Breastfeeding – Out and About

It’s normal to feel nervous about breastfeeding out and about.

There are many tips to try, but here are a few suggestions that may help if you wish to breastfeed discreetly:

1. Practice in front of a mirror – you’ll be surprised how little other people can see when baby is latched on!
2. Use the 2 tops method: a nursing vest underneath a looser top. The vest can be pulled down, and the other top can be lifted and draped around your breast, covering you up.
3. Use a scarf or muslin cloth to cover your exposed breast if you feel more comfortable doing this.
4. Plan ahead – where can you feed comfortably? Is there a specific feeding room you’d like to use, or a quiet corner of a friendly café, perhaps? Ask other mums where they go.
5. Take a friend or partner with you. They can help keep you relaxed the first time you latch baby in public, and they could maybe position the pushchair or themselves in a way that gives you a little more coverage.
6. You can also offer baby a feed before you go out.

Breastfeeding is a two-way relationship, and if you need to pop to the shops or do the school run, you can offer baby a feed before leaving so they are settled for you whilst you’re out (hopefully!). You can’t overfeed a breastfed baby – if they don’t want it, they won’t take it! Remember, you are protected by law, giving you the right to breastfeed in a public place. It is illegal for anyone to ask you to stop breastfeeding or to leave a public place such as a café or shop. You shouldn’t be expected to feed your baby in a toilet – you wouldn’t eat there, and neither should your baby.