Readers have spoken in support of a young mother who says she was told off for breastfeeding her baby in her car in a supermarket car park. Beth Coles, 25, says she was told off by a Sainsbury's employee for breastfeeding her four-week old daughter in the supermarket's car park.
She said she was covered up while feeding baby Rosie when a female staff member approached her, walking out of the store and towards Beth's car. Beth told The Mirror : "She knocked on the window, so I opened the door, moved the child. She said, 'can you stop that, please? It's inappropriate'.
"My reaction was to just burst out crying. I didn't know what to do. She just gave me a funny look and walked off, and I was like, 'oh, okay your goal was to make me cry'." Beth emailed Sainsbury's and says she was offered a £40 gift card and the promise that members of staff would be spoken to. You can read the full story here.
READ MORE: Mum told off by staff member for breastfeeding in Sainsbury's car park
People have spoken in support of Beth, with some calling the behaviour of the staff member "disgusting" and others arguing that Beth was being "more considerate than she needed to be" by going back to her car to breastfeed when Rosie had started to cry.
Facebook user Tan Wilson argued that mothers shouldn't feel that they have to hide, writing: "The only thing inappropriate is that she felt she had to go outside, go to the cafe next time, a baby needs feeding when it needs feeding. Why should mums feel they have to hide? No one else would feel they should be banished to the car park to eat so why should a baby?"
Pippa Jade similarly wrote that Beth's behaviour was "considerate", writing: "She was already been [sic] more considerate than she needed to be. They picked on her being a youngster as well, personally that member of staff should of at least been suspended."
Jane Welsher added: "Absolutely disgusting behaviour from that staff member when are we going to realise breastfeeding is a normal part of a babies [sic] life."
Other readers similarly argued that mother's should be able to breastfeed anywhere. Facebook user Cati Peinado wrote: "How ridiculous! Baby needs feeding, baby gets fed. No matter where we are!"
Ali Jane added: "Whether it's in a car park or cafe if a baby needs to be fed then you feed your baby sorry if it offends people but they were most probably put in that situation where they're children needed to be fed."
Some mothers shared their own stories of breastfeeding in public. Debra Hart wrote: "In 1999 I sat on a pallet full of larger in the middle of an isle in Asda and breast fed my baby. I was advised by a staff member there was a room available that I could use, (in the corner furthest away from where I was).just said we were quite ok there for the next 5-10 minutes ,but thanks anyway. Fab they had the facilities and a staff member informed me where they were."
However, some mothers also said that they had had to feed their babies in car parks while out shopping. Victoria Phillips shared her experience, writing: "I had to breast feed my son in a car in Asda car park in 2004 because there was no where other than a toilet to feed him. Would have thought things had changed by now. It is a child being fed nothing more."
READ NEXT:
