Breastfeeding essentials: The best and worst of breastfeeding accessories

Breastfeeding is tough for a new mom, but every day there are new breastfeeding essentials going on sale that can absolutely turn around your breastfeeding journey.

This list of breastfeeding accessories is all about the best and the worst breastfeeding products that I used when I breastfed my two little ones. Learn from my mistakes Mama’s!

When I had my daughter I had consumed every bit of information I had available to me about breastfeeding. We went to the classes at the hospital, read books, and watched youtube videos.

If only I knew then what I know now! There are many things I would have done differently but also just as many things or more that I now know we did just right.

I am a very frugal person, and the idea of wasting money is crazy to me. So, finding the most cost-effective products that made a major difference became really important to me.

There are affiliate links in this post. You can find out more about them in my here.

Related posts: 

Best and worst things to pack in your hospital bag
Best and worst baby products
7 Easy ways to save money with a newborn

THE ONE THING THAT CAN HELP YOU MORE THAN ANYTHING IN YOUR BREASTFEEDING JOURNEY

Real quick before we start, If there is one thing that is going to make THE most difference in your breastfeeding journey is being educated in breastfeeding.

Having information, and knowing what is going on will, in turn, give you the confidence that I am convinced is crucial for breastfeeding moms to have.

Obviously that’s not the only thing they need, but it helps a ton.

This class is by Stacey Stewart, a Certified Lactation Educator, and breastfeeding mama who knows her stuff. I had already breastfed once before when I took her course and STILL learned things.

The best part? It’s only $19. You cannot beat that when you are talking about your sanity, and having a lot better chance of not giving baby formula. Which will cost WAY more than $19.

Can you tell I love this class?

Click here check it out while she still has it at this steal of a price.

The best breastfeeding accessories

The Hakaa

This product is quite literally life-changing. This breastfeeding essential is manual breast pump that can attach to the opposite breast while you are feeding your baby to catch your let down instead of it just spraying into a breast pad. Genius.

You can also use it as a manual breast pump!

Find it here on Amazon.

Lacti Cups

These are handly little shells that go in your bra and save the milk that leaks out during the day. Insanely smart.

Especially for the pumping mom who needs just one more ounce or the stay at home mom who can’t find time to pump! These will be a big help in supplementing your stash.

Nursing bra

You absolutely must have a good nursing bra when you are a breastfeeding mama.

I highly suggest you buy these when you are pregnant as your breasts grow instead of buying a whole new bra that you can’t nurse in. It’s an easy way to knock out two birds with one stone.

Also, attempt to avoid underwire, it can lead to clogged ducts which are never ever fun.

Find some great nursing bra options here.

Nursing Tanks

I really don’t recommend you buy a ton of fancy clothes specifically for breastfeeding, but these nursing tanks have been one of my favorite purchases I have made for my breastfeeding journey. They make feeding a breeze and I can stick them under anything!

Find great nursing tanks here.

Nursing Dresses

This is only something I would recommend if you have to wear a dress for an occasion that you will need to breastfeed.

In case you haven’t thought about it, breastfeeding in a dress is really difficult. So if you like to wear dresses or will probably need one I would absolutely spend the money on one.

You can check out this bestselling nursing dress here.

Disposable breast pads

Leaking all over your clothes is not fun. You’re already going to be covered in spit-up, these will help you not be covered in breastmilk every time you have a letdown.

I have tried several different brands of these, and for new mom’s I would absolutely recommend Lasinoh and Medela. They are comfortable even on nipples that have been through the wringer.

Lanolin

This is the best way to avoid cracking and bleeding nipples. Start using this immediately, do not wait until they are already hurting!

Put it on before and after feeding it is perfectly safe for baby. Usually, hospitals will give you a small travel size, but you’ll want a bigger tube at home.

Check out the nipple saving cream here.

Soy Lethicin or Sunflower Lecithin

With both of my little ones I tended to get clogged ducts often, so this became essential on my breastfeeding journey. With my son it was awful, and several times I could tell that mastitis was on its way.

