Cheap BF tops

[NewbeeMummy]

Hi all,

I was wondering if someone could advise on where to get cheap BF tops? I'm planning on BF'ing for 6 months before returning to work, but all the tops I've seen are £30+, and it feels like such a rip off for something I'm only going to wear (mainly at home) for only 6 months.

Is it best to just buy a bunch of zip/button up tops from the cheaper high street retailers in larger sizes, or is there someone out there who does tops which don't cost a lot?

I have never had a BF top and I buy all the useless tat!

Baggy top plus a cardi will hide everything.

Don't bother with bf tops, you don't need them and most of them are fairly hideous.

I would just wear normal tops. For example today I am wearing a polo neck t-shirt. I just lift up the shirt when I want to feed. If I am out and about I might use a blanket to help keep my modesty.

Thanks Moaning and ReallyTired, I was hoping that was the type of response I would get. Didn't want to get flamed for not wanting to spend what is a small fortune when on sat mat pay, getting tops I may never use again.

BF tops are a waste of money. Mostly I used two vest tops, layered. Pull the underneath one down, pull the top one up, bingo, access with modesty.

Most tops in H&M I find I can breastfeed in (ie their normal tops rather than mat section) as where other shops have tops with decorative buttons down the front the H&M ones really open, and a few other design things which just make bf easier.

But yes, buy cheap stretchy vest tops from primark or tesco or matalan or similar, layer underneath normal tops, pull up main top, down vest top and away you go. Or you can cut slits in the vest tops, or if you feed wearing a cardigan/zip up jumper you can unbutton/zip this halfway and pull your shirt up.

HTH

I have a couple of bf tops. My 6 weeks DS hates them as they only expose a tiny bit of breast, he can feel the fabric around his mouth and won't settle because he thinks I am trying to close the curtains on dinner.

Something that has worked really well for me is to buy a t-shirt and a vest top in the same colour, wear them together, then when you want to BF you pull the vest top down and the t-shirt up. Vest tops need to be a large size with a scooped neck or very stretchy with spaghetti straps, so that you can pull them down over the breast.

This has worked out well at this time of year too, as I have wearing short-sleeved t-shirts on top in August/September but have just bought myself some longsleeves for winter in colours to match the vests.

This way I can cover both the top of my breast AND my excuse for a tummy, just bring out the required amount of breast and adjust as necessary.

When I had my DD 6 years ago BF tops were hard to come by - I thought they'd be a godsend, but really they are quite a faff and not terribly nice-looking.

Good luck!

sorry x-post with loads of similar advice! It's the matching colours that does it for me, though - it makes it really hard for other people to tell that you've pulled one up and one down at a glance.

I never went for BF tops as expensive for the design (ie they're pretty pedestrian), plus felt they had a touch of the bondage about them (!)

I have found looser vests, tees, plus button up shirts, which then undo buttons from bottom up so that v discreet (This may've occured to you but I didn;t work that one out straight away!).

Also lovely scarves are a good one as you can be ultra discreet, plus shields baby from distraction and the sun (not that there's gonna be much of that now!).

If you're worried about exposing your tum - I was at first as thought it might put potential mums off conceiving - then granny pants a few sizes too big are a good one as go almost up to the breasts.

www.theshockofthetwo.blogspot.com

I lived in my BF tops whilst I BF my DS but then again I live in the Middle East where it is hot most of the time and I felt more relaxed in BF tops. The selection here is limited but I bought tops from H&M they were very cheap on-sale, but to be honest I wore them so much I would have paid full price. I think before you get established feeding they can seem like a faff but once you are confident then actually they are great.

Thanks all for the comments. The matching vest and over layer makes a lot of sense, H&M and primark here I come

Saw on which claimed to be a bf top but was just a t-shirt with slits under the arm pits which you couldn't close for £40 - I mean who really buys these things?