Breastfeeding Friend from Start4Life on Amazon Alexa

Once you have set up your Alexa device and enabled the Breastfeeding Friend, just say “Alexa, open Breastfeeding Friend.” Alternatively you can ask the Breastfeeding Friend a more specific question as long as you open it by saying “Breastfeeding Friend” e.g. “Alexa, ask Breastfeeding Friend how do I breastfeed?”

In order to get talking to the Breastfeeding Friend you always have to say “Alexa …” before asking a question or making a request. Please be sure to leave a short pause after saying “Alexa” to ensure she is listening.

If you’re in the Breastfeeding Friend just say “Alexa …” then ask the question e.g. “Alexa, why is my baby crying?” In the general Alexa environment you need to use “Breastfeeding Friend” to open the Breastfeeding Friend e.g. “Alexa, ask Breastfeeding Friend why my baby is crying?” Please refer to the list of example questions sent in the welcome card on your Alexa app.

No, the Breastfeeding Friend doesn’t collect or store any sensitive data. None of your personal details associated with your Amazon account are fed through to the Breastfeeding Friend. The Breastfeeding Friend stores your baby’s age but this data is anonymised and isn’t shared with any third parties.

All the information provided by the Breastfeeding Friend is NHS-approved and is based on questions asked by thousands of new mums.

Yes, you can interrupt Alexa at any point by saying “Alexa…” then ask a new question. Saying “Alexa, exit” or “Alexa, stop” will also stop her.

Unfortunately there is no indicator to let you know you have exited the Breastfeeding Friend skill. You might unintentionally exit the skill after a short period of inactivity, if Alexa thinks she hears you say “Exit” or because of Wi-Fi connectivity issues. When asking Alexa a question, if she responds in the Breastfeeding Friend voice you’ll know you’re still in the Breastfeeding Friend skill. If she responds in the generic, more robotic Alexa voice it means you are in the general Alexa environment.

This is the Breastfeeding Friend help message - it appears whenever Alexa mishears you or you ask a question she can’t answer. You might have to repeat yourself before she understands what you are saying correctly.

This is the error message you receive in the general Alexa environment i.e. when you are outside the Breastfeeding Friend. It means Alexa has misheard, hasn’t understood what you said or doesn’t know the answer to your question. This can be affected by background noise, unclear speech and Wi-Fi connectivity issues. To reopen the Breastfeeding Friend, just say “Alexa, open Breastfeeding Friend”

This means the device has disconnected from Wi-Fi and therefore cannot access the relevant content. You might need to disconnect and reconnect the device. If this doesn’t work, please go to Settings in the Amazon Alexa mobile app and follow the instructions to reconnect to the internet.

Sometimes Alexa can mishear you and answer a different question from the one you asked. Sometimes she can take a while to respond, or not respond at all. This is affected by a number of factors such as: - strength of Wi-Fi connection - intonation / accent / clarity of voice - similar sounding words - background noise - accidentally exiting the Breastfeeding Friend Sometimes it can take a few attempts before Alexa hears you correctly; you just need to be patient and repeat the request. Make sure you leave a small pause after saying “Alexa” to ensure she is listening. If she responds in the generic, robotic Alexa voice this means you have exited the Breastfeeding Friend and you’re in the general Alexa environment. Just say “Alexa, open Breastfeeding Friend” to reopen the Breastfeeding Friend.

You can use the Breastfeeding Friend with the Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Plus, Echo Spot and Echo Show.

These phrases will exit the Breastfeeding Friend: “Alexa, stop” = Breastfeeding Friend thank you message. “Alexa, exit” = no response - you’ll be taken out of the Breastfeeding Friend into the general Alexa environment