For Employers & Businesses: Breastfeeding-Friendly Practices
Learn about our upcoming 2010 BREASTFEEDING-FRIENDLY BUSINESS AWARDS!
Businesses and workplaces can influence the health of babies and respect mothers by providing patrons and employees the time, space, support and flexibility needed by those who choose to breastfeed.Trained consultants to help employers become breastfeeding-friendly now available!
Breastfeeding-friendly businesses
- Welcoming Environment— A breastfeeding mother should be treated the same as any other patron by the staff and management.
- Trained Staff— The business trains staff to handle complaints about breastfeeding from other customers.
Breastfeeding-friendly workplaces
- Time— Breastfeeding mothers are given adequate time to express milk or nurse their babies. This may be in the form of breaks, flexible work hours, or part-time work.
- Space— The workplace provides an accessible, safe, clean, private space to express milk or nurse. This may range from a designated “mother’s lounge” to a privacy screen at a cubicle.
- Support—All employees are informed about the ways the business accommodates employees who are breastfeeding. The breastfeeding support program is described in writing; this may be in the new employee orientation, a benefits summary, guidelines to prevent discrimination and harassment, a company wellness program, or a separate breastfeeding support policy. Supervisors and co-workers are updated on breastfeeding support when an employee returns from maternity leave.
- Flexibility—The workplace is flexible in accommodating each breastfeeding mother’s unique situation.
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Read our program that highlighted
the best practices of the six winners of 2008!
Other Resources for Employers
Become a Breastfeeding-Friendly Business
Join the "Breastfeeding Welcome Here" decal campaign!
Women in the Workplace: The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action
The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action website is a great source for employers and breastfeeding mothers. Visiting the website increases understanding of the challenges of and barriers to breastfeeding in the workplace while viewing helpful hints on how barriers can be overcome.
Workplace Breastfeeding Support is a paper published by the United States Breastfeeding Committee that outlines steps and policies that an employer can use to support breastfeeding in the workplace.
The Business Case for Breastfeeding Toolkit (PDF)
The Business Case for Breastfeeding - The Health Resources and Services Administration's Maternal and Child Health Bureau has released a toolkit to help advocates to educate businesses about the benefits of supporting their employees to breastfeed. You can obtain 3 brochures by visiting their site or get the FULL KIT by calling 1-888-275-4772.
Trained Consultants Now Available for Employers!
Over 50 people received the HRSA supported "Implementing The Business Case for Breastfeeding in your Community" training in September, 2009. These consultants would be happy to help employers become breastfeeding-friendly. For more information, contact or
Last Updated July 2010