A quarter of top British restaurants won’t allow mums to breastfeed on their premises, a new survey has found.
Of the establishments questioned, 7% – which included a range of eating establishments across the nation from Italian, Spanish and Chinese restaurants to celebrity hotspots, cheap eateries, wine bars, country pubs and vegetarian restaurants ? said they placed an outright ban on breastfeeding. Mums who discreetly tried to breastfeed at the table would be asked to stop or leave the restaurant.
Another 17% of the establishments questioned said they wouldn?t allow breastfeeding in public. They placed restrictions on breastfeeding that would prevent mothers from feeding their babies near other diners. Most of those would force mothers to breastfeed in the toilet, but the lobby was also offered as an alternative.
But some establishments were much more lenient – 15% said that breastfeeding was permitted if done discreetly. If mentioned when booking a table, mums would be seated in a corner or asked to cover up while feeding. However, one restaurant said they would ask mums to stop breastfeeding if another customer complained.
The poll suggests just how far attitudes have to change in England and Wales since new legislation came in on 6 April 2008 that stipulates nursing mothers feeding babies up to a year old can no longer be told to leave public places. In Scotland, it has been an offence for any venue that normally admits children to ban breastfeeding since March 2005.
The poll was conducted by Kamillosan Chamomile Ointment, which can help prevent and relieve the symptoms of sore nipples that can accompany breastfeeding.
Lucy Symons, spokeswoman for Kamillosan and registered doula, said: ?It is ridiculous that in 2008, a mother cannot do one of the most natural acts and feed her baby in a restaurant while she eats. A baby is just as entitled to eat in a comfortable, clean environment as an adult, so it?s just not acceptable for his or her mum to be forced to feed in the toilet and this is no way to encourage a new mum to keep persevering with breastfeeding.?
?Breastfeeding is hard enough for new mums without worrying about whether they will be allowed to feed their baby while meeting friends for lunch or be asked to leave like a criminal.
?Many women think they will find breastfeeding easy, and then are disappointed when they discover it is more of a struggle than they thought.?
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