonder together. 

Discover this Baby-Friendly Hike Just West of the Las Vegas Strip

More family restrooms, more lovely views!


Family Restrooms: Yes (1)
Diaper Changing Stations: Yes (several)
Lactation Space: None
Stroller-Friendly: Partially
Overall Child-Friendly: Yes
Time Spent: 4-5 hours

Who knew there was so much natural beauty just beyond the bright, city lights of Las Vegas? Although Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area comes in at # 2 in my ranking of baby-friendly spots in Las Vegas, in terms of enjoyment alone, it was my number one. If you want to escape the traffic and crowds of the Las Vegas Strip for a day, hiking here is a great option, with or without kids.

This stop is just a 25-minute drive from the Strip, but it feels like the middle of nowhere in the best possible way. Here, you’ll find family-friendly amenities, manageable hikes, gorgeous photo opportunities, and a breath of fresh air. There are scenic views in every direction, and — wonder of wonders — there’s a family restroom outside the visitor center to help you and baby get on your way.

As I’ve noted in past posts, my husband and I had trouble locating family-friendly amenities for our 10-month-old daughter throughout our visit to Las Vegas in May of 2023. We never did find any public lactation spaces, and we hope this eventually changes. The restroom at Red Rock Canyon was certainly not an ideal place to pump, and I wouldn’t recommend breastfeeding there. That said, it helped make our visit possible.

We appreciated the option to enjoy Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area via the scenic driving loop and a couple short hikes!

We found this restroom near the visitor center parking lot when we pulled in. It’s an outdoor facility, but with that in mind, it was clean and tidy during our visit. It definitely went above and beyond what I typically expect from a park. There’s a changing table, sink, and toilet. It was a bit snug, but there was room for all three of us and our fairly large, Evenflo Pivot Xpand Stroller.

I reached out to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area after we returned and confirmed there are also changing tables in the men’s and women’s restrooms in the visitor center parking lot and in front of the visitor center. I was glad to hear these weren’t exclusive to the women’s restrooms. We run into this a lot, and it slows us down — especially when we’re hoping my husband can change a diaper while I’m pumping.

In the family restroom, I pumped on my feet at the sink while my husband changed our daughter’s diaper. With trips like this one in mind, I made a point of picking out a breast pump that would be portable and travel-friendly. The Medela Pump in Style, which my insurance covered, comes with a battery pack, tote bag, and mini-cooler. So, it works well on the road. Using the family restroom together, my husband helped me pack up the milk I pumped and rinse my supplies before stowing them away to be properly sanitized back at our hotel.

From there, the three of us set out with our extended family on a scenic drive around the park, stopping here and there to absorb the expansive views and take pictures. My husband and I took turns stepping out to look around, while the other stayed behind in the car with our daughter. This wasn’t an ideal arrangement, but considering the heat, the periodic breaks in the air-conditioning were actually welcome. As I recall, most, or all, of the viewpoints were at least partially stroller-friendly, in case you prefer spending more time at any one stop.

When we reached the Willow Spring Loop, we stopped for a hike all together, followed by another short hike at Petroglyph Wall. These hikes were just the right length for us, but they were not well-suited to a stroller. There are paved trails in the park, but we opted to use our Infantino Flip 4-In-1 Convertible Baby Carrier instead. This allowed all three of us to get into the thick of it and experience the landscape. For more information about trail accessibility, you can check out Red Rock Canyon’s trail guide.

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is a great spot to carry baby in a forward-facing carrier, allowing them to explore all the new sights and sounds.

My husband wore the baby carrier on the first leg of our hike, and I carried our daughter on the second. We’ve accumulated two Infantino carriers, sort of by accident, which means we keep one adjusted to my husband’s size, and one sized for me. However, if you just have one carrier, we find it’s not difficult to quickly adjust the straps. The carrier worked well in this context and allowed our daughter to visually explore the unfamiliar landscape. We kept the hiking brief — about an hour total between the two trails — and none of us got too worn out. Don’t forget sunscreen for everyone and a sun hat for baby.

One other important note: This park required timed reservations in advance when we visited in May of 2023, and the scenic drive is not a full loop. This means you’ll exit at a different spot than where you entered. Without realizing this, we planned to use the family restroom to pump and change our daughter’s diaper both before and after our visit to the park, assuming the route would loop us right back. When the scenic drive unexpectedly spat us out onto the highway, we circled back to the entrance and asked for permission to re-enter and use the restroom. The ranger let us back in without any trouble, but the confusion caught us off guard. 

Depending on your breastfeeding/pumping schedule, I think it’s possible to visit for a short hike between feedings and avoid this sort of complication. But this is less feasible if you plan to stop frequently to see the sights and take pictures, as we did.

I ordered the BBQ Veggie Burger and Umami Fries at Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar, and they were amazing!

We stopped at Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar on our way back to the Strip and gave our daughter a bottle at our table. This worked well for us. The food was amazing — one of my favorite meals on the trip — and very vegetarian-friendly. 

