Is it worth it to buy BFing tops / dresses?

[Eresh]

I BF DS1 for over 2 yrs (weaned after getting pregnant with DS2) and never got any BFing tops but now I've been looking at a couple of sites and thinking how convenient some of the wrap style tops look. Anybody get some of these?

I'm not terribly concerned about modesty. After nursing DS1 for so long I think I'm pretty good at not flashing folks But I'm thinking I could maybe learn to nurse in a sling if I have tops that are more convenient.

[HappyMonkey]

I just wear stretchy v-neck shirts, and pull out the top just fine to feed in my Ergo carrier. You don't need any special tops. I was given a few and gave them away because they seemed too fiddly!

[sunnygir1]

I never have. I don't spend much money on clothing, I buy mostly second hand.

I bf dd for 27 months and ds for 13 and counting. I don't wear dresses much because they're impossible to bf in, but I make most anything else work.

[Buzzer Beater]

I've got 5 or 6 nursing tops and don't use them at all... I may be dense or something but it seems to make my nipple harder to find, not easier. And me groping myself trying to get my babe on isn't too modest. I'll send you one you can try if you'd like!
Sara

[Knitting Mama]

I basically live in nursing camis from Target. They are SO convenient. I also wear regular camis and v-necks and just bring my boob out from the top, but I love, love, love the nursing camis most of all.

[Sharlla]

i just wear a tank with a shelf bra built in under all my shirts. cost about $10. i also have belly huggers which I LOVED when I was PG
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[mom2happy]

I have a few nursing shirts that I wear sometimes.
No one can see my breasts when I nurse because the baby's head is there and I usually flop a burp cloth over. My stomach hanging out is why I have a few nursing shirts. I dont like that feeling.

[Tattooed Hand]

I actually have nursing tanks and the kind of nursing shirt that buttons down the front and has a false undershirt that I can yank to the side and whip out a boob. The tank I can layer under short and long sleeve shirts and not have to expose my belly, which is uncomfortably cold most of the year. And ditto for that specific type of nursing shirt. The other ones are too big a pain. The openings, in the name of modesty, are too narrow and make nursing too hard.

[4Blessings]

Nursing tanks and regular shirts have gotten me through 4 bf'ing babes. I agree that some of the newer styles are cute but I can't see spending any extra for bfing shirts.

[lrgs]

I discovered nursing tanks with this DD and I LOVE them!!! I wish I had them for DD1. My uniform these days is a nursing tank with a t-shirt or hoody overtop.......depending on the weather. I find them so easy to NIP with and I especially like having my stomach covered. We just got back from the museum and I wore my tank under my tshirt and just walked around nursing while DD1 looked at all the exhibits. I find them very convenient........just wish they were less expensive. Although I'm interested in these target camis.....we don't have a target (canada) but the IL's are close to the border and go all the time so I'm off to see if I should get them to pick some up.

[yamilee21]

I've been breastfeeding for 5 years now (on my second with a third on the way), and pretty much wear nothing but nursing tops and dresses outside of the house. They really did make nursing in a sling SOOOO much easier for me. The crossover/wrap and side access with top button, open overlayer openings work best for me, and my babies learned how to manage them quickly when they became self-feeders, . Empire tops are okay, as well, though not my preference. Tops with a full layer that has to be lifted up are generally much more of a pain; the one dress I have like that, I do not wear much. Otherwise, tops with a very deep v-neck are easy to nurse in if I wear them with cropped camisoles/tanks.

ETA: I know people often balk at the price of nursing clothes, but they do go on sale a lot - most of my nursing clothes, from Expressiva, Motherwear and Old Navy, were bought on clearance prices, so they weren't at all expensive.

[donutmolly]

I have been breastfeeding for 5.5 years straight (wow!) After dd3 was born, I got a nursing wear catalog in the mail and thought, 'hey, I should try a top -- if it makes my life easier trying to nurse this new baby while chasing around my other 2, it will be well worth it." Ugh! The idea is good, but in reality it's so much easier to just pull up my shirt -- searching for the opening, then re-arranging the lumps of fabric afterward was just frustrating, not to mention that I felt like I was exposing more skin with the nursing shirt than my regular old shirts. And despite that I bought the shirt from a well-known and respected company, I was very disappointed in the quality of fabric and construction -- especially for the price. Can you tell that I vote no on nursing apparel?

[Knitting Mama]

It sounds like there is a big difference between nursing tops-- at least the double layer kind-- and the nursing camis I use. The camis are like nursing bras, just longer. But seriously, I couldn't live without my camis (at least it feels that way).

[PatioGardener]

nak

i love my nursing tops. especially while babywearing, they cut down the pulling and bunching of my regular top (i wear nursing cami's with regular tops too) as i need to hitch it up while still wearing baby. i only made them at 5 months, and wish i had them earlier!

if i fed over the top this would not be a problem, so you may want to take that into consideration.

[SilverFish]

NO! haha. man, i wasted so much money on nursing apparel. i think it probably depends on how much boob you're working with, but i don't need much support, so a regular old shelf bra tank under any shirt works well when i'm going to be out in public all day and want to be fairly comfortable and covered, or a bra and t-shirt (or dress) with a neckline that can be pulled down if it's hot, or a bra with any t-shirt if i'm just at home and don't care about my tummy showing. i happen to have one regular bra that works really well as a nursing bra, since it pulls down very easily and is soft and trim, a nursing bra that i don't care for much, and a few sports style bras that have no padding or wires that work well too.

if i had a lot of boobage, i'd definitely be finding more in the way of nursing bras, but still wouldn't see the need for nursing shirts. there are shirts i have that work better than others for whatever reason, and i do choose these shirts over others when i'm going to be nursing in front of my grandpa, or at a nice restaurant, or whatever, but otherwise i don't even think about it.

[Nicole730]

I love my nursing tanks!

I bought two different nursing tops at a rummage. One I love and wear like twice a week, it's elastic just under the boobs that pulls up from there. So I don't have to separate two pieces of shirt. I love that there is extra fabric then on the top of my boobs to cover the skin. My other one I did not like as much.

[TSomm]

Mom with a D cup here, nursing tanks don't support well enough outside the house, but work well inside the house. I own about 3 or 4 nursing shirts/tops (from gap) and really don't like them much. Too much to fiddle with! So much easier to yank to boob out over the top of a v-neck. Don't waste your money.

[Knitting Mama]

I'm an F cup and I find that the nursing tanks support me just fine outside the house. They are what I wear nearly every day of the week.

[is it puppies?]

I can't figure out most of my nursing tops quickly enough and I have a few styles and brands. I also end up with bumps in the layers or my boob hanging out. I also HATE having to unclip a nursing bra so for me it's whatever I can pull down over a bra I can pull down. Sometimes a regular tank under a sweater that I can lift up so my belly isn't hanging out.

[P.J.]

nak

I also love the nursing tanks / camis. That way I can wear a regular shirt over and then my belly isn't exposed, which I find annoying and in this cold weather uncomfortable.

The OP was asking about nursing in a carrier, and I think nursing tops w/ easy access would be good for that purpose. Although I did nurse in the Ergo once with a top I could just pull down. Otherwise it wouldn't work with the cami and regular shirt.