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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Am I being unreasonable to expect mothercare to have somewhere I can feed my baby

35 replies

lewy · 29/09/2007 23:07

Hi - I shoped in Mothercare world Weybridge the other week and needed to feed my baby. Im not too fussed about BFeeding in public at the end of the day if my baby needs feeding it needs feeding so I asked the assistant where I could feed my baby. I was astonished that they didnt have anywhere except the toilet!. I got a reply to my complaint today saying that because its an old store they dont have this facility.... am I the only one who thinks this is an unacceptable excuse, especially as they have just found space to put the early learning centre products in their store!! I cannot believe a mothercare store has no where to feed your baby!

Am I wrong in being annoyed by this ?

OP posts:
Kewcumber · 29/09/2007 23:09

our local one has very nice seating area near the toilets with wall shielding from casual view (ie not actually a room but you'd have to make a concerted effort to see anyone bf'ing).

How odd that they don't in yours - is it a very small one?

shreddies · 29/09/2007 23:10

YANBU, that is rubbish.

NoBiggy · 29/09/2007 23:10

I'd rather they offered a chair in the corner than a toilet!

Some of their branches have really lovely feeding rooms. Surprising that they can offer perfection or a toilet!

Tommy · 29/09/2007 23:12

you're not wrong.

Love the fact that it is an old store... presumably in the olden days, babies didn't need feeding

Mind you - had to change DS2 in Mothercare once and was not impressed to find their feeding room was the same as their changing room. I also couldn't fit my double buggy in there anyway (the double buggy I had bought in that very shop)

TheDuchess · 29/09/2007 23:16

I can't visit Mothercare without my blood pressure raising. I have never visited a shop less interested in meeting customer expectations. I'm surprised they stay in business, frankly.

JeremyVile · 29/09/2007 23:19

You only expect a nursing room because it is something Mothercare usually provide - I cant think of any other high sreet chain that offers these facilities in so many of its stores - therefore technically you are being unreasonable.

Redirect your annoyance to all the other stores that make money out of parents but make no such effort to provide areas for feeding.

lilolilmanchester · 29/09/2007 23:20

Lewyy, you are definitely NBU. I BF my DCs anywhere and everywhere, much to the disgust of many onlookers. Incensed my your post: a store aimed at babies and children, such as mothercare, should provide feeding facilities which don't include toilets. Age of the store is irrelevant; people have been BF'ing their children for ever. WOuld the store manager like his/her lunch in the ladies' loos? Somehow I doubt it. This is an age old issue (my first BF'ing experience was 15 years ago) but what chance do we all stand if the companies that make their money out of babies and little ones can't provide facilities? Lewy, more than happy to support any stance you take on this....
(P.S. left the screen to attend to family crisis, so apologies if it looks like I've ignored recent posters!)

Original poster
lewy · 29/09/2007 23:24

The funny thing was I wanted to go there to buy a nursing chair!!!.... I didnt get one!

OP posts:
NoBiggy · 29/09/2007 23:27

One of those rocking things? I find the armrest is in almost exactly the wrong place for feeding. Very nice for just sitting in though.

lilolilmanchester · 29/09/2007 23:37

Jeremyvile, just read your post. We are talking about MOTHERCARE here. One of the few high street stores we really should expect to have BFing facilities. Don't let them off the hook. Or can we assume you are a man who, like probably most Mothercare managers, have no idea what it's like to feed a hungry baby IN A TOILET (with profuse apologies if I misunderstood your post...)

JeremyVile · 29/09/2007 23:48

In the absence of a requrement by law - nursing areas are provided at the discretion of the individul company - it's a great thing that Mothercare provide these facilities in many (most?) of their stores.

Yes, it's a shame there was not one in this particular store but it's simply that we have come to expect Mothercare to have feeding areas that the op was annoyed.

As I said, many companies make money out of parents but make no such provisions in any of their branches - I am simply making the point that if we should be annoyed at any chain for a lack of nursing areas Mothercare would be pretty far down my list.

