Breastfeeding in public places

This study reports the results of a survey of restaurant and shopping center managers concerning breastfeeding in their facilities. Managers from 66 restaurants and 27 shopping centers were interviewed by telephone. One-third of the restaurant managers and 48% of the shopping center managers stated that a mother could breastfeed anywhere in their facility regardless of what other customers might say. The remaining managers would either discourage breastfeeding anywhere in their facility, suggest a mother move to a more secluded area if she wished to breastfeed, or were unsure how they would react. The variability in support for breastfeeding by managers of restaurants and shopping centers will continue to create uncertainty for mothers wishing to breastfeed in these public places.