Is the UK Baby-Friendly? What Families Need The Most
Key Takeaways
A baby-friendly life isn’t only about policy – it’s about everyday details: a place to feed and change your baby, a workplace that understands family life and services that are simple to reach. When those things are missing, ordinary days with a baby can feel harder than they need to.
If you’ve ever felt that the world wasn’t quite built with you and your baby in mind, you’re not alone. Across Europe, 42% of parents agree that society is not designed with babies in mind. In the UK, the Baby-Friendly Futures pillar of the Village Barometer reads 64 out of 100 (56 across Europe), which describes the conditions around families, rather than being a score of parents or a country ranking.
This guide looks at what UK parents said during the research, what makes a place truly baby-friendly and the rights and local support available to you.
| 64/100 | 42% | 83% |
|---|---|---|
| Baby-Friendly Futures reading in the UK (56/100 across Europe) | of parents across Europe feel society is not designed with babies in mind | of UK parents feel confident about their baby’s future – the highest of the nine countries. |
Is the UK a good place to raise a baby?
More than eight in ten (83%) of UK parents feel confident about their baby’s future – the highest of the nine countries in the Pampers Baby Report - but everyday support can still feel stretched.
The Pampers Baby Report shows a balanced picture for UK families:
The report describes the conditions around families, not which country is best. So the more useful question isn’t whether the UK is a good place to raise a baby – it’s what would make daily life with a baby easier.
What makes a workplace or public space baby-friendly?
A baby-friendly place makes everyday care easier: somewhere to feed and change your baby, room for a buggy, and people who understand that babies have needs that can’t wait. Here’s what that can look like in practice:
| Place | What helps |
|---|---|
| Public spaces and shops | Convenience to feed or Freedom or breastfeed without being asked to move – feeding should never be pushed into a toilet |
| Cafés and restaurants | A welcome for feeding babies, in line with the legal right to breastfeed in public in England, Scotland and Wales |
| Transport | Step-free access for buggies, priority seating, and toilets and baby changing facilities, regardless of your gender |
| Workplaces | Flexible working, a smooth return from leave and a private, hygienic space to rest or express milk |
| Local services | Help brought together in one place, with drop-ins and sites close to home |
Are public spaces designed with babies and parents in mind?
Not always – across Europe, 42% of parents feel society is not designed with babies in mind.
The law is on your side when it comes to feeding. In England, Scotland and Wales you can legally breastfeed your baby in public places such as cafés, shops and public transport, under the Equality Act 2010. You should never be asked to feed your baby in a toilet. For practical tips, read our guide to breastfeeding in public with confidence.
How can workplaces better support new parents?
By understanding family life – offering flexibility, a smooth return from leave and practical support such as a private place to rest or feed baby.
Employers must provide a suitable area where breastfeeding mothers can rest. It should be private and hygienic for expressing milk.
As the Pampers Baby Report notes, a supportive workplace becomes part of a family’s village – one of the places that can make the first 1,000 days feel more manageable.
What flexible working support helps families in the first 1,000 days?
All employees have the legal right to ask for flexible working from their first day in a job – for example, changing their hours, start and finish times, days or where they work.
Here’s what to know about how requests work:
If you’re planning your return, after maternity leave of up to 26 weeks you normally have the right to return to the same job. Find out more about maternity leave in the UK.
For partners, paternity leave is 1 or 2 weeks, and since 6 April 2026, the right to paternity leave starts from the first day of employment. Read more about paternity leave in the UK.
| Good to know: Flexible working rules are different in Northern Ireland. |
How can communities make everyday life easier for families?
Communities help when support feels close: friendly places to meet other parents, help with practical tasks, and services that are simple to find.
The Pampers Baby Report suggests that babies’ early years shouldn’t rest on parents’ shoulders alone. Families, communities, services and wider society all have a part to play – making responsibility shared, so no parent has to carry everything by themselves.
How can local services be easier for families with babies to use?
Bringing services together in one place helps. In England, Best Start Family Hubs offer free help – play sessions, feeding and sleep advice, support with low mood and money guidance – all under one roof.
Anyone can go, and most hubs welcome drop-ins. Smaller sites in libraries, nurseries and health centres bring support even closer to home.
| Living elsewhere in the UK? Family Hubs are an England-only service. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, ask your health visitor or local council what support is available near you. |
Why should babies be considered in everyday decisions?
Because babies experience the world through the places, services and people around them. When babies are thought about in decisions about spaces, transport, workplaces and services, daily care becomes easier for the whole family.
As the Pampers Baby Report sets out, early childhood is shaped by family, community, services, employers, products and policy – an idea reflected in work by the Royal Foundation and Deloitte, and in the WHO Nurturing Care Framework, as referenced in the report.
“Parents do not raise children in isolation. Policies, services, and support systems shape the conditions that enable parents to provide nurturing care to their young children.”
— Chemba Raghavan, Global Lead, Early Childhood Development, UNICEF
The report points to three shifts that can help:
| Make babies visible | Make daily life easier | Make responsibility shared |
|---|---|---|
| Think about babies’ needs in the decisions that shape everyday spaces and services. | Small practical details – places to feed, change and rest – make a real difference. | Families, communities, employers and services all play a part. |
When these shifts come together, babies don’t just fit around everyday life – they belong in it.
Frequently asked questions
Baby-friendly transport offers easy step-free access for buggies, priority seats, toilets and baby changing facilities, and the freedom to feed your baby. In London, if you're carrying a young child you can use a priority seat, and you can feed your baby on the network, whether breastfeeding or bottle feeding. The free TfL Go app shows step-free routes and stations with toilets and baby changing facilities. Other operators have their own arrangements.
This article provides general information about rights and services in the UK and is not legal advice. Rules can change and may differ across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – check GOV.UK or Acas for your situation.
Explore the Pampers Baby Report
Want to see the full picture? Read the full Pampers Baby Report, see the research methodology or read the report on the Ipsos website. You can also explore the other chapters on loneliness and finding your village, baby sleep and parent tiredness and simple ways to play and bond with your baby. Because when the village around a family works, parents can feel that their baby truly belongs in the world.