When I was pregnant with my son, I wanted to be as prepared as possible. I started looking for information on what products I would need to breastfeed and take care of my new baby. I ended up exclusively pumping for my son, but for my daughter I ended up being able to exclusively nurse for her. There are so many breastfeeding products out there, I was overwhelmed with which ones I needed and which were not necessary.
Breastfeeding is hard. It’s really hard at first, but after a time, it will get easier. Trust me when I say, you probably aren’t prepared for how hard it can be when your baby is cluster feeding and you just want to sleep, but your baby needs to eat and you just want to sleep, but you can’t and then you have a toddler that needs to be taken care of and it’s so so hard.
What You Need
Honestly, you don’t need very much to nurse a baby.
Related: 12 Necessities For Baby
Haakaa
This is first because it is the best product you can have if you plan on nursing. Basically what you do, is you suction it on to one breast while your baby nurses from the other breast. Your babies’ sucking will initiate a letdown on the other side where the haakaa is suctioned and you can start a stockpile of milk with little to no effort!
Prenatal Vitamin
It’s recommended that you continue to take a prenatal vitamin during the duration of your breastfeeding journey. If you can’t swallow pills, there are plenty of gummy options out there as well.
Breast Pump
I love my medela freestyle. It is amazing when it comes to comfort and portability. I previously had the medela sonata, but it stopped working one day when I was exclusively pumping. So then we purchased the medela freestyle. You can get by without a breast pump, but having one can help you increase your supply and allow easy pumping if you need to be away from your baby for any reason.
Bottle
A bottle is such a personal thing for both you and your baby. I got this for my son, but he didn’t like it. I tried using dr. browns for my son, but I hated washing all of the parts. For my daughter we bought these bottles and I love how easy they are to clean. The biggest problem with them is that the top of the silicone part needs to be securely around the plastic base or else you will have spilled milk. You will need a bottle, because at some point you will want to hand someone some milk and your baby and take a quick trip somewhere like a store, or to visit a friend without your baby.
Breast Milk Storage Bags
I like lansinoh bags, they lay flat very well. They thaw quickly. They pour well. What’s not to like? Storing some frozen milk is beneficial for those times when you don’t have time to pump, but you need a quick break.
Nursing Bra
I actually just use nursing tank tops all the time, but having at least 3 good nursing bras or tank tops will make your life a whole lot easier.
Burp Cloths
Technically I wouldn’t suggest getting actual burp cloths, I would suggest getting cloth diapers. Burp cloths are usually too small and not absorbent enough. Get a pack of super absorbent cloth diapers and use them as burp cloths for the first couple of months until your baby doesn’t spit up anymore. Additionally you can try using muslin blankets as they are much bigger and can be folded down to size.
Water Bottle
A good water bottle will help you make sure that you are getting enough water. Getting enough water is important for producing enough milk for your baby. Make sure you get all you need by getting a huge water bottle! I love my hydroflask and I love using a straw so I won’t spill on baby.
Nail Clippers
This isn’t for you, this is for your baby. If you try nursing your baby while they are clawing at your skin, you will quickly realize that these are necessary. Your baby needs to have their nails kept trimmed so that you don’t end up looking like you fought off an angry squirrel. Make sure you keep a pair near where you nurse.
What You Don’t Need
Some items are not essential, except in some instances. These aren’t bad products, they just are not essential.
Breastfeeding Pillow
While a breastfeeding pillow can be great, it is not necessary. I have two boppy’s and I tried out a my brest friend nursing pillow, but for most of my breastfeeding journey I ended up using a square throw pillow to support my baby’s head. I did not like the my brest friend nursing pillow. It was too much work to attach it around myself every single time I needed to nurse. The boppy worked for a time, but not long enough for me to say it’s essential. I like using a boppy to prop up my baby once they begin sitting, so that’s why I have kept them around. Also it was great when I had kidney stones during my second pregnancy, it helped keep the heating pad on my back.
Nursing Pads
Unless you have a huge problem with leaking, nursing pads aren’t necessary. I hardly used mine- or at least I hardly used them for their intended purpose. If you do have any issues with leaking, you can use a washcloth instead of purchasing something that has such a singular use.
Nipple Cream
I have this on the what you don’t need list only because when I was nursing my daughter, I literally never used a drop of nipple cream. When I was exclusively pumping, I was soaking my nipples in cream due to flange issues.
Nursing Cover
If you feel uncomfortable nursing in public by all means get one of these. But if you don’t care, then they are completely unnecessary. I actually found it basically impossible to nurse when I had a cover on and eventually I didn’t care. If you are going to get a nursing cover, make sure that you get one that goes around your whole body. The ones that only go around your neck do not provide enough coverage and they typically are not as comfortable as the ones that can double as a car seat cover.
Milk Collecting Cups
These are small cups that go in your bra and are supposed to help you collect the milk that leaks. I got some of these, hoping they were the best thing in the world, but they were the worst. They were uncomfortable and didn’t collect any milk for me.
Bottle/Milk Warmer
You don’t need a bottle warmer. If you need to heat up frozen breast milk quickly, put it in a dish of warm water. It’s completely unnecessary to purchase a warmer specifically for breastmilk.
Soothies
I’ve heard that these are great, but I hated them. They weren’t helpful and they were just cumbersome. I would not recommend getting these.
Cooling/Heating Packs
I got these thinking they would be helpful and I don’t think I ever ended up using them. You don’t need a heat or cooling pack that is shaped around your nipple, if you do need a heating or cooling pack, use what you have and don’t waste your money on something with such a single purpose. A shower is much more beneficial at making sure clogged ducts get unclogged than any heat pack or heating pad.
Nipple Shields
I ended up getting some that I used to protect my nipples when I wasn’t nursing while they had serious problems from flange issues after exclusive pumping for months. But for actually breastfeeding I didn’t need these. If you have flat or inverted nipples then maybe these would be a necessity for you.
Related: Exclusive Pumping
Really Nice To Have
These products don’t fit into either category. They are not necessary, but they are amazing if you do have them.
Nursing Hoodie
I love my nursing hoodie! It’s from latched mama and it is SO comfortable! If you only get one clothing item for nursing, get this!
Nursing Dresses
Nursing dresses are amazing! I don’t love dresses, but I love my nursing dress and I plan to get more. I got mine from latched mama.
Sunflower Lecithin
This is an amazing product that can help you if you tend to get clogged ducts. I seem to be very prone to getting clogged ducts, but taking one of these every other day seemed to make sure I didn’t have clogged ducts!
Fenugreek
Fenugreek is a supplement that can be helpful to increase your supply if you are not producing enough milk. I used a little bit when I was exclusively pumping for my son and wanted to get as much milk as I could while I could.
Pumping Bra
While I never purchased a real pumping bra, I definitely think it would be nice to have. I just cut holes in an old sports bra and it has done well for me so I can have hands free pumping.
It’s best to be prepared and have the essentials before you go into labor with your baby. I definitely went out and bought some things or quickly ordered online when I was desperate, it would have been nice to be more prepared and ready for all possibilities.