All-in-all, I view Red Rock Canyon as a must-see oasis just beyond the Las Vegas Strip. As long as you come prepared, you won’t regret taking the time to get away.

How to Visit Hoover Dam with a Baby — and Love Every Dam Moment!

Family restrooms and mountain views. What’s not to love?

Family Restrooms: Yes
Diaper Changing Stations: Yes
Lactation Space: None
Stroller-Friendly: Yes
Overall Child-Friendly: Yes 
Time Spent: 3-4 hours

I won’t lie: I didn’t expect to enjoy Hoover Dam. When my husband, our daughter, and I joined my extended family last spring on a trip to Las Vegas, it was my husband who advocated for this stop. I was skeptical. I don’t find engineering particularly intriguing, I’m afraid of heights, and I prefer green, rolling mountains to the desert any day. Despite all that, the Dam wound up at the #1 spot in my ranking of baby-friendly spots in Las Vegas!

What changed my mind? In short: the persuasive majesty of the landscape and the family-friendly amenities that helped us care for our daughter, who was 10 months old at the time. It’s hard to appreciate golden mountain views such as these until you’re there in person, and I found myself pleasantly surprised. They were stunning, even for a forest girl like me. Just as stunning? The surprise we found on the first floor of the visitor center when we arrived — a family restroom!

We were caught off guard because, throughout our visit to Las Vegas, we were repeatedly confounded by elusive amenities to help us pump breastmilk and change diapers. Actual lactation spaces are nearly impossible to find along the Las Vegas Strip, although they’re the ideal space to breastfeed or pump — sanitary, private, and usually well-equipped. Family restrooms are more widely available, if less ideal, but they can be tough to track down.

I would love to see policymakers in Las Vegas and Nevada taking continued action to increase and improve amenities for families. Nevada did pass a law in 2017 requiring most new buildings to be equipped with one or more diaper-changing stations in restrooms for men and women, and this is a great start.

In the case of Hoover Dam, the family restroom was easy to locate, and it worked for us. If you’ve traveled with a baby or toddler, you know how important family restrooms are. They’re private sanctuaries where both partners can change a diaper, clean up a mess, and maybe even sneak in a quick pee. The best family restrooms include ample space to roll a stroller in and out, as well as a diaper changing table. During our travels in Nevada, we were always relieved to encounter family restrooms that also offered a clean space to pump, since I was exclusively pumping for our daughter.

In most of these categories, the indoor restroom at Hoover Dam was just what we needed. It was clean and pleasant, with enough space for a stroller, and it offered a changing table, sink, and toilet. Unfortunately, there was no purse hook. I find these especially helpful now that the number of bags I carry with me has doubled — sometimes tripled. There also wasn’t a separate space to pump, so I wound up pumping on my feet near the sink, which worked ok in a pinch.

Just me, being goofy and eating taffy from the cafeteria next to the Hoover Dam gift shop.

A quick aside to talk equipment: Before my daughter was born, pumping on the go was already on my mind. I wanted a pump that would be travel-friendly. I ended up choosing the Medela Pump in Style, one of two options that my insurance would cover. The Pump in Style was my first choice because of its portability, allowing me to pump without plugging into an electrical outlet. It also came with a custom icepack, cooler bag for bottles, and a larger travel bag.

All these features came in handy in the family restroom at Hoover Dam. My husband helped me stow our daughter’s milk in the cooler bag, rinse my pump parts (we would sanitize them at our hotel), and get everything put away, so we could get back to enjoying our trip.

This restroom is located on the entry level at the Hoover Dam Visitor Center. If you pay for basic admission, without the tour, Dam staff will likely guide you upstairs right away. At this point, we were directed to the family restroom. I believe this is the only one on property, and I’ve reached out to Hoover Dam to confirm that. I’ll update this post if I hear back.

After I pumped, we strolled through the visitor center and stepped out to see the view from the observation deck. My vertigo took over and compelled me to steer the stroller as far from the ledge as possible, but in all fairness, the space was safe and very family-friendly. For older children, it’s an educational stop that would engage a variety of age groups. Before we took off, we grabbed a tasty, affordable lunch (a vegetarian-friendly grilled cheese) and some saltwater taffy at the cafeteria. 

Timeframe is always important to consider on a breastfeeding or pumping schedule, and this stop stretched our limits. That said, after pumping on site, we were able to see everything we wanted to see and drive back to our hotel near the Strip before I needed to pump again. The drive to the Dam was about 40 minutes. We did the most basic tour, and we did skip a few scenic views to make it work. If you want to spend longer, I would recommend coming prepared to pump twice.

Overall, the Dam was surprisingly enjoyable and more lovely than any photo could convey. If you’re planning a trip to Vegas with a baby, or with children of any age, I would definitely recommend adding it to the list.

How Las Vegas Taught Our Family to “Go Anyway”

“What happens in Vegas…? No really, I’m actually asking. I’m traveling with a baby, and I have no idea what to expect.”

If this sounds like you, read on!

