Claridge’s under fire for telling breastfeeding mother to cover up

Five-star hotel Claridge’s has come under criticism after a mother was told to cover herself up with a large napkin while breastfeeding her child. 

Lou Burns, 35, from Streatham, was having Christmas tea at the hotel with her mother and sister, when she was ordered by hotel staff to cover up to avoid “causing offence” to other guests.

Burns told the Evening Standard: “My first reaction was to burst into tears. I was so shocked and humiliated.

“I have three children and this is the first time I have been able to breastfeed properly. Women are under so much pressure to breastfeed and it is not always easy. I did not expect to be made to feel I have done something wrong.

“My first reaction was to walk out, but my mum had organised it especially and it had been planned for three months. But I was appalled and told the staff I really did not feel I would ever be able to go back there.”

A more senior manager then came over after seeing how upset Mrs Burns was, but “did not back down”, even though there had been no complaints from any other diners.

Burns posted two photos of herself breastfeeding on twitter, one before she was told to cover up and a second with the napkin, commenting it looked “so much more obvious” with the napkin.

Burns also added on Twitter that “staff were incredibly polite as you would hope. Think they felt bad.”

A direct tweet from Claridge’s to Burns has said that they did not “intend” to upset her and that they “regret” that Burns left the hotel disappointed.

Claridges goes on to say: “We do embrace breastfeeding & we are looking into better ways of communicating this moving forward.”