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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Travel
Milo Boyd

‘I was breastfeeding on a flight when a male flight attendant threw a blanket over me’

A mum breastfeeding her baby had a blanket thrown at her by male flight attendant, she claimed.

Priya, 27,was on a nine-hour flight from London when she decided to feed her child during take-off.

The Essex local was shocked when a male flight attendant approached and "threw a blanket" at her, supposedly "for her comfort".

Breastfeeding is allowed on planes, as it is in all public places in the UK.

The Equality Act states that it is sex discrimination to treat a woman unfavourably if she is breastfeeding.

Priya's account is one of a number of horror stories shared by parents with travel firm eShores about the difficult times they've endured while flying with their kids.

Make sure you know you're rights around babies when flying with tots (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Another came from Lizzie, who had spent three consecutive days expressing milk for her baby.

When the 30-year-old from Leeds got to airport security she was made to place each bag of milk in its own security tray, taking up 16 in total.

Lizzie had to pull up the UK's baby milk policy on her phone in order to successfully argue that the milk shouldn't be chucked away.

The UK allows you to carry on breastmilk for your baby, but it can’t be frozen.

If you’re packing formula, you can also order ahead of time and collect it from a Boots store inside the terminal, once you’ve passed through security.

It's always worth running through potential scenarios in your mind when flying, and trying to work out what issues you may run into - especially when travelling with a baby for the first time.

Emily, 33, was unsure what to do when she needed to go to the toilet while with her young child on a plane.

Flight attendants are often happy to help parents out (Getty Images)

Not knowing that a flight attendant would've likely been happy to step in and help, the Mancunian had to hold her baby on her lap while she used the loo.

During the flight, the flight attendants may offer to hold the baby if you need to use the toilet or need a break.

Post-Covid, they also usually offer to wear a mask and gloves, if you prefer.

Instead of trying to fit your suitcase into the overhead while baby wearing, just ask someone to help you.

At check-in, see if there are any extra seats on the flight and if they would be willing to move you and the baby to an extra open seat.

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