Out ‘n’ About with Baby in Geneva

Little Miss Cutie is now 21 months-old and parading so much attitude and toddler-swagger that her baby days seem to belong to another decade, not just a few months ago.

However, I decided to write about those times because I am sure it will be helpful to new expat mums moving to the area. There is nothing more wonderful, life-changing and friggin’ scary than having a baby and having to do so in a new country can seem like a really daunting experience.

I remember that one of the trickiest things I had to figure out when I had my children was how & where to breastfeed when I was out with them. When our first child was born in London, some Mothercare shops had a baby-changing & feeding room available to all new mums. This was over six years ago and, as far as I know, these rooms are no longer in existence, forcing many mums to breastfeed in toilets or in public open spaces.

When I had my baby girl here in Switzerland I was overjoyed to discover that many shops and shopping centres had dedicated espace allaitement areas where I could change her or feed her in private. This made my life and nursing experience with her so much more relaxed and stress-free: Little Miss Cutie & I could go out, do our shopping, even meet Daddy for lunch in the city, without having to fret about finding some privacy for her feeding times.

If you visit the websites of L’Arcade des Sages-Femmes and Allaitement dans la Cité you will be able to view and download the complete list of these espace allaitement in Geneva (click here to view the list).

It is a shame and a real detriment to such an important part of your baby’s life that similar areas are no longer (or never were) available in other countries, so this is definitely my number one leaf we should take from the Swiss!