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."

Read the full story here.

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