Breastfeeding is a minefield. And while most expectant parents give it some thought (even if it’s simply whether you want to try it or not), many of us initially fail to realise that it isn’t always as simple as pulling your top up and sticking your baby on your boob.
At the beginning, especially, it can involve strange poses (the koala or the rugby hold, anyone?) and an awful lot of determination. Even when you’ve got the technique sussed it’s all a juggle, so imagine how much trickier it is once you’ve worked up the courage to actually leave the house. After all, newborns feed around the clock, so chances are you’ll need to breastfeed while out and about at some point. This is where breastfeeding tops come in.
Allowing breastfeeding to be more discreet, nursing tops tend to feature either additional flaps of fabric or detachable straps so that you can feed your baby with optimal coverage. No hastily thrown over muslins, blankets, cardigans, jumpers, jackets (you get the picture) required.
They’ll be your best friend when you are nursing up to twelve times a day – alongside your nipple cream and nipple shields, of course – so it’s wise to invest in some great breastfeeding tops.
But we know you’ve got enough to think about, so we’ve done the legwork and found the best breastfeeding tops to shop right now.
Of course it goes without saying that fed is best, so if breastfeeding isn’t for you then that’s automatically the right decision for you and your baby. No questions. No one else gets a say. Okay? Now please go and treat yourself to all the best high-neck dresses and beautiful bras immediately so that we can live vicariously through you…
Why you can trust us
Freelance Fashion Editor, Charlie Teather, and Freelance Contributor, Rebecca Cope have both become first-time mums over the last few years, and – alongside, you know, prepping for one of humankind’s toughest physical feats and the subsequent life-altering reality of a tiny new human to care for 24/7 – rediscovering how to dress a body that was changing every single day posed a real challenge.
We didn’t want to lose our personal style identities, but we also wanted to celebrate and not just ‘disguise’ this incredible moment in our lives. And if we were finding this balance hard to strike, after working our whole adult lives in the fashion and magazine industry, we figured others must be too. So, we made it something of a personal/professional mission to compile the ultimate maternity fashion guides. If for nothing more than for us to refer back to if/when we ever do this pregnancy thing again, because (spoiler alert) baby brain is no joke, people…
How we tested breastfeeding tops
It is of upmost importance that we provide our readers with honest, unbiased and trustworthy product reviews across every category – and breastfeeding tops are no different. Rebecca breastfed her daughter until she was 14 months old, and Charlie is still breastfeeding her 15-month-old son, so they’ve both tried a lot of different breastfeeding tops, and have definitely got strong opinions on what works and what doesn’t.
They’ve chosen options based on factors including value for money, design and durability. For the tops that they haven’t yet tested themselves, another mother that they trust did, so everything comes with the Glamour editor seal of approval.