Breastfeeding

Practicalities Getting Organised Breastfeeding Attitudes to breastfeeding around the world 

We'd love to hear from mothers about their experiences of breastfeeding in public while travelling.

Broadly speaking breastfeeding is widely accepted in Scandinavian countries, less so in the rest of Europe (French women think it spoils their figures apparently) but more so again once you reach north Africa going south, or Greece travelling east. Breastfeeding is encouraged in Muslim countries, though discretion is expected.

In the US attitudes are generally likely to be more conservative than in the UK, although California is reported by Baby Milk Action to have enacted a law stating that there is a right to breastfeed in public. The State of New York also passed a law making it illegal to deny a mother the opportunity to breastfeed in public places such as restaurants and shopping malls.

As a comparison one reader reports that in Spain she saw other women breastfeeding in public albeit discreetly, and if in a large group of adults they would go sit somewhere away from the group, but still in public.

In Florida she didn't see anyone else breastfeeding, but there were no facilities to breastfeed in 'private' either. 'Baby rooms' in malls etc had changing and bottle warming facilites, but no chair to sit on to breastfeed. She breastfeed in public there too, and just tried to be as subtle as possible. No one objected but she did get the impression it was not quite the done thing.

Australasia is a little more accepting than mainstream north America, barring pockets of more old-fashioned attitudes.

In Asia attitudes will depend on where you are but in the cities are likely to be aiming to follow the US model.

Wherever you go there are expectations of discretion and if you are in a resort with non-locals it is probably as much the visitors' attitudes you need to take into account as those of the host country.

While poorer people in less developed countries will tend to breastfeed, those with more money tend not too. Visiting Western mothers might therefore like to be aware of the possibility that if they breastfeed too publicly they may be considered to be slumming. On the other hand, feeding discreetly can also be a message that even those who can afford to do otherwise prefer to breastfeed.