Babies 'R' Us Said WHAT About Breastfeeding?

There are apparently no shortages of people who take issue with nursing mothers breastfeeding in the most convenient, sanitary and healthy way possible, but if there was one place that you'd think would be all about the comfort of women with babies, it would have to be Babies 'R' Us, right? Well, unfortunately no, since a Babies 'R' Us in Canada apparently told a breastfeeding mother in the store to go elsewhere. What?

Apparently, when Marianna Aboulhosn went to a Babies 'R' Us location near Montreal, Canada, she tried to use the store's dedicated changing and nursing station after her infant son began crying, but the room was already occupied. Instead, Aboulhosn opted to head to a secluded area of the store and sit in a chair intended for customers to nurse her son. Not long after, a store employee informed her she was not allowed to breastfeed outside the designated room. And when Aboulhosn told her that she'd found the room occupied, the employee seemingly thought she was lying, saying they could go to check the room together.

By the time they got back to the designated nursing and changing station, it was vacant, but Aboulhosn says that it was also a disaster. "That room stank," Aboulhosn told CBC Daybreak. The trash was overflowing with dirty diapers and wipes, and the nursing chair appeared to have feces on it. Aboulhosn understandably refused to use the room. The clerk and store manager told her she had no other option.

"I left the store, I was so upset. I couldn’t believe what happened," Aboulhosn said.

I can't really believe it either. I mean, this is a store that is literally called Babies 'R' Us. Parents with babies are, along with people shopping for baby showers, basically their whole customer base. The fact that they only have one designated nursing and changing room is in and of itself fairly outrageous on its own, especially since they don't seem to keep it very clean. But the fact that a woman with a baby wouldn't be able to feed her baby in a store supposedly catering to a baby's every need is pretty ridiculous. I mean, they sell breastfeeding products right there in the store. So they're willing to profit off breastfeeding women, just not to give them a safe, clean, hassle-free space to feed their children in the store?

After Aboulhosn posted about the incident on the company's Facebook, the company responded with an apology, saying they take the issue "very seriously."

"Toys 'R' Us and Babies 'R' Us are committed to ensuring expectant moms and new moms are comfortable when shopping in our stores," the post reassures customers. "Mothers have the right to nurse their children wherever they wish in our stores. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused."

So at least it seems this kind of behavior isn't actual company policy which is something. But seriously, if women aren't able to exercise their right to nurse their babies, hassle-free, in Babies 'R' Us, then is anywhere safe?

Image: Giphy