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Generic Prevention Letter For BusinessesPlease see our main For Businesses section for more information. |
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This letter contains important legal information for your business as well as helpful ideas for keeping your customers happy. Many businesses are going through growing pains as breastfeeding and breastfeeding in public is becoming common place. We at ProMoM hope this information will help your business smoothly handle situations involving breastfeeding. Legal Issues A summary of current U.S. legislation is available at: http://www.lalecheleague.org/LawBills.html It may be helpful to examine one particular example. Consider the Illinois law that reads: "A mother may breastfeed her baby in any location, public or private, where the mother is otherwise authorized to be, irrespective of whether the nipple of the mother's breast is uncovered during or incidental to the breastfeeding..."
Customer Service As a business you want to keep your customers happy and to follow the law. Our society is going through the process of getting used to the sight of nursing mothers and you might have some customers ask your employees "to do something". Helpful Phrases Your managers might find the following phrases helpful when talking with customers that are uncomfortable seeing a mother nurse her child. "Yes, I realize your children are with you and can see that mother breastfeeding. While she may not be as discreet as you might like, she is doing something very normal. The law allows for her to breastfeed her child here. Would your family like to be moved to a different location?" "According to law, a child has a right to nurse anywhere the mother is without needing to cover-up. I understand breastfeeding has not been so open in the past but many more mothers are choosing to nurse in public. Would you feel more comfortable using another part of the pool while the baby is eating?" Additional Guidelines Some mothers are very comfortable breastfeeding wherever they happen to be when their child is hungry. However, some other mothers prefer more privacy. A mother who is already nursing in public may be offended if someone offered to "help" her by covering her up or offering her another location. It is important that you do not demand a mother seek privacy to nurse. However, you may find that providing a clean, private place for mothers to nurse will increase your business by allowing mothers to stay longer instead of leaving your business to go to another more breastfeeding friendly business or to their home.
You might also find it helpful to create a short, simple, public policy. It might say something like "Breastfeeding mothers are welcome here. You will not be asked to go into the restroom or to cover-up." When your company creates a breastfeeding friendly policy and institutes training, please let us know by contacting ExecutiveDirector@ProMoM.org. And feel free to contact us if you should have any questions, comments or ideas as well.
For information on why some mothers choose to breastfeed their children, see ProMoM's 101 Reasons to Breastfeed Your Child
Your time and attention to this matter is greatly appreciated.
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