Do you have any helpful tips on how to breastfeed in public while being discreet? I'm just trying to plan ahead. Normally, I'll nurse in the car before I go someplace and thankfully our mall has a great restrooms with couches and chairs. I'd love any tips you have.

By Pamt on Sunday, January 1, 2006 - 07:38 pm:

I used a nursing bib. You can find them at Toys R Us, Babies R Us, etc. It is like a blanket but it velcros around your neck so you don't have to worry about it slipping off or the baby pulling it down. It has a strip of metal or mesh at the neck that make it stick out a little so you can look down and see baby and help latch on. There is also a pocket on it to hold a pacifier or burp cloth. I am normally a modest person, but felt totally comfortable nursing anywhere with a nursing bib. They have them in much cuter fabric now too, than when my boys were born.

By Hlgmom on Sunday, January 1, 2006 - 07:47 pm:

I never minded nursing in public but had a very modest friend who used to buy the mens white t-back style tank top undershirts and cut out holes around her nipples and then wear a button up shirt over it- if she needed to nurse she would just unbutton a little and then latch on and you could see nothing!
She also used the little shawls in cooler months!

By Trina~moderator on Sunday, January 1, 2006 - 07:47 pm:

I liked nursing tops. For me, it was fairly easy to nurse discreetly while wearing one. MotherWear.com has a good selection, although pricey. I remember getting some reasonably priced ones at JC Penney and maybe Sears.

By Trina~moderator on Sunday, January 1, 2006 - 07:57 pm:

Just found another site that sells nursing tops - Expressiva.com.

By Heaventree on Sunday, January 1, 2006 - 09:45 pm:

I didn't like the bibs because they looked like bibs. I bought a couple of ponchos, one grey and one black or I just use a receiving blanket.

By Ginny~moderator on Sunday, January 1, 2006 - 10:20 pm:

Pre nursing blouses and nursing bibs, I just put a receiving blanket or shawl over my shoulder and child, and it worked just fine.

By Tink on Monday, January 2, 2006 - 12:31 am:

Like Pam, I really liked the bibs. Ponchos weren't popular when I had my kids but I might have been able to make that work. A receiving blanket was never enough coverage for me. I had very active, very large nursers and they always pulled them off. The nursing bibs had a little more "staying" power.

By Feona on Monday, January 2, 2006 - 09:36 am:

I used a cotton blanket - the thin ones cheap ones everyone gets when they have a baby. Works fine.

You can make a bib that is just as ugly as the ones they sell. The ones I had were ugly. Take a baby blanket and sew a strip on one side. Or use baby safe baby safety pins.

I bought the bibs but used not too much. Used a light cotton blanket more. I could find them... probably was the reason.

Big tees work fine too if I remember right....

By Feona on Monday, January 2, 2006 - 09:36 am:

http://www.motherwear.com/index.cfm I think has the best tops. But you get sick of wearing them after a whle.

By Eve on Monday, January 2, 2006 - 10:25 am:

Thanks everyone. I was actually thinking of bringing my poncho--I need to give that a shot. I'm not very fond of nursing tops and I still feel like it's not very discreet to be in a very public place. I did find some great nursing bra tanks that I love and they cover everything, but your nipple and I wear them under a cardigan or zip up sweatshirt.

It's still the process of attaching the baby. I think the receiving blanket over the shoulder is good too. I saw these and thought they were clever. Cover Up Clips

Thanks for the ideas! If everyplace would just put a chair in the restroom, I'd be all set.

By Eve on Monday, January 2, 2006 - 10:36 am:

This is cute:
Busy Baby Wrap

By Emily7 on Monday, January 2, 2006 - 11:45 am:

I love that baby wrap Eve & wish I had something like that while I was breastfeeding.

By Feona on Monday, January 2, 2006 - 12:08 pm:

Oh yeah. Those are cute.

By Tunnia on Monday, January 2, 2006 - 12:53 pm:

I didn't care for the nursing bib and ended up buying nursing tops from motherwear.com. I loved them! They were a bit pricey, but they looked like regular tops, were well made, were comfortable, and I had good coverage from them. I would have people come up to me at the mall or a restaurant to look at the "sleeping" baby only to find out that I was bf.

By Dawnk777 on Monday, January 2, 2006 - 04:20 pm:

My girlfriend could nurse discreetly, without a blanket and you couldn't tell that that is what she was doing. She looked like she was only holding her baby.

I think I used a blanket, and tried to plan ahead, so I wouldn't have to, although that didn't always work out.

By Lauram on Monday, January 2, 2006 - 07:12 pm:

I just used receiving blankets. I seemed to have tons of those anyhow, so I just drapped them over on that side. It worked well.