Promotion of breastfeeding and family rooms in public spaces and gastronomy.

Problem

• Nursing mothers or families rarely find discreet and quiet places in public spaces to breastfeed their babies.
• Changing facilities with changing tables are often missing or only available in women's restrooms, excluding fathers.
• Families with small children have little to no suitable retreat spaces in public areas to meet the basic needs of babies.
• The lack of nursing rooms makes it difficult for parents to spend extended time outside the home. Often, this is also a reason why families prefer to stay at home before going on an outing to the city or other places.
• The WHO explicitly recommends breastfeeding for the first six months as it promotes the health of mother and child. The lack of suitable breastfeeding facilities makes this recommendation difficult to follow in everyday life.

Solution

• Public institutions, train stations, shopping centers, and restaurants should be required to set up family-friendly rooms with nursing facilities, changing tables, and child-appropriate equipment.
• Definition of clear requirements for such rooms, including comfortable seating, hygienic changing tables, bottle warmers, sinks, and barrier-free access.
• Subsidies or tax benefits for companies and municipalities that set up family-friendly rooms.
• Launch of pilot programs in cities like Zurich, Geneva, and Basel to evaluate demand and develop successful models for widespread implementation.
• Public campaigns to promote the acceptance of breastfeeding in society as well as to raise awareness about the health benefits for mother and child.

Benefit

• Switzerland becomes more attractive to residents and tourists through family-friendly infrastructure, which strengthens the quality of life and the country's image in the long term.
• Changing rooms accessible to all also enable fathers to be actively involved in caring for their children.
• Parents benefit from better infrastructure, which makes everyday life with small children easier and more relaxed.
• Restaurants, shopping centers, and other businesses can attract more customers and increase their appeal through family-friendly measures.
• Better breastfeeding conditions facilitate the breastfeeding duration recommended by the WHO, which has been proven to improve the health of mother and child.

Public support

Total votes: 32

Breakdown: FullyOnBoard: 15, NoChance: 7, NothingAgainstIt: 4, SoundsGood: 4, NeedForDiscussion: 2

Discussion

• Peter Pianegonda (2026-08-06): This is not a federal task.
• ↳ Oliver Herren (2026-08-06): Yes, not today. But the goal of the initiative is to establish national standards in the constitution for this issue. Likewise, this was also implemented in the Disability Equality Act (BehiG). Here standards are defined, and the detailed implementation is then left to the cantons.
• Dario Miglioretto (2026-02-15): I see no need for action. Breastfeeding in public will be more widely accepted if it becomes widespread. In the past here and in other cultures, it was not an issue. The infant does not care where the food is administered. The rest is secondary. People also stare when the child 'throws a tantrum' in the discount store because it doesn't get the item - parents have to live (learn) with that. Men can also change diapers in the women's restroom if the changing table is there. I believe every woman/mother understands that. If families are deterred from outings due to lack of infrastructure, then they might as well cancel the walk - in nature, there is also no changing table or breastfeeding room...