International icon for breastfeeding?

I get a lot of Google traffic looking for pictures of nursing mothers. I’m never sure exactly what it is they’re looking for, but I’m betting this isn’t it!

The folks at Mothering.com held a contest recently to solicit designs for an internationally-recognizable icon to represent breastfeeding. They said, “The image of a baby bottle on an airport sign announcing the location of a “parents lounge” infuriated us and got us thinking: Isn’t there an international symbol for breastfeeding?”

The results of their contest are clever (check out the finalists here), but I find these also-rans (click through for more) particularly funny:

Here in Canada, or at least in Ottawa, there is a commonly-recognized symbol of a baby that indicates nursing stations, baby-change rooms and whatnot. Are they not common everywhere?

Author: DaniGirl

Canadian. storyteller, photographer, mom to 3. Professional dilettante.

40 thoughts on “International icon for breastfeeding?”

  1. Great idea, but can’t say that I am overly fond of the finalists. I prefer a couple of the ‘others’ that I peeked at.
    And I have to wonder, what is the big deal with the baby bottle being a symbol for “OK place to lounge and feed baby”??
    Uh oh…what did I just say?

  2. Great idea, but can’t say that I am overly fond of the finalists. I prefer a couple of the ‘others’ that I peeked at.
    And I have to wonder, what is the big deal with the baby bottle being a symbol for “OK place to lounge and feed baby”??
    Uh oh…what did I just say?

  3. Great idea, but can’t say that I am overly fond of the finalists. I prefer a couple of the ‘others’ that I peeked at.
    And I have to wonder, what is the big deal with the baby bottle being a symbol for “OK place to lounge and feed baby”??
    Uh oh…what did I just say?

  4. Great idea, but can’t say that I am overly fond of the finalists. I prefer a couple of the ‘others’ that I peeked at.
    And I have to wonder, what is the big deal with the baby bottle being a symbol for “OK place to lounge and feed baby”??
    Uh oh…what did I just say?

  5. I breastfed both of my children through babyhood and support breastfeeding (but am not a “breastfeeding Nazi”). In any case, some of those are quite disturbing. And the way some people are even turned off by having to witness a mom feeding her child (still can’t figure this one out, maybe something from their childhood), I would think there would be major protesting of some of these symbols. I agree that the symbol of a baby would be appropriate since not everyone breastfeeds and not everyone bottlefeeds. When will this become a non-issue among mothers? Can’t we just all get along? ๐Ÿ˜‰

  6. I breastfed both of my children through babyhood and support breastfeeding (but am not a “breastfeeding Nazi”). In any case, some of those are quite disturbing. And the way some people are even turned off by having to witness a mom feeding her child (still can’t figure this one out, maybe something from their childhood), I would think there would be major protesting of some of these symbols. I agree that the symbol of a baby would be appropriate since not everyone breastfeeds and not everyone bottlefeeds. When will this become a non-issue among mothers? Can’t we just all get along? ๐Ÿ˜‰

  7. I breastfed both of my children through babyhood and support breastfeeding (but am not a “breastfeeding Nazi”). In any case, some of those are quite disturbing. And the way some people are even turned off by having to witness a mom feeding her child (still can’t figure this one out, maybe something from their childhood), I would think there would be major protesting of some of these symbols. I agree that the symbol of a baby would be appropriate since not everyone breastfeeds and not everyone bottlefeeds. When will this become a non-issue among mothers? Can’t we just all get along? ๐Ÿ˜‰

  8. I breastfed both of my children through babyhood and support breastfeeding (but am not a “breastfeeding Nazi”). In any case, some of those are quite disturbing. And the way some people are even turned off by having to witness a mom feeding her child (still can’t figure this one out, maybe something from their childhood), I would think there would be major protesting of some of these symbols. I agree that the symbol of a baby would be appropriate since not everyone breastfeeds and not everyone bottlefeeds. When will this become a non-issue among mothers? Can’t we just all get along? ๐Ÿ˜‰

  9. They are funny but none appeal to me. Humm maybe I should thnk about this and summit a design of my own. Although Honestly I think there is no need for this. I just popped and fed. Of course discreetly.

  10. They are funny but none appeal to me. Humm maybe I should thnk about this and summit a design of my own. Although Honestly I think there is no need for this. I just popped and fed. Of course discreetly.

  11. They are funny but none appeal to me. Humm maybe I should thnk about this and summit a design of my own. Although Honestly I think there is no need for this. I just popped and fed. Of course discreetly.

