Nursing your baby is part of motherhood. However, we understand the challenge that breastfeeding can bring. More so if you have to do it in public.

For moms who haven’t done this before, it can seem like an intimidating thing to do. However, you don’t have to be afraid.

To make you feel more comfortable, here are six tips that will make it easier for you to nurse your baby in public.

Know and understand your rights

Breastfeeding is something that all moms should be able to do without issue if they can, but unfortunately, that is not the case. Therefore, it might be ideal to know and understand your rights as a breastfeeding mother. This includes what you can do should you nurse your kid in public.

All 50 states legally allow breastfeeding in public places. But there are other specificities with each state that you should look into first. If you’re a working mom, know that the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) does require your place of employment to have a separate nursing room for moms.

Know that you shouldn’t feel harassed, othered, or threatened because you are breastfeeding your child.

Practice at home

Before you start heading out and breastfeeding in public, you might want to try practicing it at home first. This step is significant for moms who feel scared or anxious about doing it in public for the first time.

Doing it in a place where you feel comfortable first can help you get a better idea of how you look, so do this in front of a mirror. You may discover that your baby will be covering your breast, which is why you’re not as exposed as you would think at first.

Once you get more comfortable, you can also try interacting with fellow breastfeeding moms at a cafe. Doing so can help reduce the anxiety you feel when breastfeeding in public.

Wear nursing-friendly clothes

Having nursing-friendly clothes is another excellent way to breastfeed in public with ease. Instead of raising a shirt or going through a lot of commotion to feed your baby, nursing-friendly clothes help make that step easier for you.

There are both tops and dresses that are nursing-friendly, so you can wear whatever you feel like wearing. There are all sorts of methods on how these clothes become nursing-friendly, so feel free to shop around first to see one you like.

Use a nursing cover

A nursing or breastfeeding cover helps give a lot of moms the privacy they need when they’re out and about and feed their babies. However, it’s not necessary at all as a part of your gear when it comes to raising your baby. It’s all a matter of personal preference.

You can even use multi-use nursing covers that will help give you a sense of privacy whenever you need it. When you don’t, it can be anything from a scarf to a shopping cart cover, and so on.

Find a comfortable nursing position

Your nursing position also has a lot to do with how comfortable you’re going to be when nursing your baby in public. Before you settle down and nurse your child, look for a place that has a backrest. That way, you can be relatively relaxed while still breastfeeding your baby.

Be confident and smile!

You have to be confident and self-assured on the outside when nursing your baby. Stand your ground because you have every right to feed your baby the nourishment they need. What you’re doing is perfectly normal, so you don’t have to worry so much about it.

Over to You

The quick and easy tips listed above should ease you into feeling comfortable nursing in public. The key is to know your rights, get some practice in, and invest in some nursing accessories to make everything seamless.

Next time, try these things out before you go in public with your baby so that you’ll become more and more comfortable about it.