I breastfed for such a short time with the twins that I only had 2-3 nursing tanks and a couple of nursing bras. This time, breastfeeding has been going great and I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to keep going until at least a year. While I know that there are many regular clothes that you can make work for breastfeeding, I really wish I had a few more pieces that were specifically made for convenient and discreet nursing. While I do love my nursing tanks, I’m not super comfortable with my body right now and I don’t think they are particularly flattering on my tummy. I also feel like I need to wear a cardigan of some type all the time because I’m self-conscious about my arms, which will just be unpleasant come July in the Texas heat. I’m working on feeling more comfortable in my own skin, but I’ve been looking for a few nursing shirts or dresses to put on a wish list for my birthday in June. My basic criteria is that it doesn’t require pulling up the entire shirt to nurse, generally flattering to a post-partum tummy, and some degree of sleeves if possible.
What are your go to clothes to wear for easy nursing?
cherry / 187 posts
I totally hear you on not feeling great with a tight nursing tank. My go to clothes (even in the summer) were a nursing tank underneath a flowy shirt or cardigan. I had some tshirts that I could either pull down (v-necks or wide scoop necks) or lift up to nurse. That way, my tummy was always covered, but I wasn’t showing off my tummy when hanging around not nursing. That said, I had a few “nursing tops” and one of my absolute favorites was the t-shirt version of #1. It was flattering on the post partum tummy!
kiwi / 524 posts
I just wear cotton tee shirts that are easy to lift up. I don’t like showing off my belly, so I bought high rise skinny jeans that cover it. They help flatten my belly under my shirts, too. I tried nursing tanks early on, but found that they flattened my chest.
I do have one nursing dress that I can wear if I need to dress up (for a wedding or shower), but of course at 20 months LO doesn’t nurse in public much anymore.
cantaloupe / 6086 posts
I’m definitely concerned about the heat of nursing during texas summer too! I’ve decided to just own my big arms in sleeveless stuff – better than sweating. My go to with tops right now is to wear a stretchy cami (favorite is a maternity one from target for the length) under any shirt that’s blousy or at least not tight – I pull the shirt up or down depending on neck and just move the cami out of the way with my bra (I can’t pull off the bras in a nursing tank – need better support). That way I basically always have full coverage of everything else. I’m hoping with the light tank it’s not too hot!
cantaloupe / 6086 posts
Also for summer I love a stretchy dress with a wrap front that easily pulls down. I have some from target and from lands end.
kiwi / 656 posts
I have #5 in two colors for the numerous special occasions we have this month. I wore it for our son’s baptism this weekend and I felt very comfortable nursing in it! Definitely worth investing in it if you need a dress for a few special events!
guest
I wore a nursing tank nearly every day for the 17 months I nursed my daughter. I never wore a nursing tank by it’s because I didn’t find them super flattering so I wore a shirt on top. I generally wore regular shirts and lifted them up. This time around, with my son, I can’t stand the bras in nursing tanks so I wear a nursing bra with a regular, stretchy cami I pull down. I also hate lifting my shirt this time around so I stick to stretchy v-neck and button up shirts. My current favorites are a cotton button up from Express. I live in them!
pomegranate / 3401 posts
Thank you so much for this post! I totally agree with everything you’ve written and I too am looking for some good nursing tops for the summer! I love #2 and #3 that you have listed! With LO #1, it was the winter so it was easy to just wear a tank + buttondown shirt. I can’t imagine doing that in late July/August in CA!
bananas / 9229 posts
Subscribing for ideas!
guest
Check out Momzelle- I have a dress and a tank that I love.
guest
I cannot recommend Boob enough. I took a chance and ordered a nursing hoodie from them while I was pregnant and it remains a favorite piece of mine today. Their tees are also great because the fabric isn’t see-through and its smooth cotton that almost feels “cool” to the touch. Every once in a while Boob is featured on Zulily, too, for a steal!
pear / 1750 posts
So far I’ve just been wearing nursing tanks at home and v neck tees that I can pull down when we go out. My biggest complaint about the nursing tanks is they show a lot of cleavage, and I have small boobs. I can’t justify spending money on more nursing tops, though. I have a poochy belly too, but I couldn’t care less at this point who sees it
blogger / nectarine / 2010 posts
I have been nursing for over 2.5 years combined and just discovered last week that I can pop one of the girls out of the top of a V-neck t-shirt. Total game changer! I don’t wear tanks alone except for sleep. I’m a big fan of button up shirts, especially in linen for summer. I have a dozen or so nursing shirts and I don’t think I’ve worn any of them more than a couple times, they’re just not that flattering on me.
guest
I found that the very best nursing tops were ones with long vertical openings (one on each side) since that is where the baby nurses — one side or the other. I never liked pulling up fabric to pile on my baby’s nose while also uncovering my stomach! I made my own clothes from sewing patterns by altering a pattern that already had front side seams, and I started a mail order company back in the 1990s along with organizing the Association For Breastfeeding Fashions. For positive closure I found that buttons work really well and can be operated with only one hand to close up.