Breastfeeding 1-2-3 reader Laurie wrote to me to share a picture of the sling she sewed from these ring sling instructions. Laurie said she had a Christmas party at her home when her son Andrew was seven weeks old. She carried him around in the sling all night and he slept most of the time! That’s yet another example of how baby-wearing makes for a happy baby and a happy mother! Here is a picture of the home-sewn sling in action.

Doesn’t Laurie look great just seven weeks postpartum?! Thanks for sharing the picture, Laurie, and great job on the sling!

For the record, I still use the sling my husband sewed four years ago! Nicole is five months old in this picture. We were hiking down to the beach.

And yesterday when the whole family went on a hike in the hills, my four-year-old even spent some time in the sling!

I also recently wore Nicole during a day at the San Diego Zoo and a day running errands. On both occasions people marveled at Nicole all tucked in the sling. They implied that she must be uncomfortable, and they weren’t satisfied by my typical positive response that it’s just like being in my womb. I wanted to shout, “She’s sleeping! How uncomfortable can she be?!” Baby-wearing and breastfeeding keep us both happy for grand adventures that wouldn’t be possible otherwise.

Do you practice baby-wearing? Where have baby-wearing and breastfeeding helped you go?

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.

There is something for everyone (breastfeeding or not) in the mix of the Breastfeeding 1-2-3 highlights from April 2008:

~ Free Pattern for Sewing Your Own Crew Neck Over-the-Head Baby Bibs
~ Judge Denies FLDS Request to Keep Mothers with Nursing Babies
~ World Health Day 2008: Protecting Health from Climate Change
~ Breastfeeding Basics Checklist for a Good Breastfeeding Latch
~ Gentian Violet and Grapefruit Seed Extract as Thrush Remedies
~ Breastfeeding and International Travel
~ Top Five Breastfeeding Interviews

After I posted instructions for how to sew your own baby bib with extra-long ties around the neck, a reader posted a comment asking for a pattern for a crew neck over-the-head baby bib. In the wonderful way of the internet and the breastfeeding community, reader Elizabeth jumped in with an offer to email her pattern out. After the seventh request for the pattern (eight if you count yesterday’s!), I asked Elizabeth if she would mind sharing the pattern directly on the blog, and she happily agreed! Thanks Elizabeth for sharing your instructions and photos for a free over-the-head bib pattern! Read more

The other day I wrote about Using Cloth Diapers. While using cloth diapers can help a family save money in the long run (see this savings calculator), the initial investment can be quite expensive depending on the cloth diapering system and brand you choose. I bought my Fuzzi Bunz diapers used on eBay. I’ve had friends who have had success with the sales forums at diaperpin.com (one friend advised that it’s best to create your username and password and login before searching for diapers because the items listed often sell quickly and you’ll want to get the contact information and email the seller as soon as possible after making your choice). If you do buy used, always make sure to check the original manufacturer’s instructions for proper care and washing. Consider boiling the diapers (if the fabrics/system can tolerate it) to ensure they are sanitary for your baby.

If you’re handy with a sewing machine another option is to sew your own cloth diapers. Here are some resources for free patterns and templates:

www.thediaperhyena.com
www.diaperjungle.com
www.diapersewing.com
www.sleepingbaby.net/jan (scroll down to diaper projects)

If you want to buy a pattern, check out this compilation of reviews of cloth diaper patterns.

Things have gotten so crafty around here lately with all sorts of patterns and instructions for how to make lots of breastfeeding and baby accessories. When I saw these adorable baby booties and the free downloadable pattern from Heather Bailey (via Kiddley), I couldn’t resist sharing them too. You can make these Bitty Booties from any combination of thick wool suiting, high-quality felt, leather or ultra-suede. The instructions offer patterns for sizes 0-3 months and 3-6 months but I suspect you could readily adapt the pattern for larger sizes. For inspiration and wonderfully creative ideas for how to decorate your own Bitty Booties, take a look at the flickr pool of over 100 photos of completed projects!

Now don’t get the mistaken impression that I have time to sit around and make crafts all day long. I realize that new mothers aren’t going to have a lot of free time on their hands! This would be a fun project to make while you’re pregnant or to give as a baby gift. Of course, if you think these Bitty Booties would be adorable on your own child (who wouldn’t?!) then I hope you’ll enjoy taking the time out to sew this rewarding project!

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