I was intrigued to hear that Scotland is about to fine companies that ban breastfeeding mothers from doing it in public.

Is it a big problem? How do you feel to see a woman breastfeeding?

I think its the right thing to do and can't see a problem?

Its not something that bothers me in the slightest but then I do work in a maternity hospital lol.  I say freedom of choice, if thats what suits the individual then feed your baby wherever.  Breastfeeding would not be my choice of feeding though JMO.

Michelle :)

I have no problem with breastfeeding in public, if the baby needs a feed then far rather mother feeds it than let it scream for fod.

I breastfed all three of mine, and found that it was quite easy to do it very discretely without upsetting anyone.

Mind why anyone should be upset by it I don't know its a very normal and natural thing to do.

Well it's a perfectly natural thing to do, if people are offended look the other way.

liberty :)

I was appauled when i heard that on the radio, i mean what are we coming to when a mother cant even feed her child without having to feel shame or pressure. Im guessing it was men sat in a nice office somewhere who decided this was 'not the done thing'?!

Its a perfectly natural thing to do and i suspect this will only encourage more mothers to give baby the bottle. shame.

KKgirl, I think  you have misunderstood the suggestion - as I understand it - nursing mothers are in the clear - it's the organisations/companies who might make moves to make them feel uncomfortable who will be fined...... 

I attempted to breast feed all three of mine - the first I fed for 3 months, the second for 2 weeks - he started to loose weight to such an extent that the hospital/midwives were concerned and I had to take him for daily weigh ins, and the third for 5 days - I went down with an infection, and it was a case of run myself ragged and fight the infection as well as breast feed, or give in gracefully and bottle feed and be available for the rest of the family sooner rather than later.......

Sorry I pictured you breast feeding a puppy when I saw this thread! :D

Personally I think breast feeding is a brilliant idea and very natural,I not only breast fed both of my boys,but also expressed each week for the hospital baby care unit! nowadays they no longer collect this milk what with the aids scare etc. although it was always put into sterile bottles delivered and collected from your home,on a regular basis and maintained at a fridge temp.as given in the guidelines,together with steralising treatments once at the hospital.
It helped me to regain my figure and I was fortunate to produce milk like a 'healthy cow',by the pint.I fed my two until their teeth came through and continued to express for about a month after that for the hospital.
Jacqueline :)

I breast fed and can't understand women who choose not to (at least for the first few weeks - every little helps). I think that it is fine to do it in public, as long as it is done fairly discreetly. However, I do have a problem with the MP who was on television this morning - she had been prevented from feeding in a commitee room at Westminster. This is taking things a bit far :) She expects to take her baby to work with her and breast feed it. Why the **** can't she just take maternity leave or put it into childcare or have a nanny like everyone else ???

Daisy

Breastfeeding is the most natural thing in the world.Maybe these idiots making these rules were not breastfed when they were babies,they do say breastfed V bottle  babies grow up physcologically different???

A woman that hosts a panel type chat show on tele with 4 guys  recently had a baby and while they were talking, her babysitter brought her baby onto the stage as she was crying and she promptly started breast feeding her on national television,she was very discreet and you couldnt see anything,i thought she had a lot of guts,i reckon good on her!She explained that her baby was hungry and that she simply had to feed her!,simple as that :)
Ofcourse there were a few  complaints from the PRUDES of the world,but mostly she was supported :D

I breastfed both my babes up until 6mths.,i fed them when they were hungry,no matter where we were at the time,you get the knack of doing it discreetly so other people dont even know you are doing it :) On the other hand, you get the women who are not so discreet and pop their boobs out in the middle of a shopping centre for all to see,without even trying to cover up,there is no need for that,i think.

Daisy i commend that MP who doesnt want to DUMP her baby off with a nanny,she is after all the babies mum and the only only one who can feed it,it really bugs me when i hear of women going back to work a week after giving birth and dumping their newborn in childcare for 8-12 hours everyday,i feel really sorry for those kids,they are being brought up by complete strangers rather than their own parents!They should wait till they are in a better position before having kids :( altho going back out to work is much less responsibility and less work than bringing up a child :rolleyes:

breast feeding is better than crying!!!!! :)
but what age should it stop??? ive heard of 4 & six yrolds still feeding? surely that cant be right?

I don't agree with woman putting young babies into the care of anyone, nursery, nanny, au-pair etc. But - I don't think that a woman should take the baby to work with her (there may be a few circumstances where this is possible) - how can she give the baby her full attention when she (in the MPs case) is supposed to be concentrating on the commitee work, for example ?? She should take maternity leave and only come back to work when the baby doesn't need her.

