IKEA breastfeeding discrimination!!!!

[Malwina13]

IKEA braking law!!!! I've been asked to stop breastfeeding my 2 months old baby at IKEA UK store. I made formal complain and that's what they replied " ...Mothers can Breast feed anywhere in store providing their breast is not exposed...". My question to IKEA is how you can breastfeed without exposing your breast. I do not wish to wear cover, if that will be your suggestion. I don't eat in tent so I treat my baby in the same way. Also that's not what the UK law states. Please share and help to normalize breastfeeding

Which Ikea was it? not because we want to turn up en masse to wind up the manager and get in the papers

I'm sorry this happened to you. It does sound like the employees were pricks though, as opposed to Ikea.

(.) (.)

I can tell you it's absolutely not a general IKEA policy which is why I wanted to know which store it was. People breastfeed all over the place at the one I work in, I've never seen anyone give more than a second glance. IKEA's one of the companies signed up to promoting breastfeeding in China, so I don't think they'd be that happy if people are thinking that they're against it!

I was in the Bristol store a few weeks ago and saw a few mums openly breastfeeding and no-one batted an eyelid. The only 'looks' they got were encouraging smiles.

What a shame two of their employees felt the need to behave like idiots and spoil it. I would complain but be specific about your experience rather than complain about Ikea as a whole. I know you are upset but try to calm down and word your complaint in a reasonable way- they will be more inclined to listen to you.

The reason it matters that lots of people have fed without problem is that many new mothers already have the idea that they will be shamed for bfing whenever they leave the house. I have friends who have reluctantly gone straight to mixed feeding or who have barely left the house in the early months because they are so afraid of breastfeeding in public.

Sometimes these stories bring a problem to light and help to solve it - other times it feels like they make a mountain out of a molehill.

Publicly shaming a whole organisation with a discrimination problem = helpful
Publicly shaming a whole organisation that is generally very supportive of bfing and giving new mums who might well feel like going to get new furniture that they will not be able to feed without unwillingly becoming a hardcore lactivist = less helpful.

You should absolutely make a complaint about the individuals involved, they were way out of line.