With so many breastfeeding products out on the market, it can be hard to know which ones are the best to use.
It can be even harder to know exactly HOW to use those products.
I have now breastfed my 2 babies a combined 3 years and counting. And I have also helped countless other women breastfeed their babies over the years as a nurse.
Over the years of growing in my knowledge and passion of breastfeeding, I have really dialed in on some helpful tips and products that can help your journey go much smoother.
These are the 15 BEST breastfeeding products currently on the market that you need and how to use them!
*Plus some extra bonuses added in throughout this list!*
1. Breast Shells
I have tried 2 different styles and brands of breast shells.
The first are the Medela breast shells. These were given to me in the hospital by my lactation consultant after I had my first baby.
They are still what we give to our patients in the hospital now 3 years later.
The other style/brand I’ve tried are the breast shells made by Haakaa.
There’s a few different purposes for using breast shells.
First, they help to protect your nipples from rubbing against your bra or clothing.
In those early days of breastfeeding when your nipples are tender, wearing breast shells can help to relieve some of that pain by preventing additional trauma from rubbing against clothing.
Probably the most popular reason for nurses and lactation consultants to give new moms breast shells is to help evert their nipples.
If a mom has flat or inverted nipples, wearing breast shells in between feedings can help them to stick out more which makes it easier for baby to get a proper latch.
Another great use for nipple shells is one that I actually didn’t discover until I used them for myself!
They can collect let down!
After my milk started coming in with my first baby, I noticed that some colostrum would pool inside the shells when I wore them.
I would then use a syringe to collect that colostrum and then feed it to baby.
That’s extra liquid gold that would otherwise have been wasted.
I do have to say that out of the 2 types of breast shells I’ve tried, the ones by Haakaa are definitely my favorite.
I love that that they don’t have the holes in them that the Medela ones do.
I found out the hard way many times that it’s very easy for milk to leak out of the holes in the Medela breast shells if you move or hold them a certain way.
The Haakaa breast shells are pretty much completely enclosed around your nipple once you close the top spout.
This not only allows for MUCH more milk to be able to be collected, but also that spout at the top makes it much easier to pour from.
I also like that they are made out of silicone and can be slightly suctioned onto the breast.
Whereas the Medela breast shells are made out of plastic.
Either one serves their main purposes and can be very helpful, especially in the beginning of your breastfeeding journey.
2. Nipple Shields
Nipple shields can be useful in situations where the baby is having issues latching.
Latching issues can be due to a tongue or lip tie, positioning issues, uncoordinated latching from the baby, or even depending on the mom’s nipple anatomy.
In many of these cases, people often think that either they or baby just aren’t cut out for nursing, or that it can’t work for them. But this rarely ever has to be the case.
If you WANT to continue to nurse your baby, but are having issues with getting a proper latch, using a nipple shield could be really helpful for you and baby.
Another benefit of nipple shields, is they can provide some rest and reprieve if you are sore or having pain when your baby latches.
I always say that any severe pain, nipple trauma, etc. is typically linked to an improper latch. So if you are having any of these issues, please reach out to a lactation nurse to get further assistance in establishing a good, deep latch.
The majority of the time, the use of a nipple shield can be temporary. Once baby gets a little older and more coordinated and can get the hang of that good latch, most people can ditch the shield.
So if you’re worried about the shield causing nipple confusion or that you’ll be stuck using it forever, I hope that offers you some reassurance.
The best way to apply a nipple shield is to dampen the flange on the side that will be touching your breast.
Next, it helps if you can invert the shield almost inside out.
You will then apply the nipple portion over your own nipple, and then you can flip the flange portion to fit to your breast.
This can take a bit of practice, so try to be patient and give yourself grace if you’re having a hard time with it.
You do want to make sure to thoroughly clean your shield(s) between each use. You can just use soap and warm water to do so.
3. Syringes
Most people probably wouldn’t think of syringes as something that could be used for breastfeeding. But they can actually really come in handy!
In the early days of breastfeeding, you may have to manually express breast milk out for various reasons. This can be done either with a pump or via hand expression.
Once your milk/colostrum is expressed out into a bottle or medicine cup, you can then collect it with a small 1-5cc syringe.
If you have your baby at a hospital, you can always ask your nurse to supply you with some of these. Otherwise you can also order these if you need them.
Once in the syringe, you can either immediately give the expressed milk to your baby by slowly pushing a few milliliters into baby’s mouth at a time, or store it to use later.
It helps if you use a gloved finger for the baby to suck on and then apply the tip of the syringe into the corner of the baby’s mouth to do this.
You can also use this same technique while baby is at the breast if you are wanting to ensure baby is getting enough milk.
Instances where you would want to utilize syringe feeding could be:
- Just for your own peace of mind
- If your baby was born premature
- If your baby was born with a lower or higher than average birth weight
- If baby has high or low blood sugar levels
- Or if your baby has high levels of bilirubin (aka jaundice).
4. Breast Pads
These are an absolute MUST for me!
Not everyone leaks milk while nursing their baby or in between nursing sessions.