Daisy

Wasn't this in an after hours session fairly late in the evening?

Even worse - why should a baby be there at all :( Working in London is bad enough for adults, let alone babies :(  It should be at home being looked after by it's mother. She should not have taken the job as MP knowing that she wanted children OR taken maternity leave :(

Daisy

neither of us know the full circumstances to be honest so its difficult to comment. baby could have been older than 6 months when the mum was back off maternity leave and she was perhaps called in unexpectedly at night - in which case the blame would lie with an inconsiderate employer IMO.

I didn't get that impression from her interview this morning. I may be wrong. Her employer would only be the Labour Party, as they would be the ones to insist that she was there. Most MPs seem to come and go as they choose - only HAVING to be there for very important votes. (Even some of those they can 'pair' off with an opposition MP to avoid the need to be there). Couldn't she have excused herself for a few minutes if she really HAD to be there. The mums that decide to breastfeed for the longest (that I know) are usually those who choose to stay at home with their babies the longest IME.

Daisy

Can't argue with that Daisy

I was in a restaurant the other evening and a woman was breast feeding at a neighbouring table.

I am sorry, but I think this is beyond the realms of decency when other people are eating.  She could have gone somewhere more discrete and I felt she was being very inconsiderate to the other diners. 

Sandra

Why can't the baby eat at a restaurant, just like all the other people?

I object to a young baby crying in a restaurant, without the mother getting out her boob while I am eating.

Would you have minded if it'd had been given a bottle?

As long as it was quiet then no.  But I would rather not dine with such young diners.

It has put me off going back to this restaurant, not that the food was up to much anyway.

Was she doing it discreetly??????
I have breast fed my babies in a cafe, under a blanket, and noone realised. Alot of the time, if you dont know how to breast feed you dont realise when someone is breast feeding. Now if she was NOT doing it discreetly that is another matter, but if you cant see the nipple, and she doesnt flop it out in your face. WHAT is the problem????

Well Sandrah, I would suggest you DO find yourself another restauiraunt, for over 18's!!!! just make sure it is before you book.
I say good on the restaurant for not objecting, and I would certainly go and eat there even tho my children are long past breastfeeding!!!!!
(whats the name of it, they should be congratulated for not being stuffy!!!!!!)
Lea :)

I have to agree that i go to a restaurant to escape the kids and I don't want to hear babies crying - BUT, if someone was there with a baby I wouldn't mind in the least if they breastfed...better than hearing the baby screaming for a bottle the mum doesn't have with her!

The women in question was sitting with her back to the wall facing her partner and the whole of the restaurant.  If she had shown some consideration and swapped places with her partner first, then no one would have even been aware of what she was doing.

I will also point out it was 8.30pm in the evening, I don't expect to have to check with the restaurant whether or not there are likely to be babies in there.

This baby was crying loudly at different times, before and after feeding.  I don't think that I am being unreasonable in wanting to sit down to an evening meal after a long hard day and not want to listen to that.

You will have to ask the waiter to gag the baby next time, how dare that baby cry, i bet it was intentionaly trying to annoy you!!!!!!
I bet you don't have any children. Humbug humbug humbug

I cannot understand what problem people have with breast feeding, maybe you will feel differently when its your turn, god forbid. I personally would have loved to have breast fed my babies, but I was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was 7 months pregnant, and had that privilege taken from me.  What gives us the right to judge and tell nursing mothers what they can or cannot do, and why on earth should they not go to restaraunts or other public places and nurse their babies, most european countries openly accept it. What gives you the right to deny the mother and child the most precious bonding moments. Some mothers would have loved to have been able to have this period, to deny it because of petty prudishness is rediculous. For those of you not wishing to view a child being breast fed, dont look :)

We should all be shut away in a dirty toilet to breast feed our kids. Would YOU want to EAT YOU DINNER in a TOILET. And would you like to be shut away from society for 6 monmths because you want to do the most natural thing in the world...........shock horror....breast feed. There was a time 100 years ago that the only way a child would survive was breast feeding/milk given by women that earned money out of donating their milk. if you didnt do it the child would die!!!!! so we obvioulsy have done something right as again ..... shock horror.... your grand parents would have breast fed your mother as there was no other way. If they hadnt you would not be here!!!!!!! (ok, maybe it might be one generation back from your grand parents like mine, but.....)
Totally disgusted that anyone would find breast feeding vulger.
Lea.

