Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Mum asked to stop breastfeeding a TWO YEAR OLD in shoe shop.

464 replies

GinaDavva · 20/11/2025 11:30

Mixed feelings with this one. Shaming a mother publicly breastfeeding a small baby is never acceptable but breastfeeding a two year old child in a shop? Surely at that age a bottle is more convenient in the middle of a shop? My first thought was that this was more about attention than the actual principle of the matter. After breastfeeding 3 of my own I can honestly say there has never been a time where it felt necessary to start breastfeeding any of mine in the middle of a shop at two years old. Frankly at that age they wouldn’t find much in mine anyway!

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj3z31jn7v1o

OP posts:
Bananaandmangosmoothie · 20/11/2025 12:09

They’re not supposed to have bottles at that age.

ContinuewithGoogle · 20/11/2025 12:09

StartingFreshFor2026 · 20/11/2025 12:08

What is wrong with you?

Show quote history

I don't feed my kids in a shoe shop, breast/ bottle or snacks. What's wrong with YOU? 😂

Shortandfatandpaleandlovely · 20/11/2025 12:09

ContinuewithGoogle · 20/11/2025 11:59

Of course it was a performance she was putting on. I am surprised she wasn't in the DM making a sad face 😂

Who wants to breastfeed in the middle of a shoe shop of all places?
It still can't beat the one who decided to breastfeed in a swimming pool 😂

What is wrong with these people?

Yes it's natural, so what? Many things are natural, it doesn't mean you shouldn't have a bit of decency and self respect. Many of us have breastfed, it's not necessary to do that in the middle of a shop, or a supermarket or some ridiculous place.

Then someone will pop up to pretend that toddler and pre-schooler still need to be breastfed. We'are going backwards sometimes.

If not breastfeeing - and criticising women who do breastfeed - helps your self respect, good for you.

Just don't expect other women to respect you for it.

ContinuewithGoogle · 20/11/2025 12:09

usedtobeaylis · 20/11/2025 12:02

Is this where you compare breastfeeding to pissing in the street? Go on, you know you want to.

Show quote history

YOU clearly want to, how bizarre.

Pinkandpurple225533 · 20/11/2025 12:08

You don’t need to say TWO YEAR OLD in capital letters like that. It comes across as judgemental. There’s no right or wrong with when to stop breastfeeding. There is good evidence it’s beneficial for the child as a toddler just as it is for a baby. Just because you didn’t want to, that’s your business but other people are different.

And breastfeeding is a protected characteristic under the 2010 Equality Act so regardless of anyone’s feelings, the mother is legally protected to breastfeed wherever she likes, and the law makes no comment on the age of the child.

maternityaction.org.uk/advice/breastfeeding-in-public-places/

StartingFreshFor2026 · 20/11/2025 12:08

ContinuewithGoogle · 20/11/2025 11:59

Of course it was a performance she was putting on. I am surprised she wasn't in the DM making a sad face 😂

Who wants to breastfeed in the middle of a shoe shop of all places?
It still can't beat the one who decided to breastfeed in a swimming pool 😂

What is wrong with these people?

Yes it's natural, so what? Many things are natural, it doesn't mean you shouldn't have a bit of decency and self respect. Many of us have breastfed, it's not necessary to do that in the middle of a shop, or a supermarket or some ridiculous place.

Then someone will pop up to pretend that toddler and pre-schooler still need to be breastfed. We'are going backwards sometimes.

What is wrong with you?

ChevernyRose · 20/11/2025 12:08

I think people breastfeeding for attention is a myth.

Tiddlyswink · 20/11/2025 12:08

utterly wrong of the shop to tell the mum not to but unfortunately I think there's rather a few too many mums who think the solution to their childs distress is to put a boob in their mouth rather than teach their child other skills in self soothing. its the equivalent of sticking a dummy in the kids mouth and we would rightly tell mums they shouldnt be doing this at age 2. It's absolutely nothing to do with nutrition at the age.

Rubbertreesurgeon · 20/11/2025 12:08

GinaDavva · 20/11/2025 11:30

Mixed feelings with this one. Shaming a mother publicly breastfeeding a small baby is never acceptable but breastfeeding a two year old child in a shop? Surely at that age a bottle is more convenient in the middle of a shop? My first thought was that this was more about attention than the actual principle of the matter. After breastfeeding 3 of my own I can honestly say there has never been a time where it felt necessary to start breastfeeding any of mine in the middle of a shop at two years old. Frankly at that age they wouldn’t find much in mine anyway!

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj3z31jn7v1o

what has it got to do with you how a random woman feeds her child????

Notadame · 20/11/2025 12:07

ContinuewithGoogle · 20/11/2025 11:59

Of course it was a performance she was putting on. I am surprised she wasn't in the DM making a sad face 😂

Who wants to breastfeed in the middle of a shoe shop of all places?
It still can't beat the one who decided to breastfeed in a swimming pool 😂

What is wrong with these people?

