Breastfeeding Symbol Activism Kit Available

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Wednesday, August 01, 2007

With World Breastfeeding Week kicking off today, I want to make sure that my readers know about the International Breastfeeding Symbol and the activist kit put together by the team at Mothering.

The International Breastfeeding Symbol was designed by Matt Daigle and has been given over to the public domain so anyone and everyone is free to use it.

From the Mothering Site:

What is the purpose of the International Breastfeeding Symbol?

• To increase public awareness of breastfeeding


• To designate breastfeeding and family friendly facilities in public.


• To provide an alternative to the use of the image of a baby bottle

Where can the symbol be used?

• In large public places where people stay for extended periods of time. In airports, malls, amusement parks, conferences, convention halls, or expos, for example, to designate a breastfeeding friendly room.


• In professional offices, retail stores or restaurants to designate the establishment as breastfeeding friendly.


• In businesses, to designate a lactation room.

Does the existence of the symbol mean that breastfeeding should be hidden?

No, of course, breastfeeding should not be hidden. Breastfeeding does not require a special place and is appropriate—as the Canadian slogan says—"anytime, anywhere." The purpose of the symbol is not to segregate breastfeeding, but to help integrate it into society by better accommodating it in public.

For example, sometimes there are no chairs in public, sometimes nowhere to change the baby, or for the mother separated from her baby, nowhere to plug in an electric breast pump. Mothers welcome quiet, private places in public where they can collect themselves and their children. The symbol could designate these kinds of places.

What can YOU do with the symbol?

Well, if you own a business, you can post it to make it clear that you support the right of mothers to nurse on your property. If you know someone who owns a business, you can suggest that they post it for the same reason.

If you're really bold, you could visit some local restaurants, coffee shops, book stores and so on and encourage the management or the owners to post the symbol as well.

Labels: Lactivism, Nursing in Public

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