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Warmer weather is upon us and so is the challenge of finding nursing friendly dresses!
I don’t know about you, but my favorite part about warmer weather is the ability to throw on a dress and call it a day. Dresses are so effortless and easy and when the weather permits they are definitely my go to!
However, when you are a breastfeeding mama, the type of dress you can wear is a bit more limited. Since lifting up your entire dress to nurse your babe is not an ideal scenario, finding dresses that give easy access to the boobies is essential.
I have searched retailers high and low and gathered the best nursing friendly dresses I could find!
I also kept one very important thing in mind…price. I decided to only include nursing friendly dresses under $50. There’s nothing worse than finding the perfect dress only to find it’s way out of your budget. So hopefully keeping every dress at a reasonable price point will help you shop with ease!
I divided the dresses into 5 categories:
Wrap dresses
Shirt dresses
Dresses with buttons, snaps, and ties
Low-cut or stretchy dresses
Dressy/Fancy Dresses
There is a sixth category of nursing friendly dresses that I am not including in this post. That category is off the shoulder dresses. In theory, off-the-shoulder dresses are the perfect nursing friendly option. They are usually stretchy and you can easily pull the dress down to nurse.
The reason I am not including them is that I don’t like wearing anything off-the-shoulder and I only like to recommend clothes that I would personally wear.
The reason I don’t like them is that I don’t like wearing strapless bras as a mother. I am leaning over and moving too much for them to stay up and pulling them up all day long is annoying. Plus, they are not supportive enough for my larger than normal boobies and breast pads. Because off-the-shoulder dresses require strapless bras, I stay away from them.
Are you looking for cute, comfortable, practical, affordable nursing-friendly dresses?!
I found a lot of those below!
Happy shopping!
{ Wrap Dress }
Wrap dresses are great for nursing because they give easy access to the goods. A lot of times wrap dresses will have one snap holding the top together, which is great because you feel comfortable and covered but can easily snap it open and closed for feedings.
The reason I love wrap dresses is that they are so feminine and flowy. They are easy to dress up or down with just your shoes which makes them so versatile.
Shop nursing friendly wrap dresses:
{ Shirt Dress }
One of my favorite nursing friendly dress options is a classic button down shirt dress. Shirt dresses are nursing friendly for obvious reasons: the top can easily be opened with buttons. They are so easy to throw on and look cute. They also come in so many patterns, fabrics, and sleeve lengths which makes it easy to find the perfect dress for any weather and occasion.
One word of caution if you decide to buy a shirt dress online is to be careful that the buttons are actually functional and not just for show.
Shop nursing friendly shirt dresses:
{ Buttons, Snaps, and Ties }
When looking for nursing friendly dresses sometimes you need to be creative. Basically look for any dress that can expose your boobies in any way. This can come in the form of buttons, snaps, ties, etc. Once again, be careful to make sure that whatever contraption holds that dress together its really an opening and not just for looks.
Shop nursing friendly dresses with buttons, snaps, and ties:
{ Low-cut or Stretchy }
Sometimes all you need in a nursing friendly dress is for it to be low-cut or stretchy enough to pull under a boob. I do that with tees and tanks so why not do it with dresses as well.
Of course, you have to make sure the fabric is resilient enough to bounce back into place each time you nurse. Otherwise, you end up walking around with your bra being exposed because your dress is stretched out and hanging low.
Shop nursing friendly low-cut and stretchy dresses:
{ Dressy/Fancy }
One of the biggest challenges I’ve had in the year and a half I’ve been nursing is finding a dress for special occasions. I couldn’t find a nursing friendly dress for my grandmothers 80th birthday party last November and had to stand up in a bathroom stall overtime my daughter wanted to nurse.
I know a lot of mamas say that you just need to wear shorts under your dress. That way you can pull it up to nurse without exposing your tummy and underwear. However, something just doesn’t feel right about pulling up my entire dress at my cousins upcoming Bar Mitzvah. So I think I’ll get a dress that allows for less scandalous access to my boobs.
Shop nursing friendly fancy dresses:
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Where is the dress on the top far left from? White with blue stripes.
Hi Liz! I am almost 100% sure it was from Nordstrom, but after looking for it for the past 20 minutes it seems to be sold out. I found a slightly similar one (https://rstyle.me/n/c4tdybced2p), but it’s over the $50 threshold, unfortunately. I’m so sorry!