Businesses urged to become "truly baby-friendly"

Wednesday 19 July 2023

Businesses are being asked to commit to offering baby changing facilities and comfortable spaces for mothers to breastfeed their children.

The 'Jersey Breastfeeds' initiative is a joint effort between the Government and the charity Family Nursing & Home Care to make the Island more breastfeeding friendly, which has been launched ahead of Breastfeeding Awareness Week.

If businesses sign up in support of the initiative, they will receive physical and digital assets to advertise themselves as breastfeeding friendly.

They are also encouraged to offer an incentive to mothers choosing to breastfeed their baby at listed breast-feeding friendly businesses on Wednesday 2 August.

On that day, an event will further take place in the Royal Square to mark Breastfeeding Awareness Week, which runs from 1 to 7 August.

Pictured: Deputy Raluca Kovacs, breastfeeding guardian for Jersey and chair of UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI) Jersey, urged businesses to sign up.

Deputy Kovacs said: "We have a lot of businesses that already provide these facilities and understand the value that new parents and families have as consumers, but for those parents looking to find a welcoming location to comfortably feed or change their children, it can be difficult to know where to go."

"To be truly baby-friendly, I believe that the whole Island has a role to play which is why we've launched the Jersey Breastfeeds initiative and why I'm asking businesses to join us."

Debra Hennessy, BFI breastfeeding specialist health visitor, Family Nursing & Home Care, and local lead for the UNICEF BFI added: "For a new breastfeeding mother, having the support of family, friends and the wider community can make a huge difference to their feeding journey and impact their choice to continue to feed for the long term. Local businesses can play a pivotal role in making new mums feel welcome, safe and supported to feed their babies when out and about.

"The positive effect this has on maternal and infant mental health, as well as improved health outcomes for the most vulnerable members of our community cannot be overstated."

Earlier this year, a midwife specialising in infant feeding was appointed in Jersey for the first time, to help provide parents with "evidence-based information" and support families with feeding their babies.

The Births and Breastfeeding Profile revealed that, last year, the highest recorded percentage of mothers were breastfeeding in Jersey since 2011.