What Are Nursing Clothes, and Do You Really Need Them?

29 Oct 26

If someone asked us, “Do I really need special clothes just because I’m breastfeeding?” our answer would be...not necessarily.

You can breastfeed in a regular T-shirt. You can breastfeed in a button-down shirt. You can certainly breastfeed in clothes you already own.

But perhaps the better question is: How easy is it?

Once you start breastfeeding, something that sounds like a tiny inconvenience can happen many times every day. 

Baby is hungry → adjust your clothes → breastfeed → put everything back. 

Baby wakes at night → adjust your clothes → feed → settle back into bed. 

You’re having lunch outside → baby gets hungry → find somewhere comfortable → arrange your outfit → feed.

Repeat these little steps enough times and you begin to appreciate anything that makes them simpler.

So, What Exactly Are Nursing Clothes?

In the simplest terms, nursing clothes are garments designed with breastfeeding access built into them from the beginning.

Instead of removing your top, pulling a large section of fabric upwards or undoing several buttons, you can access only the area you need for feeding.

But simply adding a “nursing opening” doesn’t automatically make a garment practical. The opening needs to be in the right place, large enough to actually use, and easy to access when your other arm is holding a baby.

We Think Good Nursing Access Should Be Simple

Real-life breastfeeding doesn’t always happen while you’re standing calmly in front of a mirror with two hands free.

Quite often, one arm is holding your baby. The other might be moving a cushion, reaching for something in your bag or trying to get comfortable.

So if the nursing opening itself requires too much effort, it rather defeats the purpose.

Many Nitan designs therefore use nursing access that can be reached easily, while some styles include an additional inner layer to provide more coverage around the body during feeding.

Why Do Some Nursing Clothes Have Overlapping Fabric?

Imagine breastfeeding in an ordinary top. When you lift the fabric, you may expose not only the breast but also part of your stomach or the side of your body.

At a café, airport, restaurant or another public space, you might prefer a little more coverage.

That’s why we like the idea of discreet nursing access. You open the area you need while keeping more of the garment in place.

Not because mothers should have to cover themselves, but because we believe the mother should be the one deciding how much coverage feels comfortable.

Front Nursing Access or Side Nursing Access?

Both can work beautifully.

Front nursing access is straightforward and can be very convenient. Side nursing access can often be concealed within seams or overlapping layers, making the breastfeeding function almost invisible when it isn’t being used.

At Nitan, we use different approaches depending on the garment. We don’t want the nursing opening to dictate what the entire dress has to look like.

Do Nursing Clothes Have to Look Like “Mom Clothes”?

We don’t think so.

We would much rather have a mother pick up a dress and think, “I love this. I want to wear it.” And then discover, “Oh — I can breastfeed in it too.”

That order makes much more sense to us.

Can You Wear Nursing Clothes During Pregnancy?

Some nursing clothes are designed with enough flexibility to accommodate the changing body during pregnancy as well. Those pieces can then continue into postpartum life, when the breastfeeding function becomes useful.

If one dress can move with you from pregnancy into postpartum and breastfeeding, it becomes a much more useful piece of clothing.

How Many Nursing Outfits Do You Actually Need?

There’s no magic number. Start with your own lifestyle.

If you’re mainly at home, comfortable nursing tops and nursing sleepwear might be the most useful place to begin. If you’re returning to work, you might appreciate dresses or tops that allow you to pump without removing the whole outfit. If you’re often out with your baby, easy-access nursing dresses that actually suit your personal style may become the pieces you reach for most.

We prefer the idea of shopping for the life you actually live rather than following a checklist telling every mother she needs exactly the same things.

So, Do You Really Need Nursing Clothes?

If the question is: “Can I breastfeed without them?” Absolutely.

But if the question is: “Can thoughtfully designed nursing clothes make everyday breastfeeding easier?” We think they can.

And that’s what we want Nitan to be about. Not simply making “clothes for moms,” but creating clothes women genuinely want to wear — with thoughtful functions designed around the reality of life after having a baby.

Fashion that still feels like you. Function that’s there when your baby needs it.

— Nitan

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