.With my first son, I often felt trapped to our house based on his napping and eating schedule. So I decided early on that I’d get comfortable with nursing in public. Now that we have Ben I just sort of have to be comfortable with nursing in public. Keeping Jack at home all the time results in restlessness and tantrums. So today I wanted to share some tips for nursing in public.

1. use the babies blanket as a cover – I’d totally recommend trying an actual cover, but if you’re like me and most of my friends, we prefer to just use a blanket. The light weight swaddle blankets are the perfect size and they don’t make you or the baby too hot. I tie one corner on my bra strap to keep it in place.
2. invest in some nursing clothes- I did this with my second baby, and 3 months in it’s already paid off. I purchased 2 dresses and 2 shirts for around $50 all together. It just makes it easier to get my boob out without flashing people. I found all of mine on amazon. Also invest in plain white cami’s for underneath tshirts. It’s easier to just pull the tshirt up and the cami down.
3. look for ‘your spot’ upon arrival/use a buddy system- The hardest part for me is always getting my boob out without flashing someone. I’m always trying to keep the cover or the baby from falling. Once the baby is on, it’s basically just holding him. When I know I’m going to nurse I look for a good spot that’s out of the way and will be comfortable for me to sit. If there isn’t really a great spot then I try to find a buddy that will hold the cover up for me.
4. Practice makes perfect- Can you try nursing in the church nursery to practice? What about at a friends house just you and her? The more you do it, the more comfortable you become. Just like with most things you figure out what works for you once you do it several times. So try to find some safe places to practice before you do it in the middle of a restaurant. Those are the places you’ll use it the most anyway most likely . . . who actually nurses in the middle of a restaurant.
5. Acceptance- Hopefully not much, but probably at least once someone will say something. It’s ok, it’s their problem not yours. You’ll accidentally flash someone at some point. It’s ok, you gotta feed your baby most people understand. And sometimes it’s just easier to step out to your car for 20 minutes and do it in semi private. You only have to miss out for a year or so.