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The Ultimate Clothing Guide for Breastfeeding Moms

Breastfeeding your baby or planning to but wondering what in the world you should wear? Check out our ultimate guide to your wardrobe as a breastfeeding mom.

We will cover everything from nursing bras, dresses, pajamas, and clothes for special occasions. Do you even need special clothes for breastfeeding?

Read our guide to find the best breastfeeding friendly clothing for you!

woman leaning on clothing rack with pink background

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Do you need special clothing for breastfeeding?

Do you even need special clothing in order to accommodate breastfeeding? The short answer is no, you may be able to supplement your wardrobe with just a few pieces that will allow you to breastfeed mostly in your normal clothes.

One of the easiest ways to do this is the two shirt method. Essentially you wear a tank top on the bottom and a looser shirt overtop. That way you can pull the top shirt up and one side of the tank top down to nurse your baby without showing too much skin.

Check out my post all about the two shirt method to learn more.

woman breastfeeding baby at a restaurant

A wrap dress is another great option depending on the style. You’ll want to ensure it’s one that is not tacked across the chest. You will also need to pair it with a nursing bra underneath.

To breastfeed in a wrap dress simply pull one side of the fabric to the side and unclip or pull the nursing bra to the side depending on the style you are using, more on that below, so that you can feed your baby.

Nursing Bras

One item that is pretty much a must is a nursing bra. You definitely can’t breastfeed wearing a normal bra.

You may be able to get away with a tank top with a built in bra if you’re using the two shirt method. But, you’ll still want to have a nursing bra or two on hand for wearing under other items.

There are two main styles of nursing bras. The first type has clips at the shoulder so that you unclip it and have the bra cup drop down when it’s time to nurse.

Kindred Bravely has one called the Simply Sublime nursing bra which looks soft and comfy like all their products. They also have versions that are made for pumping as well.

simply sublime nursing bra from kindred bravely laying on marble countertop

Another option is this nice set of 5 nursing bras on Amazon that has good reviews.

The second type is simply made of stretchy fabric that you pull aside to nurse.

Kindred Bravely has their French Terry Nursing Bra. Anything from their french terry line is super soft and comfortable!

It’s worth giving Motherhood Maternity a look as well as they have a wide variety of choice and sometimes you can catch a good sale.

Which type you choose is up to your preference. If you have any hand or finger issues that may make it difficult to unclip the hooks on the bra you may want to avoid that type.

They may also be more difficult when you are breastfeeding a newborn as they eat frequently and having to unclip the bra constantly may be tiring.

Cute breastfeeding tops

I’m totally jealous of woman who are breastfeeding now. When I was nursing my oldest I half wrote a rant article called “Where are all the cute breastfeeding clothes”. Everything I found seemed to be black and long sleeved, like we were all dressing for a funeral or something.

Thankfully there are more and more choices these days for cute clothes for nursing moms. Like I said, you can get away with adding minimal items to your wardrobe but if you want to expand your wardrobe with more breastfeeding friendly clothes check these out.

You can sometimes get lucky at Target or Motherhood Maternity but the best variety right now is at Amazon or Seraphine.

Amazon has a lot of choices, just make sure you read the reviews carefully so you can choose a good size. The good thing is, Amazon is usually pretty great about returns and exchanges. Here are a couple nice choices I found but there are many many more!

The items on Seraphine are usually a bit more expensive per piece of clothing but they have some really cute options! Go ahead and grab a few to round out your wardrobe.

Outerwear for Breastfeeding

Did you know they even make special outerwear for breastfeeding moms? I live in Southern California so this was never really a need when I was nursing my babies but I know places do exist with actual seasons.

The place with the best selection of cute nursing hoodies and jackets is a brand called Latched Mama. They have hoodies, sweaters, and even active wear style jackets all with breastfeeding access!

This is a small brand that was launched by and is run by a fellow mom so go show her some love.

woman wearing blue nursing hoodie

Clothing for special occasions

A common question I see in mom groups is what to wear to a wedding or other occasions that require fancier clothing when you’re breastfeeding.

The place I see recommended the most for elegant nursing dresses is Pink Blush Maternity. They have a super wide variety of dresses. They also have tall, petite, and plus options. Below are just a few examples of the dresses they have available.

Most of their dresses are more of a wrap style dress that you would pull aside to nurse. They have beautiful items in general but they are a bit pricier which is why I don’t generally recommend them other than dresses for special occasions.

Seraphine also offers a wide variety of nursing dresses. Many of these have more traditional hidden ways to nurse your baby.

They may have an extra piece of fabric that lifts up or tops where you can pull them to the side to nurse, check the extra images on the dresses to see how each allows access for nursing.

You can sometimes get lucky and find something at Target or Motherhood Maternity but you’re almost sure to find something you like at Pink Blush or Seraphine.

Both of these sites do have fancier dresses than these as well if you really need to go glam. I’d try Seraphine first.

What to wear at bedtime

What to wear at bedtime while you’re breastfeeding is often a completely different story from daytime attire. That’s why I wrote an entire separate post about what to wear at night!

Check out the whole post about what to wear to sleep while breastfeeding for all my tips.

My personal favorite in the early days was a button down pajama top and no bra at all for easy and quick access for middle of the night feedings.

If you leak a lot you may need to wear a comfy nursing bra underneath.

I’d recommend the second type that we talk about above, the ones without clips. That type of bra will be more comfortable to sleep in and you won’t be trying to undo clips while half asleep in the dark!

I hope this guide helped you find cute breastfeeding clothes to round out your wardrobe. Did I miss something you’re searching for or did you find a great new store or brand? Feel free to share in the comments below.

woman sitting breastfeeding a baby with text overlay

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