Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Tips For Nursing Mothers

One thing I have discovered as a new breast feeding mother is the outrageous cost of "nursing" gear. You know, those few must-have items that make nursing a little easier for all involved -- especially in public. In store shopping is the worst, with few items ever being offered for anything under $30. Even online I have been hard pressed to find anything at a reasonable price, typically nothing under $25, plus shipping. Aside from the convenience of at-home delivery, at that point you may as well shop in store since the price differences are negligible.

You are paying a higher price because you are buying a specialty item.

I own a single nursing shirt, a single nursing bra, and a couple of nursing sleep bras (the cheapest item you'll find). These four items ran me around $80. That's unacceptable. I have better things to spend money on now, notably this human being that I created out of pizza and halva (oh, those zany cravings). As I sat there staring in wonder at the $45 cost of a nursing cover, so I don't have to flash passer-bys, I realized something.

There is virtually no difference between an official nursing cover and a poncho.

So out of curiosity I looked up the cost of a simple poncho. Do you know what I discovered? That I could buy a poncho for less than $15. Are you kidding me? I bought a poncho on the gd spot. It works fabulously. Here are a few other things I discovered that will save you money:

  • For around the house comfort wear that will spare getting milk everywhere whilst letting your ladies breathe and allowing quick access for meal time -- buy tank tops a size too large with a built in shelf bra. The shelf bra will hold nursing pads in place gently and the straps can be slipped out of, and the tank top pulled down to feed baby.
  • Regular sports bras and bandinis are just as useful and cozy to sleep in as official nursing sleep bras. Again, buy a size up to make room for nursing pads and facilitate ease of access (folding up or down to feed baby).
  • Any shirt that buttons or zips up makes a perfect nursing shirt. I don't think I need to explain this one.
  • Fitted tank tops look nice and are also good for nursing. Slipping your arm through a strap frees up a breast for baby fairly easy. They are also super cheap.
  • Bras with a little padding (in case your nursing pad fails you) and front closure are fantastic nursing bras when you're going out. You can unfasten them with one hand on the fly and can usually re-close them just as simply.
  • You could also wear a tube top beneath a T-shirt and then just lift the T-shirt to feed baby, showing minimal skin. This is especially nice on chilly days.
  • And, of course, ponchos!
I hope these options work for you as well as they have worked for me. Everything listed here can be bought in stored for as little as $10 and online for as little as $5, sparing way more money for you and your family to invest elsewhere.

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