Looking for something to do with your kids? Maybe some great recipes or crafts? How about home management, healthy and frugal living tips, or organization and work/life balance ideas?
Let me do the problem solvin' for you - click here to subscribe! _____________________________________________

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Tips for Nursing Discreetly

Works for Me Wednesday is on hiatus, but I thought I'd post this in honor of - you guessed it - World Breastfeeding Week!

Have you ever nursed in public? If so, are you comfortable with it, or do you wish you weren’t putting quite so much “out there”?! My daughter stays with a friend while I’m at work, so she has taken expressed milk from a bottle since she was five months old. I’m sure that helped her willingness to take a bottle when we were out and about, but there were still times she was very adamant she wanted to nurse, and that was fine with me.

There are some very cute nursing covers available, but I wasn’t interested in spending money on something I wasn’t sure I would use very often, and it was just one more thing to carry around in the diaper bag. Same went for nursing tops, expensive and I would need to buy several of them if I was going to leave the house regularly!

I started out using a blanket to cover my daughter while she nursed. This worked reasonably well when she was very young, but it was still a bit awkward. As she got older, she grew interested in lifting the blanket or snatching it away…a game that was much funnier to her than mommy!

I found my perfect solution in the nursing tank! These tanks offer the access of a nursing bra with the added bonus of covering your belly when you lift your shirt. I find that I’m not really showing any skin when I pull my shirt back down to my daughter’s face, even without a cover. I saw lots of ads for nursing tanks in the back of parenting magazines, and I tried a few but wasn’t overly enthused.

My favorite nursing tank is from Bravado, and can be found here: Bravado Tank

(special thanks to Stephanie and Arianne from for the recommendation!)

The close runner up can be found at Target in the nursing bra section and is made by Gilligan & O’Malley. They are available in stores and online…with this one I would recommend wearing a sleep bra underneath for extra lift if you are well endowed.

Another suggestion if you like babywearing would be to nurse in a sling. Ring slings are particularly well suited for nursing because you can bring the “tail” up over the baby for extra coverage. I have nursed several times in my pouch sling, but for me, I still like the extra coverage of the tank when I’m lifting my shirt—It works for me!

Do you have any tips for nursing in public? I’d love to hear them!!

Stumble Upon Toolbar

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Having my daughter get hungry while we were out in public was one of my nightmare situations. I'm a very private person and was very uncomfortable with nursing her in public, most likely because I had never been exposed to it as a child. When visiting my family I usually found an empty room to nurse her in.

I did have one trick up my sleeve. I never roamed too far from a Babys R Us. I love their Mothers' Room with rocking chairs and a changing table just for the purpose of changing your baby or nursing while out and about.

Steph at Problem Solvin' Mom said...

Hi Twithhoney!
I love that mothers room too, great suggestion! I have also checked out many a dressing room when I needed to feed.

I'm not the most comfortable nursing in public, but I feel better if at least I'm all covered up. One thing I don't want to do is go into a restroom and feed her in a germ infested stall.

I always seek out a seperate room when I'm with my in-laws. With my family it depends on the specific mix of people, sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.

Thanks!
Steph

Unknown said...

Whoever invented those tanks is genius, makes such a big difference! :)

Stephanie Wilson she/her @babysteph said...

I agree that nursing tanks are so helpful- I would wear one under a shirt sometimes so that I had that extra coverage- and of course wearing baby while nursing is usually a great way to nurse discreetly! Good tips!

Steph

Steph at Problem Solvin' Mom said...

Thanks for stopping by, Arianne and Steph! I have been a tank fan from the start, but was so glad you could help clue me into the Bravado tank, so much better than doubling up with the sleep bra under my Target tank! I will love wearing the Bravado tank long after Sweetpea is weaned...although hopefully we will have another addition to feed at that point! :)

Unknown said...

This is cool, i am impressed, you have been doing a great job.

Jenifer
nursing tank

jacksmom4life said...

I have a three month old and I will nurse any where. I have several nursing tanks that I love. But I also wear a sports bra that I can pull up, a tank I can pull down over the bra and then whatever shirt I want on top. I do not own a nursing bra yet as I am a stay at home mom and haven't needed one. But we do have a wedding coming up, I may need something for that. I hate the nursing covers they just get in the way. Many times people come up to talk to me and don't even realize I am nursing. I love that.