The prices on nursing clothes are sure to induce sticker shock in most pregnant and new moms who are looking for something convenient to wear while breastfeeding in public. The concept of nursing tops seems logical-shirts and bras that are created with an extra layer or openings so that breastfeeding in public is possible without mom showing her stuff to the world. However, if you thought maternity clothes were expensive, nursing clothes seem to be even more of a budget breaker, not to mention that many of them feature unnecessarily frumpy styles. This is because a relatively small number of companies have the market for nursing tops and bras cornered.
This article offers a few different solutions for breastfeeding in public discreetly without having to spend the child’s future college tuition on clothes made specifically for nursing in public. Most women seem to develop a strong preference for certain tricks and methods as they get used to nursing in public–every solution will not work for or be equally comfortable for every breastfeeding mom. It is suggested that you try out a few of these solutions for cheap nursing clothes before investing a lot in one.
Collect Tank Tops and Camis
One of the preferred and easy methods of breastfeeding in public when it’s difficult to find cheap nursing clothes is to go shopping for tank tops, camis, or basically any light tops that you wouldn’t mind wearing under your normal clothes. When the time for breastfeeding comes, simply pull up the top shirt, pull down the bottom shirt, and you are easily breastfeeding in public without sacrificing modesty.
Make Your Own Tops for Breastfeeding
Free patterns for creating your own nursing clothes, especially tops, can be readily found online. Many of them require only basic sewing skills. Simple nursing tops can be made from two regular shirts apiece with just a little cutting and sewing. Yes, buying two regular tops can still be quite a bit more inexpensive than buying a single nursing top.
Buy Some Tube Tops
Many new moms find that their biggest obstacle to nursing in public discreetly is that they don’t like to show their post-pregnancy belly. If you’re self-conscious about your belly but don’t want to wear a full tank top under your shirt, consider buying a few tube tops. Wear the tube tops lower than usual, on your abdomen. This way you can pull your shirt up halfway while breastfeeding in public and still be covered by clothes.
Use a Cover or Blanket
Many people think this is the obvious cheap alternative to buying expensive nursing tops, but there’s one problem with it: many babies will throw a fit if you try to cover them with this much fabric. They want to be able to see the rest of the world while nursing and don’t really care who sees them or mom’s breasts. However, if you’re lucky and have a baby who is willing to be covered up, taking a blanket along wherever you go is indeed a simple solution. You can even buy a cover made specifically for breastfeeding in public that has a strap or string to put around your neck and hold it in place.
For new moms having trouble breastfeeding in public with or without nursing tops and bras, keep in mind that it generally does get easier over time. After the baby is a few months old, most new moms find breastfeeding in a discreet manner to be much easier than with a newborn-or they simply stop fretting as much about who sees them.
