A mother-of-four has shared her disgrace with the airline easyJet due to being told to stop breastfeeding her one year old son, Lex, as the plane was taking off.
According to Fox News, Kelly Edgsson-Payne was left “mortified” when the male flight attendant insisted she stop mid-feed, and strap her child in to the seat next to her.
“It’s just absolutely crazy that I was told that I couldn’t feed him — crazy, and really embarrassing for me,” Kelly, from Rochester, said.
“The law in the U.K. says it protects breastfeeding mothers — and even easyJet’s own website says mothers are welcome to breastfeed at any time during a flight.”
Kelly was travelling with her husband and four children when the incident occurred, which left her and her baby visibly upset.
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Infants under two do not get their own seat unless their parents specifically pay for a seat. All airlines provide the parent holding the infant with a special infant seat belt that threads through the adult seat belt. This is IATA rules. Even when a child is under two and has their own seat, every flight attendant has insisted my child sit on my lap with the infant seat belt. It is possible to breastfeed on take off and landing while your child is wearing this infant seat belt.
This is from the easy jet website:
If they’re under 2 years old, your child can sit on your lap during the flight using an infant / extension seatbelt when applicable. You only pay a fixed fee of £22 for this
infants under the age of two years are not allocated a seat automatically, but you can book them a separate seat if you feel they’ll be more comfortable that way. They’ll need a car seat that’s suitable for their age, weight and height as recommended by the manufacturer – please see guidelines below. Alternatively, a restraint device (CARES) may be able to be used if in accordance with weight/ height guidelines – please see guidelines below.
This article does not go into detail as to whether the baby had its own seat or if the child had a seat belt.
This is total bullshit. I am in favor of breast-feeding whenever and wherever a mother wants but there are some exceptions. In my opinion one of them is the moment of take-off on a plane. Imagine what could happen if a sudden gust of wind blows from the side while the plane is leaving ground? The baby may fall from the mother’s lap to the floor and hurt or even kill itself, hitting the metal parts of the seat. The responsibility would be laid on the airline personnel, because EVERY passenger should have his seat-belt fastened during take-off and it is the personnel’s duty to see to it. Even more. If such a case occurs, the mother can sue the ailine for not providing safety to her and her child.
In addition, the pressurization of the cabin causes pain but as long as he advised they were taking off, it's on the mom, in my opinion. To say that she was 'in tears and humiliated' sounds like she needs to get a spine, or is looking for a lawsuit. Good luck...