  12. They are funny but none appeal to me. Humm maybe I should thnk about this and summit a design of my own. Although Honestly I think there is no need for this. I just popped and fed. Of course discreetly.

  13. LOL at the knife and fork one. The one with the bra, one strap open appealed to my sense of humour as well. I like the happy ones, like the blue heart with smiling baby.

  14. LOL at the knife and fork one. The one with the bra, one strap open appealed to my sense of humour as well. I like the happy ones, like the blue heart with smiling baby.

  15. LOL at the knife and fork one. The one with the bra, one strap open appealed to my sense of humour as well. I like the happy ones, like the blue heart with smiling baby.

  16. LOL at the knife and fork one. The one with the bra, one strap open appealed to my sense of humour as well. I like the happy ones, like the blue heart with smiling baby.

  17. I think that if I had to pick one for a sign, it would have been Icon 7 or 8. Inoffensively gets the point across – go in this room and you will see bare breasts with babies attached to them….
    The lecherous looking babies made me laugh, but then I always thought my son vaguely looked like that when it was time to eat.

  18. I think that if I had to pick one for a sign, it would have been Icon 7 or 8. Inoffensively gets the point across – go in this room and you will see bare breasts with babies attached to them….
    The lecherous looking babies made me laugh, but then I always thought my son vaguely looked like that when it was time to eat.

  19. I think that if I had to pick one for a sign, it would have been Icon 7 or 8. Inoffensively gets the point across – go in this room and you will see bare breasts with babies attached to them….
    The lecherous looking babies made me laugh, but then I always thought my son vaguely looked like that when it was time to eat.

  20. I think that if I had to pick one for a sign, it would have been Icon 7 or 8. Inoffensively gets the point across – go in this room and you will see bare breasts with babies attached to them….
    The lecherous looking babies made me laugh, but then I always thought my son vaguely looked like that when it was time to eat.

  21. Hee hee, thanks for the links. I love the knife and fork on the chest one.
    And I think I’m becoming inflammatory in my old age, because I found myself inclined to the more booby ones. Except it’s so difficult to support breastfeeding and not to alienate or make mothers who can’t feel guilty or like failures. So for that reason, I agree with roxanne that just a baby is enough.

  22. Hee hee, thanks for the links. I love the knife and fork on the chest one.
    And I think I’m becoming inflammatory in my old age, because I found myself inclined to the more booby ones. Except it’s so difficult to support breastfeeding and not to alienate or make mothers who can’t feel guilty or like failures. So for that reason, I agree with roxanne that just a baby is enough.

  23. Hee hee, thanks for the links. I love the knife and fork on the chest one.
    And I think I’m becoming inflammatory in my old age, because I found myself inclined to the more booby ones. Except it’s so difficult to support breastfeeding and not to alienate or make mothers who can’t feel guilty or like failures. So for that reason, I agree with roxanne that just a baby is enough.

  24. Hee hee, thanks for the links. I love the knife and fork on the chest one.
    And I think I’m becoming inflammatory in my old age, because I found myself inclined to the more booby ones. Except it’s so difficult to support breastfeeding and not to alienate or make mothers who can’t feel guilty or like failures. So for that reason, I agree with roxanne that just a baby is enough.

  25. I have to say that I don’t really care for those signs at all. I guess I thought that the ones we had here were universal for baby station, which means where you go for nursing.
    I actually would rather my son see the woman whipping it out than one of those pictures that you know full well will get written all over and full of graffiti.
    I would hope they could find something a little more tasteful.

  26. I have to say that I don’t really care for those signs at all. I guess I thought that the ones we had here were universal for baby station, which means where you go for nursing.
    I actually would rather my son see the woman whipping it out than one of those pictures that you know full well will get written all over and full of graffiti.
    I would hope they could find something a little more tasteful.

  27. I have to say that I don’t really care for those signs at all. I guess I thought that the ones we had here were universal for baby station, which means where you go for nursing.
    I actually would rather my son see the woman whipping it out than one of those pictures that you know full well will get written all over and full of graffiti.
    I would hope they could find something a little more tasteful.

  28. I have to say that I don’t really care for those signs at all. I guess I thought that the ones we had here were universal for baby station, which means where you go for nursing.
    I actually would rather my son see the woman whipping it out than one of those pictures that you know full well will get written all over and full of graffiti.
    I would hope they could find something a little more tasteful.

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