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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

The old breast feeding in public chestnut

41 replies

brightlightsandpromises · 24/01/2011 15:41

Stumbled across :This and was horrified by some of the comments!

OK so a weatherspoon pub would not be a place i would choose to go specifically to sit and breastfeed my baby, but if i was stuck then maybe i might have.

I cannot believe that there are people out there, some of them women, who think this is disgusting. :(

OP posts:
theoriginalscrummymummy · 24/01/2011 15:44

Ugh. Seriously. If she was sitting in the family dining area, what's the problem? Of course she shouldn't have to buy a meal, she bought a drink. Some people are just so power hungry!

Original poster
brightlightsandpromises · 24/01/2011 15:49

The only thing i think i could possibly say in defense of the pub is that there are strict licensing rules with regards to children in them, we went with DD to a weatherspoons pub for a meal in devon once. We had just arrived on holiday and it was quite late, but they woudlnt serve us with DD because it was after 8pm and we would have to leave by nine. We were wanting food. But they were really nice about it and explained why. However, i think that this lady should have been allowed to bfeed her baby, if it were me i certainly wouldnt have asked permission!!

The weatherspoon pubs in my area however are the last place iwould take a small child

OP posts:
KaraStarbuckThrace · 24/01/2011 15:49

God there really are some truly ignorant twats.

MrSpoc · 24/01/2011 16:00

this story does not make sense to me.

It says she orderd a drink and told them she only wants it so that she can feed her child (why the need to tell them I dont know)

or she ordered a drink and was advised that children are not allowed on the premises unless she is eating?

I think the story has been reported wrong. none the less she should of been aloud to have her drink and feed her child.

crisptart · 24/01/2011 16:01

In all fairness though I don't think this was anything to do with the fact she was breastfeeding, as I've been in Wetherspoons before (we have a really nice one near us) and as far as I am aware if you are bringing children in with you then they say you have to buy a meal.
Children have always been only allowed in if a meal is ordered. Nothing to do with it being about arsey pubs not allowing breastfeeding. :-)

TheEvilDead2 · 24/01/2011 16:04

I thought it was only if you are buying alcohol you can't stay in with children and no food?

Either way I'm impressed by the photo:

look how stricken the child looks.

Mummy they made me leave Wetherspoons. The sadness

Deafworm · 24/01/2011 16:06

Im fairly disgusted that they didnt let her feed there but not particularly surprised, why does my hometown only ever make the news for negative reasons :o seriously though brightlights your last sentence is spot on, horrible pub, much nicer (but dearer) cafes very nearby and hollywood park where she was going was 3-4 minutes walk with mcdonals, kfc etc etc so purely on a personal level id have gone the extra few minutes or nipped into one of the cafes nearby.

KPidgeon · 24/01/2011 16:10

The story may be a bit sensationalist/exagerrated but the comments are hideous!

AlwaysbeOpralFruitstome · 24/01/2011 16:11

Arf [grin]@TheEvilDead2.

Lynzjam · 24/01/2011 16:14

I have breastfed DD in one of our nicer local wetherspoons. I would never think to ask permission. It's a nice place to go for a wee lunch and to feed DD in a quiet corner.

And so we should be allowed to feed our baby wherever we go. Urgh... wondering why I'm bothering to say this. Boob feeding is always gonna be regarded as odd I guess....

TheCrackFox · 24/01/2011 16:19

I haven't read the article but Wetherspoons will not allow children on the premises unless the adult is buying a meal.

ILoveItWhenYouCallMeBoo · 24/01/2011 16:20

as ignorant as some of those comments are, i wouldn't be at all surprised if this was a setup. she says hse asked for a lemonade and then asked if she could feed her baby. well, first of all who amongst us would ask? and secondly if she was asking whetehr it was ok then she was obviously open to being told no, so why go to the media when you get an answer you were obviously anticipating. if this girl really is as outraged as she says, i doubt it would even have crossed her mind to ask in teh first place, she would have taken it for granted that she could feed there without having to ask.

cheekyseamonkey · 24/01/2011 16:20

Her first mistake was to ask the twats in charge (and by in charge I mean capable of cleaning glasses). I just get on.

ILoveItWhenYouCallMeBoo · 24/01/2011 16:22

just seen deafworms post regarding other cafes being closeby to where she was and am even more convinced this was a setup.

ApocalypseCheeseToastie · 24/01/2011 16:23

The pub is near me and one I go in a lot

You are not allowed in there with babies/ children unless you are ordering a meal, those are the rules, whether you're breastfeeding or not, i've been in there with friends are they've breastfed no probs....after ordering a meal

You are not allowed to buy alcohol either iirc, which is fair enough

What the girl conveniantly forgot to mention is round the corner from the pub is a cafe, a very cheap one at that, why the hell she felt the need to go to a chinese miles up the road is beyond me

ApocalypseCheeseToastie · 24/01/2011 16:26

Those comments are unbelieveably twattish tho Blush

But yes, it seems mum was looking to make a point, I dunno...

TheMonster · 24/01/2011 16:34

But if you have to buy a meal to have a child in the pub, then she should abide by the rules. Surely there was a cafe or something nearby that she could go to and get a drink without a meal?
A pub with a handful of drunk alcoholic old men (my experiences of a Wetherspoons at that time of day!) wouldn't be my first choice of location to feed a baby.

ApocalypseCheeseToastie · 24/01/2011 16:37

Ave just said that, nice cafe round the corner which sells cans of pop for 80p iirc

Personally it's not the sort of pub i'd take the dcs in nor want to breastfeed in, full of drunken men who smell faintly of wee.

They do a nice breakfast tho Wink

Rannaldini · 24/01/2011 16:43

wimmin should breastfeed everywhere
in the dentists
during heart surgery
even in whitherspoons

outrageous

TheMonster · 24/01/2011 16:46

Sorry Apocalypse. In that case:

I agree with Apocalypse Grin

ILoveItWhenYouCallMeBoo · 24/01/2011 16:50

i think heart surgery would make breastfeeding a bit tricky but if teh surgeon can work round it i dont see why not Wink

Deafworm · 24/01/2011 16:50

apocalypse, interesting, i wonder if our paths have crossed, im a bit out of touch with local cafes but knew there was a lovely one round the corner a couple of years ago. I didnt realise the food rule was if you are taking children in, in which case i cant see that she has much of an argument.

Indith · 24/01/2011 16:54

Nothing to do with bf, just a member of staff telling her the rules with children being in the pub. Sure with it being quiet the member of staff could have chilled a bit and allowed her a quick feed but then she'd probably get in the shit with her manager. Pubs have rules about children. Pubs are allowed to have rules about children. I feed anywhere I want and would kick up a stink if I were ever prevented form feeding but I have no problem with her being asked to leave at all. She would have been asked to leave even if she was ff or if she just wanted a drink and didn't want to feed her child in any way at all.

ApocalypseCheeseToastie · 24/01/2011 17:01

They haven't long been letting kids in anyways, yep, new cafe opened just round corner on bottom of Dalton road independent bakery type thingy, called 'just cakes' or summat like that

Does bloody good spicy sausage rolls n all, much cleaner and nicer than wethys

ApocalypseCheeseToastie · 24/01/2011 17:02

In fact directly opposite the cafe they have the HUGE salvation army building with a MASSIVE sign outside advertising their cafe, nice in there too. It's run by adults with sn, they do a lovely brew