Mother who was caught on camera BREASTFEEDING her baby on a RIDE at Disney World is slammed for putting her child in ‘danger’

A woman who breastfed her baby during a ride at Disney World has sparked a huge debate on the internet – after the moment was caught on cameras throughout the park.

Meredith Barnyak of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, went to the most magical place on earth last week with her husband, mother, stepfather and two young children, Graham, three, and Poppy, one.

The family was enjoying a day at Epcot when her daughter suddenly became hungry while they were in the middle of the Frozen Ever After ride.

The baby became extremely fussy during what Meredith believed was a gentle and dark boat ride, so she decided to feed her occasionally – not knowing that an unexpected drop was on the way.

Meredith Barnyak of Pennsylvania was on the Frozen Ever After ride at Epcot last week with her husband, mother, stepfather and two young children, Graham, three, and Poppy, one, last week

When her daughter got hungry halfway through the ride, Emily (seen with her husband) started feeding her. But as she did so, the boat plunged down a 25-foot hill as the ride’s camera snapped a photo

“She (pulled) on my shirt and I was like, ‘Okay, it’s dark outside. We’re all human. We’ll all enjoy the ride a lot better and (she’ll) be happier if she gets to eat,'” Meredith shared the Today show on Thursday as we reflect on the moment.

‘I’m a big believer: any way you can feed your baby should be possible, anywhere.’

Shortly after she started breastfeeding the one-year-old, the boat plunged down the 26-foot hill while the ride’s camera snapped a photo – creating a pretty hilarious image.

“As soon as I saw the flash, I was like, ‘Oh no, I think all these people have a picture of me breastfeeding my baby on this ride,'” Meredith continued.

Meredith’s cousin, Jo Goddard, who runs a lifestyle blog called Cup of Jo, decided to upload the photo to her Instagram account, but neither she nor Meredith expected the strong reaction it would receive.

‘I thought it was a great photo and it made our family laugh. And so I was more than happy that Joanna posted it,” the mother of two explained.

While many agreed it was funny, others were quick to bash Meredith – with some people even accusing her of endangering the child, despite adhering to Disney’s rules the entire time.

“My cousin @MeredithBarnyak is an absolute mom on this Disney ride,” Jo captioned the photo.

Her cousin shared the photo on Instagram and many people were quick to criticize Meredith – some even accused her of endangering the child

It showed Meredith breastfeeding little Poppy with a look of pure shock on her face, while other guests around her clung anxiously to the safety bar.

However, the baby didn’t seem bothered by what was happening around her as she enjoyed her meal.

“No intention of being a stick in the mud, but this seems… kind of dangerous?” one person commented.

‘Am I overestimating the excitement level of this ride? The rest of the adults seem to be hanging on pretty tight.”

‘That’s the first thing I thought. This is clearly a dangerous situation,” someone else agreed.

“Seems dangerous,” said another user, while another person added, “Wait, I worked in a park… We would never leave a baby on, let alone untie it.”

“Sorry @CupOfJoe – big fan of yours but this is stupid, dangerous and irresponsible,” read a fifth comment.

“Disney allowed this? Lifelong Orlando resident and year after year people get hurt or killed on amusement park rides – usually because they are stupid. I have no words.’

Someone else berated Meredith for “ruining the picture” for the other people traveling along.

“I just think if I wanted to buy the photo, why would I want someone I don’t know to breastfeed,” they said angrily.

However, others quickly came to the mother of two’s defense – especially other mothers who admitted they too had to feed their children during the ride

“I’m just saying it ruined the picture for others to buy for a memory who might not get another chance to go to Disney.”

However, others quickly came to Meredith’s defense — especially other mothers who admitted that they too had to feed their children during the ride.

“This looks like it might be the Frozen ride at Epcot, and yeah, it’s actually really tame,” one defender wrote.

‘It speeds up a bit and there’s a slight ‘drop’ at one point, but there’s really no need to hang around like everyone else, and there’s not even a lap bar.’

“Disney has super strict requirements on how long people have to be on attractions, they make absolutely no mistakes,” said another. “(It’s not like they’re) letting a baby on a roller coaster.”

‘Love it. Taking care of that baby under any circumstances,” another user added.

Another comment read: ‘I did that. #Motherlife.”

“I did this on the Pirates of the Caribbean (ride)… Whatevs. Baby needs to eat,” one mother announced.

‘Haha! I have a photo of me breastfeeding my toddler on the teacup ride,” another admitted.

Someone else said: ‘Well done mum. I’ve walked through Disney while breastfeeding, but never on a ride.”

“If this were a father holding a child in this exact photo, I wonder if the responses would be something like, “What a cute dad!” another person wrote.

Meredith insisted the baby was safe and that she followed all Disney rules. On its website, it confirms that Frozen Ever After has no height requirements and is for “all ages.”

‘Or, if this were a photo of a beautiful black bear hugging her cub on a seemingly fragile branch high above the ground, we would say in awe, ‘Look at her.’

‘But when we see a mother doing what she knows best, we tend to be more critical.

‘I will always be deeply baffled by the ease with which we will criticize a human mother, the hardest working and most protective mammal on earth. Hero, hero, hero, forever.’

While chatting with Today, Meredith emphasized that Poppy was never in any danger.

“If you look at this photo, I think it looks like it’s an intense ride. But it’s a boat ride, she assured her haters.

‘There are no seat belts. It’s a very nice, relaxing ride, except there’s one drop you don’t see coming because it’s dark. And that’s what that photo was taken for.’

Disney’s website confirms that Frozen Ever After has no height requirements and that “all ages” – including babies – are welcome on the ride.

It is described as a ‘slow’ boat ride that takes ‘journeys to Arendelle’. Guests will take ‘a musical tour through the wintery world of Frozen’ in ‘an old Scandinavian ship’.

“I felt like it was actually safer with her being in one place rather than having to juggle her while she moved around,” Meredith concluded. “I wouldn’t have breastfed my child if it was a roller coaster.”