WHY DON'T YOU GO TO A RESTUARANT THAT DOESN'T ALLOW CHILDREN THEN.!!!!!!!!!!!!
I HOPE YOU DONT START SAYING
I WILL GET YOU MY PRETTY(wizzard of oz)

And tyhere are loads of those.  I used to find it quite difficult to find a pup restaurant that allowed kids, as I like to take them out for a meal as a treat.  Many like Wetherspoons won't allow kids after 5pm, and didn't used to allow them at all.

lol, my mistake - thats what you get for only having one ear on the radio!

Thanks for the correction. *is stupid* :D

No I quite agree with sarah about wanting some peace to eat . It dosent bother me in the slightest ive lent my office out to mothers lots of times so they can sit down .most  mothers are considerate and do not do it right next to you if they do they normaly cover .
but i will say that i would be slightly put off hearing a young baby scream while trying to enjoy a meal . IMHO babies shouldent be allowed into alot of  restaurants simply because the smoke in the atmosphere :( mabe if the ban comes in it will help those babies.
around here there arent that many who have a non smoking section . Can i remind some of you that we all have different views you may not like what someone has to say fine carry on saying what you want        but do you really need those caps?

Michelled,i've always thought breastfeding or bottle feeding should stop at 12mths. old,the baby doesnt need it after that,i stopped all night feeds at dead on 8 weeks,when my babies woke up i popped their dummy's back in and they went back to sleep,only took a few nights for them to be sleeping through,i feel sorry for these mums who are still getting up for night feeds when the baby is 6mths. or older,it is completely unnecasary and the mums are walking zombies.
anyway getting back to what i was going to say :rolleyes: this mother at my neices school would come in every recess time and breastfeed her 6 year old son,i think this borders on child abuse!This kid copped heaps of flack but his mother insisted :( The authorities were eventually notified,but i dont know what happened,i think the kid changed schools.

I think they should put some kind of limit onto the age like you say at  6 years old <<  he can eat solid food why the hell is she breast feeding ? poor boy what age will she stop .mabe she needs someone  to ask her why ? id like to hear the reason . mabe shes got a mental problem no normal mother would do that

Yep i'd  say she's got a mental problem,i dare say the boy would too after being subjected to that,god knows what else she does behind closed doors :(

I have no problem with mothers breastfeeding.  Lets get that clear. I just think a bit of discretion and consideration for others would help on both sides.

Chloe asked for opinions, it is very sad that we cannot seem to voice opinions on this board in a polite manner without some people getting out of their pram and getting abusive and shouting (caps)

Soon no one is going to post on a controversial subject, which will be a great shame.

Sandra

The UK is recognised the world over as being child unfriendly. I can see why from Sandrahs post. Children are members of society...real people. They are entitled to be out and about, and they are not dolls to be put in a cupboard and brought out on special occasions. Frankly if a child were in a restaurant i probably wouldnt notice.....i usually spend time listening to  my companions and enjoying their company, and I am not obsessed with watching what other people are up to. I have never had children, never wanted any, and now am past the age for them, but i dont expect other people to hide theirs away. A restaurant is a public place, if you dont want to meet other members of the public, then stay at home.

Personally i am not bothered at all by discreet breastfeeding in public or by children in restaurants.

I do however have 2 problems which are related - badly behaved children who shout and run riot in a restaurant, and also mums who get so stressed they  make everyone else feel stressed around them :( 
Abroad, children are taken to restaurants from an early age and behave really well usually; why is it so different here?

Lindsay
X

I was once employed by a nanny agency who asked me to look after an American's baby for a few days while she was here on business. (Only during the day, where the mum was). The baby was 11 months old and still being breastfed and it was her main food source. The old lady who ran the agency was disgusted by the fact that she still breast fed a 'toddler'. I couldn't understand it personally, I mean, in other countries they breast feed until the baby is at least two. I think it is something strange in our culture that tries to make children grow up too fast, potty training at 6 months, nursery school, then infant school by four. Whatever happened to being a child? Then people wonder why girls are fashon victims at nine and pregnant by 14.

>why is it so different here?

I think it's because the only 'restaurants' they ever go to are places like McD's, where no table manners are required. They're not taught table manners at home,because many eat in front of the TV and they're not taught table manners at school because very few have 'proper' lunches.

Then even if they have been properly taught, other people don't want to see them when they're eating ... Come on! Children are people! We were all one once!

>>The UK is recognised the world over as being child unfriendly<<

where did you get that from? , if you belive this you should go visit other countries where women and children dont count because of the male attitude towards them. they are abused and used as slave labour .really some kids would love to live in this country .

