Breastfeeding in restaurants

CleverBalls · 8 Dec 2014 at 15:28

Freefaller said:
I don't think anyone is against it, people are however, taking offence to it being done in public, even if done discreetly.

SEMANTICS You know what I meant

Freefaller · 8 Dec 2014 at 15:34

Gornall · 8 Dec 2014 at 15:41

DAIR said:
No.. But at the same time I wouldnt sit there and tell a woman how "Not" to use them!

How did he not see that comment coming?

Why do we live in such an offended society I don't know. Pretty much everything offends someone these days!

DAIR · 8 Dec 2014 at 15:47

Gornall said:
How did he not see that comment coming?

Why do we live in such an offended society I don't know. Pretty much everything offends someone these days!

This is what happens when uptight people have their views either read or seen via sites like twitter and youtube.

Schlong&Stable · 8 Dec 2014 at 15:59

Freefaller said:
When you grow up, you'll undoubtedly learn a few basic principles in life, one of which is manners, but others which may lead you to not stare, and go back to enjoying the company of the person with whom you are dining, rather than unnecessarily taking offence for something which shouldn't affect your dining experience.

What if you are dining with the woman in question? :eek:

AJK · 8 Dec 2014 at 16:00

Thompson_NCL said:
What if you are dining with the woman in question?

Stare creepily at their exposed breast, of course. What else would a normal person do?

Schlong&Stable · 8 Dec 2014 at 16:06

AJK said:
Stare creepily at their exposed breast, of course. What else would a normal person do?

Thanks for the reassurance

brendy · 8 Dec 2014 at 16:10

Its like chewing gum, I hope you brought enough for all of us..

Actually, My wife bottle fed all three of our girls, all are tall for their age, physically fit. Breastfeeding in public is fine by me, in a restaurant where people are eating may be frowned upon by some as offputting when they have paid for a meal, not by me but I can see their side of the story. It wouldnt kill the mother to bring some pre expressed milk with her in a bottle though.

UTmaniac · 8 Dec 2014 at 16:12

Maybe restaurants should hand out eye blinkers to people on arrival who say they might get offended by a mother feeding their baby.

DAIR · 8 Dec 2014 at 16:13

brendy said:
Its like chewing gum, I hope you brought enough for all of us..

Actually, My wife bottle fed all three of our girls, all are tall for their age, physically fit. Breastfeeding in public is fine by me, in a restaurant where people are eating may be frowned upon by some as offputting when they have paid for a meal, not by me but I can see their side of the story. It wouldnt kill the mother to bring some pre expressed milk with her in a bottle though.

Agree with what you've said. The decision should be left to the mother. Some dont feeding in public whereas other do. Leave 'em to it.

lol @ these 1st world problems... Elsewhere people are literally fighting for a better standard life!

LordSplodge · 8 Dec 2014 at 16:14

SciNeT said:
Public breastfeeding is uncomfortable to people around, nobody wants to see saggy hooters while eating thanks. Mum's have a right to feed their children sure but be classy and respectful about it, use a cover or go to your car, nobody wants to see it.

I'd sooner sit in a restaurant full of breast feeding women than share one with people like you. Your attitude, just look at how you refer to women measuring them on their parts, stinks and is more offensive than any amount of public breastfeeding.

Freefaller said:
Absolutely - there is no black and white.

I think here there is. Women should be allowed to breastfeed in public. Simple as.

Thompson_NCL said:
What if you are dining with the woman in question?

You carry on having your conversation (or more likely in 2014 staring at your smartphone) as its only a woman breastfeeding. Nothing shocking.

Freefaller · 8 Dec 2014 at 16:25

Thompson_NCL said:
What if you are dining with the woman in question?

Well one would hope you wouldn't be surprised that she has to breastfeed!

But clearly one would stare and drool accordingly?

tom_e · 8 Dec 2014 at 16:33

Freefaller said:
Well one would hope you wouldn't be surprised that she has to breastfeed!

But clearly one would stare and drool accordingly?

While rubbing your thighs and grunting?

RichDuffy · 8 Dec 2014 at 18:11

Here's my view - adults are allowed to eat at the table, so why not babies?

