A mother’s campaign for family-friendly cafes in Hastings
International breastfeeding sticker
A NEW mother is reviewing Hastings’ cafes with the aim of encouraging a more family-friendly approach.
Zion Lights, 27, of Southwater Road, St Leonards, has received an enthusiastic response to her campaign, which sees the reviews published on her blog Mammas for Victory, each with a star rating.
Zion, mother of three-month-old Arwyn, has so far reviewed 12 eateries in Hastings, and uses a range of criteria to assess each one before awarding the rating.
These include things like how easy it is to breast feed, whether there is a changing table, whether there are bottle heating facilities, and a good children’s menu, whether there are additional facilities such as high chairs, and the general level of service.
She said: “I always discuss my experience with the manager afterwards and make any suggestions. It is then that I can often tell exactly how friendly they are.
“Even very small changes can make such a massive difference for a mum, it can make or break your day.”
She is also keen to break down the stigma surrounding breastfeeding in public places, and offers those cafes that already have a family friendly atmosphere, the international breastfeeding sticker (pictured).
Zion, a former secondary school English tutor, was spurred into action after watching a documentary, Is Breast Best?, while heavily pregnant, which she felt presented an overly negative picture of the challenges facing new mothers.
She said that in America, many cafes carried the international breastfeeding symbol, which is very different to the situation in this country.
“I wrote a couple of reviews, and a lot of people thought it was a really good idea,” she added.
Zion is now aiming to visit two or three new cafes a week, and wants to review as many in the town as possible.
She would also welcome invitations from cafe owners to go and review their premises.
Zion’s blog can be found at mammasforvictory.blogspot.com.
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Monday 28 May 2012
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Comments
There are 5 comments to this article
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crystal peaks man
Thursday, October 6, 2011 at 11:45 PMI agree with post 1 and 3,nothing worse than sreaming kids and mothers who have no control over their offspring,not to mention getting their boobs out in front of everyone,its not something I want to witness when having a coffee or a snack,
Frog
Thursday, October 6, 2011 at 11:17 AMAs far as I am concerned the pleasure of going to a cafe for a coffee is for some peace and quiet with the days paper or a chat with a friend. The last thing I want is more kids in there screaming to be fed.. please take them to McDonalds instead.
Greenbean
Wednesday, October 5, 2011 at 04:46 PMPlease! Publish a list of these venues so that I can avoid them. I'm fed up with screaming children running around, fed up with having to climb over buggies to get to a table and fed up with stinking nappies in the toilets. As for breat feeding in public! Don't give me that hog wash out it being a perfectly natural activity - so is going to the loo and you do in private behind a locked door. It's called showing off.
Herring_Gull
Tuesday, October 4, 2011 at 08:32 PMWhat's wrong Alex sitting at home single? Nothing else to do but to troll the internet and add bype tollicks?
Alexandra Airport
Tuesday, October 4, 2011 at 07:08 PMConversely, I would like to see less children in cafes and less orientation towards families.
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