Aldi has been praised for “normalising breastfeeding” by featuring a nursing mum in its latest advert.
The ad shows new parents Liz and Drew, with their son Eli, discussing what newborn products they couldn’t live without.
The casual depiction of breastfeeding, in which it’s just something Liz and Eli do – rather than something with a big song and dance made about it – has been hailed as “refreshing” by parents and breastfeeding advocates. When you have a newborn, every little bit helps... What #AldiMamia product could you not live without? pic.twitter.com/7JhtMWfXwM— Aldi Stores
UK (@AldiUK) September 24, 2019“Well done Aldi for helping to ‘normalise’ the thing that should be the most normal thing in the world,” wrote one.
“We need to see it as a part of everyday life to normalise breastfeeding. Good on you, Aldi,” wrote another.
Many others took to
Twitter to praise the supermarket. Just seen the @AldiUK advert where the woman is breastfeeding 👏👏👏🙌🙌🙌 well done Aldi for helping to “normalise” the thing that should be the most normal thing in the world— Kate Leggitt (@KateES89) September 23, 2019#Aldi normalising #breastfeeding on their recent ‘newborn’ advert is a small, subtle but great bit of advertising to help normalise the taboo— Alyson 🌱♻️🏴🍁🍂 (@Alyson_Price20) September 24, 2019YAY @AldiUK for having a Mum breastfeeding on your advert and DOUBLE YAY for not making a massive deal of it, because it is so normal. YAY ALDI.— Alison Louise 🐝 (@alisonlouise94) September 24, 2019Hats off to Aldi for having a mum breastfeeding in their new advert - no cloths, censors or anything.We need to normalise breastfeeding, it's the most natural thing in the world, so good for Aldi for doing their bit in combatting this. 👌— River Song (@MegReeves93) September 24, 2019Aldi’s advert has a lady breastfeeding on it amazing— chloe (@thestylesshow) September 24, 2019The World Health Organisation recommends exclusive breastfeeding until the age of six months, and complementary breastfeeding afterwards until at least two years old. However, rates in the UK are very low, with only 1% of babies being exclusively breastfed at six months – something Unicef has suggested costs the NHS up to £50 million per year.
Many women who struggle to breastfeed say they are made to feel guilty –Unicef suggests that the government and policy makers need to ensure mothers who want to breastfeed have more support.
Casual depictions like this – chatting, sitting on a wall with little Eli feeding – could work to lessen the stigma surrounding breastfeeding in public, which has led to incidents like Claridge’s insisting a breastfeeding mother cover up, and a more recent row on a KLM flight, after the airline told a breastfeeding mother she was “offending” passengers.
Well done, Aldi, and congratulations on your TV debut, Eli!Related... Why I Won't Celebrate My Breastfeeding Journey On Social Media Lactation Cookies Are Apparently A Thing – So Should Breastfeeding Mums Be Eating Them? 'I Opted Out Of The Home Birth I Always Wanted But Then Gave Birth In My Bedroom'