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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Breastfeeding in France in public

29 replies

TickledOnion · 03/06/2012 21:35

Does anyone know if breastfeeding in public in France is any different from here (UK)? We are going on holiday to the Loire for a week and I was considering switching to FF (for a number of reasons) but can't be bothered to carry all the bottles and sterliser with me, so I'm going to wait till we get back.

OP posts:
ipanicked · 03/06/2012 21:37

Didn't seem to be. I used a bf cover as I was feeling quite shy about it and French people were fascinated (in a good way) and wondered why I bothered!

bunnybunyip · 03/06/2012 21:51

No different from here in my experience. Have a great holiday, just came back from Loire, it was lovely.

Original poster
TickledOnion · 03/06/2012 22:27

That's good. I have a cover but DD gets too hot under it so I've given up using it.

OP posts:
headfairy · 03/06/2012 22:32

You're talking about the country that invented topless sunbathing! Seriously, I've never had a problem bfing in France. Not even one shocked or distasteful look (as I have had here)

duchesse · 03/06/2012 22:35

My experience of breastfeeding in France is that random people come up to you and congratulate you for doing the best for your baby and coo at the baby and pat its head. Bizarre really for a country where hardly anyone breastfeeds for longer than a fortnight.

Pochemuchka · 03/06/2012 22:36

I travelled across France with 3 month old DD and fed her unashamedly in lots of different locations - no one batted an eyelid! :)

reddaisy · 03/06/2012 22:48

I had no problem bfeeding DD when I went to France. No-one seemed to bat an eyelid. I love France and I would love to go this year, have fun!

fhdl34 · 04/06/2012 07:58

I worked in France for a couple of months as a teenager and a colleague's wife breastfed her 2 or 3 old at the dinner table. The only shocked person was me as I'd never seen anyone breastfeed a baby before nevermind a toddler. Now I'm probably going to end up BFing a toddler myself, wonder what my 17yr old self would say to me now :)

nannyl · 04/06/2012 08:39

watching with interest as we will be going to france when DD is 10m old....

though by then i doubt she will have more than 1 pubic feed a day, and that may be in our cottage if she has had a nap

HandMadeTail · 04/06/2012 08:44

Not too sure about France, but once I was bf at a restaurant in Bruges, and the waiter whisked my fish away to take it off the bone to make it easier for me to eat. He just saw my situation and acted on it to make things easier for me. I was very impressed.

BertieBotts · 04/06/2012 08:52

My dad took my mum on a surprise trip to France when I was 6 weeks old (Shock!!) and she was sitting down on the grass near the Eiffel tower to feed me when one of the armed gendarmes came up to her - she was worried he was going to say something scary (I don't know if you were allowed to sit on the grass) - but he came up, saw baby me and said "Ah, c'est naturelle!" with a big smile and left her to it. :)

winnybella · 04/06/2012 09:04

No problems at all, I've breastfed everywhere in Paris, in parks, restaurants etc and no one has ever said anything. I didn't cover either. I see lots of mums BF everywhere, no one cares.

Bartimosaurus · 04/06/2012 09:08

We live in France. DS is 8 months and was ebf until 5 months and still BF now. Have not had any negative comments or aghast glances. Have fed him on buses, in cafes, on benches, in the park...

It's true that everyone I know thinks 8 months is "old" to still be BF but it's more a case of "wow you're still BF " as opposed to "wow you're still BF "

chimchar · 04/06/2012 09:08

nothing constructive to say, but this is a lovely thread!

i have bf my 3 kids everywhere (not all at the same time!!!!), and have never had any trouble from anyone.

nectarina · 04/06/2012 09:40

Can only echo others comments - I live in France, and although I only once saw another woman bfing in public no one has ever batted an eyelid or commented. The comments from my friends however....

reddaisy · 04/06/2012 10:37

HandMadeTail - wow! That really is good customer service!

Original poster
TickledOnion · 04/06/2012 11:26

Thanks for all your comments. I'm glad to hear you have all had good experiences.

OP posts:
jaggythistle · 05/06/2012 11:11

quite nice to find this thread, off to France soon with a not quite 3 month old. :)

JiltedJohnsJubilee · 05/06/2012 11:28

BF a one year old on holiday about 7 years ago. Never occurred to me that there might be a problem.

CherryBlossom27 · 05/06/2012 18:01

Not to hijack a thread, but I'm off to France soon too - do they mind bottle feeding babies? I sometimes worry about bottle feeding as I've had a couple of people be shocked that I'm not breastfeeding?!

nannyl · 05/06/2012 18:02

in france bottle feeding is the normal so i cant imagine they mind Smile

Frakiosaurus · 05/06/2012 18:10

I BF 13mo DS all the time. Get a few funny looks now and again but most peole just ignore it. people start BFing with good intentions but by 6 weeks most people have stopped because a) they're still using FF growth charts and b) feeding to schedule is advised from the start. The healthcare system just sets you up to fail if you follow advice, and in France MD may as well stand for Mon Dieu because the doctor is not to be questioned by mere mortals.

As you sat, going on holiday is a reason not to switch to FF given the utter performance travelling with an FF baby is Wink

duchesse · 06/06/2012 10:06

Cherry- as nannyl said, absolutely not, for the reasons she said.

showtunesgirl · 06/06/2012 13:13

Interesting experiences from people here as I read this article recently: www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/apr/01/france-breast-breastfed-baby-death

Bonsoir · 06/06/2012 13:16

I breastfed DD in public when she was 1 and 2 - admittedly not really often because she was beyond needing it, but I did so in some memorable places (Cafe de Flore...). No-one ever batted an eyelid.