Feeding your baby or young child in the Surgery
You are welcome to breastfeed, feed expressed breastmilk, or formula feed your baby or young child in the waiting room and consultation rooms of the Surgery. If you would prefer, please ask Reception staff to find you a private place to feed.
There are short and long-term health benefits from breastfeeding for both mother and baby which increase the longer that breastfeeding continues. UK Law protects those breastfeeding in public. It is illegal for anyone to ask a breastfeeding woman to stop breastfeeding, cover, move or leave a public place. Our staff will explain this to any users of the Surgery who raise concerns and, if necessary, arrange to move that person, rather than the breastfeeding mother and child.
Our Team will support all families with breastfeeding or infant feeding problems and give advice, treatment or signpost to appropriate services who are trained to help further (such as the local Health Visitors or the National Breastfeeding Helpline).
If your older baby or young child needs to eat solid food while waiting in the Surgery, please help us by leaving the area as clean as possible.
There are facilities for baby changing in the accessible toilet located next to the waiting room.
Useful Resources
Bexley Infant Feeding Clinics https://bexley0to19.co.uk/0-4-years/infant-feeding-clinics
Bexley 0 to 19 Children’s Public Health Service (Health Visitors) https://bexley0to19.co.uk/
National Breastfeeding Helpline: https://www.nationalbreastfeedinghelpline.org.uk
First Steps Nutrition Trust: Infant Milks Information for Parents and Carers https://www.firststepsnutrition.org/parents-carers
NHS Start for Life https://www.nhs.uk/start-for-life/
NHS Website: Breastfeeding in Public https://www.nhs.uk/baby/breastfeeding-and-bottle-feeding/breastfeeding/breastfeeding-in-public/