Hi,

Being 7 months preg myself and this baby number 5 ,I bottlefed 3 totally brestfed number 4 and will do this one number 5
Wether I bottllefed or breastfed I still went out to dinner parties,restaurants,hobbies and even breastfed between  dog show classes never once had I problem ,or a complaint.
When in a restautant with a 5 wks old baby complete with carrycot and breastfed again no problems and I was at a table in the centre,you could not tell I was breastfeeding.
I'm perhaps very lucky with my babies that it never stopped me taking them out and IT carried on when they were toddlers going out for evening meals they sat well and used their manners but then they been used to eating out in formal restaurants in evenings since babies.
If mothers are asked to leave these places from early on some children will miss out on early social skills.
I know many families who think im brave for taking a toddler of 2yrs to dinner.But my youngest will eat his dinner with knife and fork and can manage eat peas with a fork will put his hand over his mouth when coughing
and will use a cake fork.
With alittle help with some crayons and paper or small toy car will wait quietly for dessert.

I really can't see the problem.

Briony :-)

Lovelylady, it is a fact that the UK is recognised as being child unfriendly: BBC News item

It's probably very true what you say JG - the fact that many children are not given the chance to learn how to behave well. I was always taken out and used to really look forward to it and was pretty well behaved as a child (although i did have my moments). We went to a restaurant called Henry Tudor's and i always had spaghetti bolognaise with chips!

<<other people don't want to see them when they're eating... Come on! Children are people! ...>>

No, I'm fine with children in restaurants.

I often meet my best friend and little 4 year old godson for lunch and we go to this great little Italian place - we know the proprietors now and call each other by first names. Little Samuel is welcomed with open arms and often gets a free ice - cream for dessert. I totally agree children are people but you can tell some parents just don't care if they cause a riot and that i think is what annoys me - not so much if children get overexcited, but more if they are allowed or even expected to run around tables etc.and seem to know no different. It doesn't make me dislike the children, but i must admit i am not too enamoured of their parents ;)

Lindsay
X

I have no problem with well-behaved children in restaurants (not fast-food places, but adult restaurants) and wouldn't mind someone discreetly feeding a baby there - BUT, most young children just are not capable of keeping quiet and sitting still that long and I think that it is unfair of parents to even expect it :) If I am paying quite a bit of money for a quiet dinner with my husband and friends, I do NOT want babies crying next to me or bored children, whining and messing about. As someone said, I blame the parents,, not the children. (and I have brought up two, very well behaved children, but I do consider other people :) )

Daisy

Hi

I quite agree set standards at home with manners etc which is totally down to the parents encourage right from an early age what is acceptable and what is not, ie sit up.hand to mouth,ask to leave the table,wait for other people to finish eating,teach children to correctly use knife ,fork and spoon.to put knife and fork tidy on plate when finished,if you dont let your children run around your own dinner table at breakfast,lunch or dinner/tea I fail to see going out to restaurant why they would do this unless its habit at home.
If I take my children to a meal out I expect them to behave with good manners I will accept nothing less at my own tea table.
It is not too much to ask children to do, they are fast learners however I feel its alot to ask of some parent because they can't be bothered to correct them at their own table or its just easy to them eat in the longe with tv, and too many children dont have aproper 2 course meal at home its quick convienience foods so they never have to wait eg I often do a braising steak casserole while I serve this the children are at the table waiting not running about or watching tv this includes the 2 yr old,then pudding maybe rhubarb crumble and custard again the children wai twhile I serve and may take a little longer why I'm fidding with the homemade custard so they learn to sit quietly.
They dont think think its out of the ordinary when we take them to restarants.

Briony :-)

I believe that children should be 'socialised' and trained from an early age, just as puppies should be! If you want them to behave in restaurants, you take them there to teach them, and from as early an age as possible. Again, like dogs, they shouldn't run riot in public places and annoy others.
:)

Totally agree :) But you start them off in places like McDonalds (well, perhaps not - the food isn't too good for kids ;) ) and then work slowly up to The Savoy, as they learn to cope with the right knives and forks ;)

Daisy

If they start at McD's they'll never learn how to use a knife and fork in public! ;) Start them in the proper place while they're tiny, just like puppies, and they'll learn by example as well as what they're told.
:)

I work in a Beefeater so we expect to get lots of children come in, I have to say if my children behaved like some of the children who come in I would be embarrassed It not just annoying when they run around its dangerous when you point this out to the parents they dont see why their children shouldnt run around.
We also get some children who you couldnt find fault in their behaviour. We also have no problem with people breastfeeding I suppose its because most of us are mums.
Mary