Breastfeeding toddler in a shop, AIBU?

[Refreshed]

To cut a long story short, out this morning and fed DS (2.5) sitting on a cushion seat in a shoe shop. A few other customers around but nobody even looking like they'd like to try on shoes. All other seats next to me completely free.

An assistant came up to me and said please can I do that somewhere else? The seats are for trying on seats only.

DS was done by this point anyway so I got up and left.

AIBU to have fed him there, and see it as an acceptable place to feed? No other people were sitting there and I wasn't preventing anyone from sitting next to us in the mny other seats avaible

It is inappropriate to eat and drink in retail shops in my opinion.

I am sorry to think of Little Britain and the "Bitty" sketches but just cant get over it.

Grow the fuck up

@Sux2buthen Pahahahahaha brilliant

Yabu. A two year can wait. The seats are for people buying shoes.

I don’t know. I don’t go sit in River island and have my lunch when I buy something.

Would you drink from a coffee cup/water bottle?

Maybe the assistant had potential customers in mind, whilst the adjacent seats may have been free, if anyone had rolled up looking to purchase shoes I imagine the average person may have been taken aback to see a mother feeding her 2 and half year old child, embarrassment may have seen them off. Sorry inappropriate, feeding a small baby in a cafe is one thing, but breast feeding a child in a retail unit, not what anyone expects, or particularly wants to be confronted with.

So to those who are saying the law is on her side- breastfeeding mothers are protected by law - would you still be saying the same if a women was breastfeeding her 10 year old in a similar circumstance? Considering there is no age limit to the lawful protection of breastfeeding?

@Jellybeansincognito
Yes.
Still not my business . Still a mother parenting her child her way. Still causing no harm. Still protected by law.
Next question

@2020vision10 shes not breastfeeding her baby shes breastfeeding her child which has teeth and can walk and talk it's not the same at all.Babies urgently need feeding.Children do not.

Until what age @sauvignonblancplz ?

Until they’re married?

That is your opinion Princess. Legally, the mother can breastfeed her child in public until whatever age she chooses, regardless of the opinion of whatever random member of the public.

@Jellybeansincognito

That’s absolutely none of my business or concern.
Why does it bother you so much when it has no affect on you?

The longer the better , and the more support women get the better!

The law is on your side but I agree it's a strange place to feed an older toddler who can wait a few minutes. Legally you are right but practically speaking those seats are for people trying on shoes. I say that as someone who is extremely pro-extended breastfeeding.

I only had to read the title and YANBU. Would the assistant had batted an eye lid if you were to get out a bottle of water or packet of crisps for yourself, absolutely not. Regardless of age as PP asked your child is entitled to milk.

I didn't realise so many people were uptight about breastfeeding beyond baby stage. My DS still very much looks like a baby... And is the size of a 1 year old

I'm another who finds it completely inappropriate and would have not wanted to sit there to try on shoes with you breastfeeding a toddler. And yes I breastfed but didn't continue as DS got older.

A 2.5yr old does not need to be fed in the middle of a shop in public.

I think breastfeeding a 2.5 year old in a shoe shop is not ideal. But I can’t really say why

@Refreshed I'm not uptight,never have been.
Noone should feed in a shop unless its urgent I.e a baby feeding or a diabetic needing a snack.

I'd rather that then him screaming the shop down personally.

Are these people who don’t approve of eating in shops tutting about adults drinking coffee/water?

I feel zero uptightness about that and am fully supportive of you feeding your toddler in public, I have a lot of admiration for you for doing that! But, practically it does seem like an odd choice as the seats are there for trying on shoes. And your toddler may look like a 1 yr old but he's actually 2.5 so surely you can say wait two mins until we get to this bench/cafe/nursing area/car/home/whatever floats your boat.

Im stunned at the ignorance on here she’s talking about a 2 year old that’s not even that big ffs ! Op why don’t you take someone with you and go back in there and look at them trainers another day and get your boob out in full view and tell that bitch it’s your legal right to feed where you want !

Whilst I believe a hungry solely breastfed baby should be able to be fed anywhere without judgement there was absolutely no reason for you to feed a toddler so pubicly. You come across as quite the entitled exhibitionist OP.

YANBU

Come to Scotland @Refreshed you’d have been legally protected.

People are so weird about BFing aren’t they? The WHO recommends:

WHO recommends mothers worldwide to exclusively breastfeed infants for the child's first six months to achieve optimal growth, development and health. Thereafter, they should be given nutritious complementary foods and continue breastfeeding up to the age of two years or beyond.

Yet, I’ve known ardent exclusive breast feeding mothers who’ve suddenly become a bit after 6 months, a year or 18 months.

You do what you need to do. I have 3 children, all very different with different personalities and needs. It’s definitely taught me to understand that the majority of us are just doing the best we can and doing what works for us. Those that judge can bugger off.

@lauriemarlow

I’m a manager in retail, there’s reasons why shops now don’t want people eating/drinking in shops, its health & safety too. Where I used to work someone dropped water on the floor, didn’t report it. Luckily one of my team saw this & put wet floor signs out. If we didn’t see this someone could have really hurt themselves. Plus we would be in trouble.