Last week I listed five tips for nursing in public. One of those suggestions was to come up with a combination of clothing that makes you feel most comfortable breastfeeding in public.

5 Alternatives to Regular Nursing Clothing

While it’s great if you can afford nursing clothing (see Where to Find Nursing Clothes) and can find styles that you like, there are other options.

1. Layer a button-down blouse over a tank top. When you lift up (or pull down) the tank top to nurse, the sides of the open blouse will offer coverage.

2. Layer a regular shirt over a loose-necked tank top. To nurse, lift the shirt up, pull the neck of the tank top down to expose the breast, and your belly will remain covered by the tank top. Or instead of pulling down the tank top, you could cut slits in the tank top to provide openings for nursing. These methods are especially helpful in cold weather!

3. Use a sling or nursing cover! I have free patterns for sewing a ring sling and “Hooter Hider” type nursing cover.

4. Repurpose a pregnancy belly band under your shirt to keep your belly covered, or buy a special nursing belly band. Here’s a great free video showing how to breastfeed in public with a pregnancy belly band!

5. Sew your own nursing clothing. If you are really handy, you can even knit your own nursing tank top!

Your Experience

Do you have something that helps you feel more comfortable nursing in public? Leave a comment!

Recently I asked readers to share pictures of their completed do-it-yourself projects. Angel sent this great picture of a ring sling! She wrote:

It took some time, and much begging and learning and ironing, but with the help of family and friends we have sewn our first (of probably many) slings. We’re still debating on the length of tail we want as I’d like for my preschooler to be able to hold onto it on walks and when we’re out and about (it gives him a sense of freedom). Any suggestions on making it more hand friendly? We were just going to make the hem a bit thicker so it was more noticeable in his hand but I’m not sure how, if at all, it will affect getting the tail through the rings.

Over all it was a very easy project but as neither I nor my husband had ever used a sewing machine we had to recruit some help. With the remnants of fabric from the first one we both have intentions of practicing until the fabric is thoroughly worn out so we can make our own. Our intentions are to have a back up in the car, plus another one just to have. I might consider making one with a warmer fabric as we live in the prairies and winters here are quite unpleasant.

Thank you so much for sharing this with everyone, this is my first exposure to a ring sling and was the only affordable option at the time, I’m now enamored even more and plan on making some pretty ones for friends who are expecting.

I’ve included a picture of us using the sling on the first out-of-house excursion - a test walk through toys-r-us.

Thanks for writing Angel! The sling looks great and it’s so fun to see you wearing it with your adorable little girl.

That’s a great idea to have your son hold onto the tail so that he stays near you when you are out in public. To make it more hand-friendly, you could sew another sling ring to the end (of course, that means that you could not take the sling apart completely anymore because you couldn’t get that ring through the other rings, but I can’t think of a reason why that would be a problem). You could also sew the end of the tail fabric into a loop. Anyone else have ideas for Angel? Leave a comment!

Inspired by this post on designing a nursing necklace, two Breastfeeding 1-2-3 readers crafted their own nursing necklaces! Check out the lovely creations of Hobo Mama (photo and discussion) and Digiscrappin’ Life (photo and discussion). Thanks for posting pictures, ladies!

Have you been inspired by any of the following do-it-yourself projects?

~ Nursing Cover
~ Knitted Nursing Tank Top
~ Pullover Crew Neck Baby Bib
~ Baby Bib with Neck Ties
~ Ring Sling
~ Nursing Necklace
~ Nursing Pads
~ Baby Booties
~ Cloth Diapers
~ Nursing Pillow, Nursing Shirt, Nursing Bra and Pumping Bra, Cloth Diapers, and More

Email me a picture and I will post it here sometime! Or write up your own post and send me the link! Or just leave a comment — I love hearing feedback on the projects.

This fun, easy and inexpensive sewing project makes a great baby shower gift. Maybe you’d like to sew these for yourself if your baby is ready to start on solid foods. Step-by-step instructions and picture illustrations guide you through to a rewarding finished product. A few different fabric combinations give ideas for boy, girl and unisex bibs. The measurements are readily adaptable but these produce a bib with extra coverage and long bib ties for ease of use. Read more