KEEP nursing rooms under lock and key until mothers need to use them, and penalise those who misuse them to sleep or horse around.

These are some suggestions raised by new mothers on how to keep nursing rooms in malls and public buildings from being misused.

Mothers that My Paper spoke to said that it is not uncommon to find nursing rooms being used by people for purposes other than breastfeeding or changing diapers.

Sales manager Loh Yiwen, 30, said she saw cleaners resting in the nursing room at AMK Hub yesterday morning.

The mother of a one-year-old boy said: "If we need a nursing room, it means that it is an emergency and we are panicking. We will be running all over the mall with a screaming baby trying to find one.

"We can't afford to wait 20 to 30 minutes."

In an incident on Nov 4, a mother encountered two boys who refused to leave a nursing room at Woodlands Regional Library.

The mother, who had wanted to breastfeed her baby, found one of the boys, who looked to be in his teens, playing on a handheld game console.

When she asked him to leave, he retorted: "I'm also feeding my baby." The boy then hurled vulgarities at her.

The mother had to get the help of a librarian, who escorted the boy and his friend - who arrived later - out.

As the boys left, the one with the console warned the mother not to post a video she took of him online.

The boy allegedly told the mother: "My parents are very important people. They are really big people."

The boys left the place littered with empty paper cups and used tissue paper.

The issue was raised on citizen-journalism website Stomp on Monday and last Thursday. The video was also sent to Stomp.

Mrs Fatimah Sulaiman, assistant director of the National Library Board's Library Development and Corporate Services, said that it was "unfortunate" that the two boys had ignored notices and flouted library rules.

She said, generally, library users have been "very cooperative", and urged that "improper behaviour" be reported to library officers, who conduct regular patrols.

In another recent incident, bank officer Gwen Goh, 26, said she met a woman who "shooed" her away when she entered a nursing room at HarbourFront Centre.

This was all because the woman's son, who looked to be about four years old, was fast asleep in the room.

Ms Goh, who is the mother of a two-month-old girl, said: "It's understandable only if you're really feeling sick and you need to rest."

Madam Chai Jiamin, 31, who has two young sons, said the lack of facilities, compounded by their misuse, will lead to mothers having to nurse their children in public.

But locating nursing rooms within female toilets may curb their misuse, she suggested.

Operators of family-friendly malls told My Paper that measures have been implemented to ensure that nursing rooms are used appropriately.

Ms Joanna Lee, head of retail management at VivoCity, said security guards on patrol will advise shoppers who rest in nursing rooms to leave.

"We have signs displayed in each room advising shoppers that the rooms are for parents with babies," she added.

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