CREDIT: UnSplash
Let’s be honest, if you’ve got kids who are still young enough to be breastfeeding, the chances are you probably don’t get out much. Like many other parents, my nights out are few and far between, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like to get into the spirit of festive party season – even if the party is in my front room, with my two kids and husband. With this in mind, I’ve been browsing some breastfeeding outfits for Christmas, to take me from the living room to the pub to the occasional night on the tiles.
Here’s what I’ve come up with…
Top and bottom combinations:
Hard to believe, but this will be the third Christmas I’ve had to take boob access into consideration when planning my outfits. By far the easiest option is top and bottoms – be that shorts with tights, skirts or trousers. Having previously been a big dress fan I don’t actually wear dresses very much at the moment (sob) because it always seems easier to opt for a combination outfit instead. Here are some of my favourite festive ones around at the moment:
From left to right: Metallic shimmer shirt, £14, Nobody’s Child | Black velvet embellished shorts, £35, River Island | Black velvet mid sleeve bardot top, £26, River Island | Gold metallic pleated midi skirt, £35, River Island | Silver sequin top, £35, River Island | Glitter pleated culottes, £20, Nobody’s Child
The thing I love about all these outfits is that they’re not too skimpy, are flattering for a new mum figure and look comfortable at the same time. These are all things I wanted from my clothes when I’d just had a baby – and still want now, two years on. I think the gold pleated skirt is my favourite though, I’m still very partial to a midi skirt even in the depths of winter.
Dresses:
Confession: I’m a definite dress person. I’ve always been a dress person. Give me a pair of jeans and a “going out top” or a pretty dress for a night on the tiles and I’ll choose dress every time. HOWEVER, as mentioned above, since boob access has been the number one priority of all my outfits, dresses have been pushed to the back of the wardrobe. So many dresses in the shops that could be breastfeeding friendly are just too short these days (accidental bum flash at soft-play, anyone?) and loads of the specific breastfeeding dresses I’ve found just feel too frumpy or unflattering. So it’s always exciting when I find a dress that is a) breastfeeding appropriate and b) is something I’d actually wear, breastfeeding or not.
Here are some of my favourite party dress options:
From left to right: Black and gold pleated midi dress, £38, River Island | Crossover velvet dress, £29.99, Zara | Sequin pleated midi dress, £125, Topshop
OK, so the two cami midi dresses aren’t going to work with a big ol’ nursing bra. But if you can ditch the breastfeeding bra and go either bra-less or wear a regular strapless bra instead, then they should offer easy pull-down boob access. If you’re after something really flattering (and warm!) then the crossover velvet dress by Zara is probably your best bet. I think this could very well be my Christmas Day dress!
Have you found any great breastfeeding party outfits outfits recently (as in, party outfits you could wear while breastfeeding, not outfits you could wear to a “breastfeeding party” – that would just be weird)?
(More breastfeeding outfit inspiration here, here and here.)
It’s been a while since I was breastfeeding, but I love that velvet dress from Zara! I may have to go and investigate those..