I had mastitis three times with my daughter and I had no desire to go through that again. So I searched the web for a way to stop it and I found a few suggestions for Soy Lecithin.

Let me tell you, this helped me get rid of the clogged duct quickly and if I took them regularly kept them away! In the beginning, every time I stopped taking it I would end up with yet another clog.

Take my word for it, this is amazing. I would absolutely have it on hand just in case. Things like clogged ducts and mastitis hit you hard and fast.

Find my favorite lecithin here.

Muslin Swaddle Blankets

While these are great for swaddling I loved using the Muslin Swaddle Blankets as nursing covers. Let me say this part really loud- you do not have to cover when you breastfeed!

But, I wanted to. It was how I was most comfortable. I loved using these swaddle blankets because they were large, and breathable so baby didn’t get too hot.

Another option is the Milk Snob, it’s a car seat cover and a nursing cover all in one! I will say the Milk Snob has a one up on the muslin blankets in the aspect that you don’t have to worry about it coming off while feeding. But you get the hang of it either way.

Check out these cute muslin swaddle blankets here.

Mattress protector

You know how I said earlier you would have plenty of spit up on you? It will also definitely be on your bed, especially if you nurse while laying down (and you’d be crazy not to).

Inevitably your sheets are going to be covered with spit up and leaking breastmilk. Making sure your mattress doesn’t end up covered in those things as well is pretty important.

It is so much easier to throw a mattress protector in the wash than attempting to get the smell of spit-up out of a mattress!

Snag my favorite mattress protector here.

Related posts: 

7 tips for DIY maternity photos 
Massive list of New Parent and Pregnancy Resources 
8 tips for DIY newborn photos

The worst breastfeeding accessories

Nursing shirts

 These shirts are very convenient. But if you take my tip on getting nursing tanks don’t even worry about nursing shirts.

You can easily execute the two shirt method of nursing this way and you won’t have to redo your entire wardrobe to fit your new breastfeeding lifestyle!

Reusable breast pads

 While the idea of reusable breast pads sounds smart in the end I found that they leaked a lot more than my trusty Lasinoh and Medela disposable nursing pads.

Plus if your anything like me, small things like this seem to disappear in the wash and you never have them when you need them.

Lasinoh breastmilk bags

Lasinoh may make a great breast pad. But their milk bags are the worst!

I have heard countless moms talk about how when thawing breastmilk the bags leak everywhere and all your hard work goes down the drain. I’ve had a lot of success with the Medela brand bag.

Bras with underwire

The first reason why these are the worst is simply that when breastfeeding they are just plain uncomfortable.

The experts claim that bra’s with underwire should not cause issues like clogged ducts, but with your breasts changing size every few hours it will be very difficult to get one to fit correctly. I can say with experience that an ill-fitting underwire bra can and will create clogged ducts.

Milk warmer

I won’t lie, a milk warmer maybe would be convenient when thawing out frozen milk for your baby. But it is just as easy to just put the milk in a warm glass of water.

You’ll save cash and space, you will already have entirely too many baby things in your house. No need to add one more.

Milk storage systems

You absolutely should find a good way to store your milk in the freezer. You absolutely should not spend money on a cheap plastic bin for it.

Do yourself a favor, go get your favorite 12 pack of pop from the grocery store, tear off the top, and voila. See more on how to do that here.  It fits the milk bags perfectly! You can also try the gift bag method with bags from the dollar store.

Burp Cloths

I’ve said this in other posts about burp cloths and I will say it again. Whoever thinks that a baby will only spit-up on the designated small area of a burp cloth is crazy.

Get several packs of receiving blankets instead. They are absorbent and will cover a much larger area when your baby inevitably spits up everywhere.

Did we miss your favorite breastfeeding essential?

There are a ton of products out there for breastfeeding. These are just the ones I have experience with! I’d love to hear in the comments below anything that you have loved or hated on your breastfeeding journey.

Love this post? Share it with your friends!