Nursing in public and babywearing go hand-in-hand. You can nurse in virtually any kind of carrier. I’ve assembled a collection of how-to videos to make your nursing in public experience even easier. It’s also great for around the house, most babies love to be worn an it can allow you to get some work done or look after older children.
Breastfeeding your Newborn in a Wrap
A woven wrap has been my favourite carrier. Its beautiful, practical and so versatile. You can easily go from newborn-to-toddler-to-preschooler with a good woven wrap. Front carries, side carries, back carries, all with one single piece of fabric. Wraps take a while to really get the hang of, but once you do, you can easily become addicted to learning all the different types of carries.
Nursing your newborn in a wrap takes a bit of skill and even more confidence, but with some practice it becomes one of the absolute best ways to nurse in public because it is securely hands free and extremely discreet. I don’t agree that you need to be modest when you nurse in public, but I do think women need to do whatever makes them feel comfortable when it comes to breastfeeding, so if you want more modesty, but hate the covers, this is the way to go!
Front wrap Cross Carry<–Click to get instructions on this carry
The great thing about this position is that its easy to get into (You can go a lot faster than Diana does in this video once you get the hang of it), and you don’t have to do much adjusting to switch your baby to a nursing position. I also like that the baby nurses in an upright position, which many babies find comfortable especially if you have a strong letdown.
This video is also a newborn in a FCC, but the baby is slightly older (about 6 weeks) with feet out. Really shows how quick and easy it can be!
hip cross carry <–click to get instructions on this carry
This carry is brilliant for nursing. It’s very comfortable. Watch for the second part of the video with Diana shows us how to wear the wrap and then insert the baby. This is great because you can put the wrap on when you leave the house and put your baby in from the carseat when you arrive at your destination without having to fiddle around too much with the wrap.
Front Cross Cradle <– click to get instructions on this carry
This is the pretty standard wrap carry. The video starts with the wrap already on, so here are the instructions for doing a front cross cradle. Look for the second half of the video where Diana shows you how to make easy adjustments for hands free nursing.
Nursing your baby in a football hold
I’m so excited to have found this video!! I nursed Wolf using the football hold for months, this is the primary position most preemie Mamas or C-Section Mamas will use. It’s also very helpful when you have large breasts and a small newborn! I had no idea you could nurse your baby in the wrap using a football hold. This video shows how simple it can be! Now I’m even more excited for my next nursling!!