Yes it's natural, so what? Many things are natural, it doesn't mean you shouldn't have a bit of decency and self respect. Many of us have breastfed, it's not necessary to do that in the middle of a shop, or a supermarket or some ridiculous place.

Then someone will pop up to pretend that toddler and pre-schooler still need to be breastfed. We'are going backwards sometimes.

What's indecent about it?

usedtobeaylis · 20/11/2025 12:07

I know a woman who absolutely killed herself to breastfeed her baby who was born at 30 weeks. She done extended breastfeeding and it is a massive source of pride for her that when there was so little she could do, she could do that. But it doesn't need to be so extreme - any woman who wants to breastfeed at any time, any place has my full support.

And what a shame to read this thread and see people immediately taking the opportunity to piss on breastfeeding AND formula.

MrsBennetsPoorNervesAreBack · 20/11/2025 12:07

I can't really imagine a situation in which I would ever find it unreasonable for a mother to feed her child.

FlyingApple · 20/11/2025 12:07

I can't help but feel that those that judge harshly are perverted.

Notadame · 20/11/2025 12:07

I BF my 16 month old out and about all the time. Why would anyone have an issue with it? I couldn't care less if someone was giving a bottle to the baby of the same age.

How is it more convenient to cart a bottle and milk around than it is to get a boob out?

AntiHop · 20/11/2025 12:06

Not your boobs not your problem

TheNightingalesStarling · 20/11/2025 12:06

Its simple... if you don't want to see a mother breastfeeding, you simply don't look at them. Its not compulsory to stare at them.

LighthouseLED · 20/11/2025 12:06

usedtobeaylis · 20/11/2025 11:58

Why would a bottle be more convenient in a shop than a literal breast?

Why would you be giving a 2 year old a bottle?

Surely by that age most of their nutrition doesn’t come from milk anyway.

I could understand breastfeeding if the child was upset (and haven’t read the article so don’t know if that’s the case), but I would also think it unusual to breastfeed a 2 year old for nutrition in public. But up to the mother, of course.

ClairN · 20/11/2025 12:06

crossedlines · 20/11/2025 12:02

The shop keeper broke the law, absolutely and what he said was disgusting.

but can we not go down the ‘my kid has never taken a bottle’ route as if that’s some source of pride?

I was a passionate breast feeder, I fed all mine until over 2 years of age. But I had my kids in the days of 3 months maternity leave so they had to be able to drink from a bottle to drink expressed milk while at the childminder. That said, they all preferred a cup from about 6 or 7 months onwards! And of course continued to drink directly from the breast any time I wasn’t at work.

Show quote history

I don’t really get your point?

WiggyWiggyImGettingJiggy · 20/11/2025 12:06

I saw the thread title and just knew there would be the usual misogynistic posts about 'performative' breastfeeding.

Unless you're doing a full on musical number or tapdancing as well there's nothing performative about simply sitting and feeding your child.

TaupeRaven · 20/11/2025 12:06

What exactly is the problem with what she was doing? People who are offended by breasts being used for the purpose for which they exist are wholly ridiculous

ButtCheek · 20/11/2025 12:05

I breastfed my then-2 year old on a bus once, nobody cared. I fed my son until he was 4 and once when he was 3 I fed him briefly in a public park. They were both times moments of calm and connection in a hectic day, and nobody died from seeing 2mm of my tit. It’s perfectly normal and people should get the fuck over it.

Stillreadingalot · 20/11/2025 12:05

Im in Scotland where we have the Breastfeeding Friendly Scotland network - premises sign up to be part of this to support breastfeeding mums. In Aberdeen all the public libraries are part of this scheme.

Breastfeeding and your business

Find out the law around breastfeeding and how to become a breastfeeding friendly business.

https://www.mygov.scot/breastfeeding-and-your-business

Shortandfatandpaleandlovely · 20/11/2025 12:05

GinaDavva · 20/11/2025 11:48

What a ridiculously judgemental response.

Show quote history

Is OP going to respond to us all in turn to tell us we shouldn't judge her for trying to start a pile on of posters to say how the shop manager was right to tell a breast feeding mother to stop?

The poster she replied to was being appropriatly jusgemental, the OP was being ridiculously judgemental. Waiting for my telling off now.

IHopeYouStepOnALegPiece · 20/11/2025 12:05

GinaDavva · 20/11/2025 11:48

What a ridiculously judgemental response.

Show quote history

The fact that you've not responded to anything else clearly shows your only purpose of this thread was to sneer at a breastfeeding mother and hoped everyone would join you in being an unpleasant person. Do better.

newbluesofa · 20/11/2025 12:04

GinaDavva · 20/11/2025 11:48

What a ridiculously judgemental response.

Show quote history

So you think this response is judgemental but your OP wasn't?