But hey, what do I know? - I am only a man after all.

lilolilmanchester · 29/09/2007 23:57

hear what you're saying Jeremy, but wouldn't you think that stores making money out of babies/children would go the extra mile to provide appropriate facilities??? Didn't bother me, as I would BF anywhere (but was also able to give as good as I got when people complained about it - and believe me, they did....)So, if we want more Mums to BF, we have to make it easier. And therefore, the stores who make most money out of babies and children should be leading the way. That really is my main point.

daisyandbabybootoo · 29/09/2007 23:57

YANBU....one would expect Mothercare to provide somewhere.

Our local Mothercare world has lovely sofas in the maternity clothing section (presumably for DPs to sit on while their partner is trying on clothes).....I have fed my DD there rather than sit in the small white walled space with an uncomfortable chair that passes itself as a mother and baby room.

Failing that in your local store, I would just utilise the changing rooms which usually have a chair in them!

NAB3 · 30/09/2007 14:06

You are not allowed to be told to feed your baby in the toilet! Health and safety. Next time ask if they eat their dinner in the bog!

Only saying B O G as I am so cross.

juuule · 30/09/2007 15:03

You don't need a special room to feed their baby. I would have just fed the baby wherever I was. Maybe asked for a chair, but not necessarily. While I might have bf in the toilet I would have let it be known I was insulted if it had been suggested to me.

Reallytired · 30/09/2007 15:04

I'm surprised, do you mean the large mothercare world at Brooklands just outside Weybridge?

I thought there was quite a big mothercare world near Brooklands. I know I fed my son at mothercare, Brooks when he was a few weeks old, admitally this was nearly 6 years ago. I fed him in the changing room area without a problem.

quirkychick · 30/09/2007 15:12

I am really surprised. Our mothercare has a nappy changing/bottle heating room and a lovely feeding room with those feeding chairs.

Perhaps you should have sat on the nursing chair you were after and fed there in full view to make the point.

Elasticwoman · 30/09/2007 21:36

Lewy - why ASK where you can feed your baby? I just sat down anywhere I felt like it and fed mine. In Mothercare (on the Oxford ring road) this happened to be in the Clarks shoes area where they had comfy seats. A member of staff asked if I'd like to do that in the loo. I just said No, and carried on. And bought 2 pairs of children's shoes for my older children.

If you ask for permission, you are implying that you don't have the right to feed anywhere you like. If there isn't a suitable chair, just ask for a chair. They are not likely to say "you're not going to ... er...FEED that child are you?????", they will just assume you want to sit down.

When are women going to realise WE DO NOT NEED ANY ONE'S PERMISSION TO FEED OUR INFANTS IN PUBLIC. I respect the view of mothers who don't want to do it in public - some people don't - but that view should not be foisted upon all mothers, most of whom would rather feed in public than go into Purdah.

J2OBABY · 30/09/2007 21:42

To the op- no yanbu

elastc-am i right in thinking she ashed you if you wanted to feed lo in the toilet as in she would have prefered you did? if so then, and

J2OBABY · 30/09/2007 21:42

asked

Debbiethemum · 30/09/2007 21:46

Mothercare just winds me up. I will go miles out of my way to avoid that shop. One particular incident really got to me. DS was very new and the three P&C parking spaces were all full, they have a huge car park that is never more than half full - so I thought I would ask why there were only three P&C spaces, why couldn't they make every space that size. The answer was a classic - but not everybody who shops here has children.
!!!!!!
Only about 90%

Elasticwoman · 30/09/2007 21:46

J20 this was some years ago, but the Mothercare in question had a large American style "rest room" which had comfy seats and toilets in the same room. There may well have been some mothers who would put up with the toilet proximity for the sake of the privacy, but not me.

Elasticwoman · 30/09/2007 21:47

Lol and even PMSL Debbiethemum!

moondog · 30/09/2007 21:48

Mothercare is a spectaculalry shit shop.
I pop in occasionally to reinforce my old prejudices.
It always obliges.

paolosgirl · 30/09/2007 21:54

Our (relatively new) M/C world has a great big room, with lovely comfy chairs, a big changing station - and 4 loo cubicles!

When I was in feeding DS recently, a lovely woman came in and was appalled that I was having to feed in the same room as the loo - very apologetic that I was going to have to listen to her wee!

Obviously designed by some male shopfitter somewhere - sigh.....