Ten months into my first ecstatic and terrifying year as a parent, breast pumps in hand, I found myself tucked away in a Las Vegas casino restroom. Reflected in the long row of mirrors in front of me, a cluster of pink-feathered showgirls touched up their makeup and fixed their costumes, unaware or unconcerned as I stood off to the side, catching snippets of conversation. With only their gossip to distract me, I did my best to keep my nursing cover in place and watched the minutes tick by. I had pumped in a lot of strange places, but the casino was (fittingly) a new winner.

Fast forward several months, and you’ll find me here at my keyboard, equipped with a wealth of information about making do when family-friendly amenities and breastfeeding accommodations are hard to find. Throughout my first year of motherhood, I pumped at casinos, airports, parks, and restaurants in Nevada, Missouri, Nebraska, Florida, Minnesota, and across my home state of Iowa. I deeply immersed myself in the pros and cons of traveling while breastfeeding, traveling while pumping, and, eventually, traveling while keeping a toddler safe and fed.

Before my daughter was born, I also racked up several years’ experience navigating safe travel during infertility treatment — and a global pandemic. Moving forward, the learning will only continue. My husband and I are busy planning new trips, even as we dive back into IVF and care for our energetic toddler.

Now, I’m ready to share the mistakes I’ve made, the strategies I’ve learned so far, and even a few things I’ve gotten right. I’m hoping others can benefit from the philosophy my husband and I developed over the years: Go anyway. Take the trip you’re on the fence about, even if you aren’t sure yet how you’ll breastfeed at the airport or pump on the road.

Go anyway, even if there’s another IVF cycle on the horizon. For me, it’s almost always worth it. With some careful balancing and planning, I’ve always found the solutions I need to successfully combine travel, parenting, and infertility treatment, even if those solutions weren’t obvious at the outset. While I certainly don’t mean to imply that travel is easy or accessible for everyone, I do hope this blog can chip away at a few, small barriers and help families become more confident and informed.

And Las Vegas feels like the best place to start. This trip put our “go anyway” outlook to the test. I found myself repeatedly vexed as I searched for public lactation spaces, family restrooms, diaper changing stations, and stroller routes that wouldn’t require half a dozen elevators. So. Many. Elevators.

Then, when I returned, I was vexed to learn how many amenities we actually missed as we ventured down the Las Vegas Strip. Although I spent weeks planning and checking maps beforehand, there were still several family restrooms and changing stations that eluded us along the way. This trip challenged my stubborn belief that enough advanced planning can quell the unexpected. But it also affirmed the notion that having a plan is worth it, as long as you’re able to adapt.

Red Rock Canyon State Park was one of my favorite stops on our family trip to Las Vegas.

In the end, I was able to identify three, key elements that helped us along the way: choosing the right hotel, planning an itinerary with relatively family-friendly stops, and exploring destinations beyond the Las Vegas Strip. What would I do differently? I would do much more thinking on my feet and ask for help more often.

So, if you’re looking for the TL;DR on Vegas with a baby, the takeaways are as follows:

  • Choose the right hotel. One with a family-friendly vibe and a refrigerator-freezer combo for storing breastmilk and re-freezing your icepack (which you’ll need in the heat).
  • Think ahead about where you’ll pause to breastfeed and/or pump, and create a flexible plan that involves at least one pit stop back at home base.
  • Venture off the Strip to see the mountains and desert. For us, these stops were the most family-friendly and enjoyable.
  • Think on your feet. Don’t assume an amenity isn’t there just because it’s hard to find, or it didn’t pop up in your research. It isn’t always easy to find someone who can help, but asking might be worth it.

When it comes to locating amenities, it’s also worth noting that Nevada passed a law in 2017 requiring most new buildings to be equipped with one or more diaper-changing stations in restrooms for men and women. I’m not sure how much this impacts the casinos along the Strip, since it focuses on new construction and has some exceptions. But it’s an encouraging sign. Overall, I would love to see Las Vegas and Nevada embracing more changes like this: More public lactation spaces, more family restrooms, and more guidance to help traveling parents find both.

As things stand now, this post covers the basics, as I see them. But if you’re looking for more details, I’ve got you covered! Below, you’ll find my ranked list of attractions, including our favorites, like Hoover Dam, Red Rock Canyon State Park, and Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart.

In these posts, I’ve done my best to review the highs and lows when it comes to baby-friendliness, taking into account the missing amenities we discovered after the fact. I cover pumping, breastfeeding, changing diapers, getting around with a stroller, and, of course, having fun together as a family. I was exclusively pumping for my daughter during this trip, so my research leans in that direction, but I’ve done my best to provide a broad range of helpful information. So, here we go:

  1. Hoover Dam
  2. Red Rock Canyon State Park
  3. Meow Wolf
  4. Desert Rose Resort
  5. Mandalay Bay
  6. Tacotarian Restaurant
  7. The Shops at Crystals
  8. Harry Reid International Airport
  9. New York-New York
  10. Luxor
  11. Paris Las Vegas
  12. The Cosmopolitan
  13. The Strip
  14. Fremont Street