The best nursing friendly dresses to wear for easy breastfeeding

Some ideas for the best nursing friendly dresses to wear for easy breastfeeding. I give examples of some dresses that are great to wear, especially in the spring or summer!

Becoming a new parent is often a learning curve for most people. I know that I had a hard time at first getting into the groove of motherhood. Learning how to breastfeed is hard enough for many women, let alone figuring out how to navigate all kinds of new lifestyle adjustments. So, I decided to put together this blog post of great dresses to wear for breastfeeding!

Can you wear a dress while breastfeeding?

This is a common question, but yes you certainly can wear a dress while breastfeeding! There are many different dress styles that provide easy access to nurse a baby.

I started wearing mostly dresses and skirts when I was about six months pregnant with my first baby. I noticed that dresses and skirts were some of the best clothing that I could wear to accommodate my growing baby bump! Therefore, I discovered that I could wear mostly any dress as long as it was somewhat stretchy.

However, after I had my baby, I was not able to wear just any dress because I was exclusively breastfeeding. That’s how I started to figure out what dresses worked best for breastfeeding and what dresses didn’t.

What dresses are best for breastfeeding?

One of the best dresses that I have found to work for breastfeeding is a button down dress or a dress that has buttons on at least the top half. It is important to make sure that the dress does unbutton though and that the buttons aren’t just decorative. Also, layering a tank top underneath provides some extra coverage as well, and wearing a nursing bra is always a good idea too! However, if you like wearing a regular bra and don’t mind not having some additional extra coverage, then feel free to do what works best for you! The button down dress, pictured below, is from Old Navy, and I bought it about two years ago.

Another great option for a breastfeeding friendly dress, is a dress with a flexible V-neck. With a V-neck dress, you will have good access to be able to nurse. Again, I would recommended wearing a tank top underneath for a little extra coverage and a nursing bra for the best breastfeeding experience. I got the blue floral dress with the V-neck from T.J. Maxx about a year ago.

This leads me to another type of dress that works well for breastfeeding, a wrap dress. Wrap dresses also tend to have more flexible necklines that give great access for breastfeeding. The blue floral dress also has a neckline similar to one of a wrap dress, just for reference.

You can also buy dresses that are specifically designed for breastfeeding. Some stores specialize in maternity and post partum clothes, such as Latched Mama. The solid blue dress that is pictured below is from Latched Mama. I typically wear a just nursing bra with it because I think it provides enough coverage for me otherwise. I got the Latched Mama dress second hand from a local thrift store.

Sometimes a dress may seem like it wouldn’t be very easy to breastfeed in, but you find out that you can actually breastfeed while wearing it! That was the case with me and the cream colored, floral dress. The reason that I can breastfeed while wearing it is because it has straps that easily slide down my shoulders and the neckline is elastic. I am wearing a nursing bra and a tank top in the picture. From the picture I have above of me nursing my baby, you should be able to get a good idea of why I am wearing a tank top. If I wasn’t wearing the tank top, I would be a lot more exposed and I would personally feel a bit uncomfortable. I got the cream colored, floral dress from Old Navy a year ago.

Lastly, another one of my favorite dresses to wear for breastfeeding is a dress with a smocked elastic neckline. I have noticed that the neckline on the smocked dress is particularly stretchy! Also, smocked neckline dresses seem to be in style right now, so they are easy to find. I, once again, would say to wear a nursing bra for an easier time nursing and a tank top for some extra coverage. I got the pink, strawberry patterned dress from T.J. Maxx about two months ago.

Where can I buy nursing friendly dresses for easy breastfeeding?

As I described above, you can buy dresses that allow you to have a better breastfeeding experience from clothing stores such as: T.J. Maxx, Old Navy, Latched Mama, and thrift stores. Additionally, you can get these dresses from Walmart, Amazon, PinkBlush Maternity, Maurices, Kindred Bravely, and Motherhood Maternity, just to name a few.

What are some dresses that aren’t nursing friendly?

Some dresses that would be tricky to breastfeed in, if not almost impossible, would be dresses with higher up necklines. For example, dresses with mock neck, illusion, crew, Grecian, and keyhole necklines are some of the dresses that I would not recommend wearing if you are breastfeeding.

What are some other clothes that are easy to breastfeed in?

If you are someone who doesn’t like to wear dresses, skirts are another way to dress up for a special occasion or just because. Most shirts and blouses are pretty easy to breastfeed in and so you would have many different options when it comes to styling a skirt and a shirt or a blouse. Another idea would be a nice pair of pants and a nice shirt or a blouse.

What are some additional ideas for extra coverage while nursing?

If you wanted a little extra coverage, nursing covers are a good option too. Nursing covers come in a variety of different fabrics, styles, and patterns. Some of the places that you can find nursing covers include: Amazon, Etsy, and Walmart.

Do you have some favorite nursing friendly dresses? Comment below!

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