Yes, there is such a thing as discretion. But discretion does not require throwing a large napkin over your hungry infant's head, merely exposing the required amount of flesh in a quiet and dignified manner is good enough. As such a woman might pull down the flap on her maternity bra and allow the child to latch on - most people who witness this will only see the baby's head, and maybe a little bit of uncovered skin, but hardly more than they'd see with the average low-cut top anyway. At this point they should do the polite thing, and look away and get on with eating their meal.

Conversely, if the mother is being over the top to make a point, she's just as wrong as people who take offence simply because they can. Whipping off their whole top after loudly announcing that they're going to feed the baby, then continuing to attract attention by being as loud and brash as they can is obnoxious and unnecessary. Just do what you need to do and don't deliberately involve everyone else.

Angilion · 8 Dec 2014 at 18:26

Casdawer said:
Some people are right prudes aren't they. It's boobs people, she's not flashing her nether regions! How people can be offended by a piece of flesh I will never know. [..]

Do you think that nudity should be a right in all places? Would you have any objection to a man strolling down the high street stark naked? You have said that you will never understand how people can be offended by flesh, so if you mean what you say you should have no issues with a man walking down the high street with his penis flapping about. Just a piece of flesh, right? Or did you not really mean what you wrote?

RDM · 8 Dec 2014 at 19:18

Angilion said:
Do you think that nudity should be a right in all places? Would you have any objection to a man strolling down the high street stark naked? You have said that you will never understand how people can be offended by flesh, so if you mean what you say you should have no issues with a man walking down the high street with his penis flapping about. Just a piece of flesh, right? Or did you not really mean what you wrote?

To be fair that wouldn't really bother me.

grumpysculler · 8 Dec 2014 at 19:26

anticonscience said:
She knew she was going out for a meal (and a meal at a posh place), why did she not prepare a bottle of breast milk for the baby in the restaurant?

And you would be an expert on expressing and know that it is trivially easy for everyone?

My wife did it for a time when one of our girls was in hospital and nobody we knew found it easy. All would rather have breastfed.

Like sticking an angry vacuum cleaner on your boob was one of the descriptions.

Not to mention you then need build up your stash of EBM while feeding normally, use it up within a couple of days (lots of babies don't like frozen milk), then on the day you have to keep the milk cool and then bring it up to body temperature, you get more washing up to do (there's quite enough, thanks). Not nearly so convenient as simply breastfeeding. Then throw in health visitors grumbling about nipple confusion, maybe colic and other things and bottles become a lot less appealing.

Boobs > bottles

loopylou · 8 Dec 2014 at 19:48

grumpysculler said:
And you would be an expert on expressing and know that it is trivially easy for everyone?

My wife did it for a time when one of our girls was in hospital and nobody we knew found it easy. All would rather have breastfed.

Like sticking an angry vacuum cleaner on your boob was one of the descriptions.

Not to mention you then need build up your stash of EBM while feeding normally, use it up within a couple of days (lots of babies don't like frozen milk), then on the day you have to keep the milk cool and then bring it up to body temperature, you get more washing up to do (there's quite enough, thanks). Not nearly so convenient as simply breastfeeding. Then throw in health visitors grumbling about nipple confusion, maybe colic and other things and bottles become a lot less appealing.

Boobs > bottles

My son wouldn't even take milk from a bottle, boob or nothing at all. At 9 months he moved on to sippy cups.

LordSplodge · 8 Dec 2014 at 19:55

anticonscience said:
She knew she was going out for a meal (and a meal at a posh place), why did she not prepare a bottle of breast milk for the baby in the restaurant?

She shouldn't have to. The right to breastfeed in public means she can just feed them that way.

Plus, expressing isn't easy or convenient.

Angilion said:
Do you think that nudity should be a right in all places? Would you have any objection to a man strolling down the high street stark naked? You have said that you will never understand how people can be offended by flesh, so if you mean what you say you should have no issues with a man walking down the high street with his penis flapping about. Just a piece of flesh, right? Or did you not really mean what you wrote?

Would be a little odd but it's only society that says being naked is frowned upon. Also that argument has nowt to do with the topic of breastfeeding.

Angilion · 8 Dec 2014 at 20:04

LordSplodge said:
[..]
Would be a little odd but it's only society that says being naked is frowned upon. Also that argument has nowt to do with the topic of breastfeeding.

Why didn't you say that in reply to the person making that argument rather than in reply to my reply to them? It's their argument, not mine. They made it as if it was a decisive factor on the topic of breastfeeding. I didn't.

Hopefully they'll reply to either stand behind their argument or change it.