Background : Breastfeeding is the natural way of providing young infants with the optimal nutrients needed for healthy growth and development of infants. The main obstacle in raising the exclusive breastfeeding rate is lack of awareness, false belief and customs. Objective: The current study was designed to assess perceptions and practices of breastfeeding among mothers in an urban slum of Kolkata. Materials and methods: A Community based, Cross- sectional study using pre-designed and pre- tested schedule was conducted in Tangra, urban slum of Kolkata between January 2024 –March 2024. Total 100 lactating mother were included in the study after meeting inclusion and exclusion criteria. Statistical data were analysed by using Microsoft Excel and SPSS V.20 software Results: Around 72% of the mothers were aware about the time of initiation of breast feeding, 54% knew about advantage of breast feeding and 68% of the mothers were aware of exclusive breast feeding. Attitude of the mothers towards breast feeding is favourable. Only 38% of the mother knew that breast feeding should be continued till 2 years. Majority i.e. 88% of the mothers were not aware regarding the breast feeding advantage to the mother. Conclusions: The attitude of the study population towards exclusive breastfeeding was however found to be positive in general.