But others of us wake up in a pool of our own bodily secretions or spray our babies in their eyeballs with letdown.
Anyone else, or am I the only human milk fountain here??
There are plenty of disposable breast pads to choose from if you want to go that route. I have tried ones from both Lansinoh and Medela and they worked just fine.
But for as often as I am going through breast pads, I personally don’t like having that extra expense or contribution to waste.
So I prefer to use reusable breast pads.
My favorite ones that I have tried are these ones by the brand Nature Bond.
I really like this brand. They’re also who I get my knock off haakaa silicone pumps from too which I will mention later.
The breast pads are made of bamboo which makes them very soft and comfortable and highly absorbent.
I also love that they come with pretty lace overlays! Because who feels ultra sexy putting a pad in their bra to absorb their leaky milk? But these at least help it be a LITTLE prettier.
5. Nursing Pillow
I wouldn’t classify a nursing pillow as an absolute must have as far as breastfeeding products go, but they certainly can be helpful, especially in the beginning.
I’ve only ever owned the Boppy pillow that was gifted to me from a sweet friend that I work with.
But I have used the My Breast Friend pillow once at my lactation nurse’s office after I had my first baby. And I’ve also seen countless people use each brand.
Overall I have to say I do think the My Breast Friend one is the better option. Simply for the fact that it wraps completely around you and fastens which offers better back support.
It also lays up against your body much better than the Boppy and is a bit more structured.
I can’t tell you how many people I’ve heard agree with me that there tends to be this weird gap in between your body and the Boppy that babies tend to kind of sink down into.
And the whole purpose of a nursing pillow is to help with positioning for both mom and baby.
But I will say that one hack I discovered with the Boppy is that if you wear it backwards, so wrapped around your back rather than your front, it offers great back support and baby can still rest on it while nursing!
Another type of breastfeeding pillow that can be helpful is this arm pillow.
This just helps to give your arm and the baby’s head some support and prevent muscle discomfort all is all too common from breastfeeding.
6. Hand pump
A hand pump can be super useful in many different situations.
If you have flatter or more inverted nipples, you can use a hand pump to help pull the nipple out more to give baby more of something to latch onto.
You can also use that same technique if you’re engorged to help not only evert the nipple, but to also remove a small amount of milk as well.
There were many times before I had my hands free pump that I would actually prefer to just use a hand pump over pulling out my double electric pump that had to be plugged in to a wall.
7. Haakaa
Going along with a hand pump, a Haakaa pump can be used for all the same reasons and more!
This is possibly my top favorite breastfeeding product!
The one I’ve always used is actually a more affordable one by the brand Nature Bond and I LOVE it!
After having my first baby, it was really important to me, for many reasons, to store up a freezer stash.
I had to go back to work part time pretty quickly after having her.
Along with working part time, I also had to go back to nursing school when she was five months old.
So between work and school, I had to be away from her a decent amount from six months on.
The silicone pump that I had really helped to build the freezer stash that I needed for those times.
I actually was able to save up hundreds of ounces of breast milk over the course of a few months.
And I never felt like I was having to be attached to a pump excessively in order to create a stash.
I would simply nurse my baby and then attach the silicone pump to the other breast.
How this works is that while your baby is nursing on one side, your opposite breast naturally lets down milk.
So then when you attach the silicone pump to that side, not only does it catch that let down, but it also pulls a little bit of extra milk as well from the extra stimulation.
I do want to caution you not to do this very often however.
Although this pump does not pull milk from the breast as actively as a double electric pump would, it does still stimulate production.
I recommend building your stash using this method once or twice a day while nursing your baby.
A Haakaa pump is also great to have if you are experiencing a clogged milk duct!
You’ll put a couple tablespoons of epsom salt in some warm water in the silicone pump.
Then, AFTER your baby is finished nursing on the affected side, go ahead and suction the Haakaa to that breast to help pull the rest of the build up clogging the duct.
Massage is also an effective way to help with a clogged duct. You can just use your fingers in circular motions all around the problem area.
This breast massager also works really well for this too!
8. Double electric pump
As much of a fan as I am of the hand pump and Haakaa style pump, a double electric pump definitely has its benefits.
My favorite style of double electric pump hands-down is a hands-free style pump.
With my first daughter I just had the generic Medela pump that I got for free from my insurance.
While that one worked just fine for times like when I was away from her during 12 hour shifts or clinicals, I still much more prefer the hands-free style pump that I have now.
The three top styles of hands-free breast pumps on the market right now are the Elvie, the Willow, and the Freemie.
I would love to try out the Elvie or the Willow but so far I have only tried the Freemie pump and have absolutely loved it!
9. Storage bags
I’ve used a few different styles of breast milk storage bags over the years.
Although they pretty much all work the same, there are better than others.
My favorite overall would probably have to be the Lansinoh breast milk storage bags.
They hold more milk than other brands that I have used, and they are better about laying flat in the freezer.
This is important because it helps you to optimize the amount of space that you have to be able to get more of a stash built up in less freezer space.
10. Bottles
Baby bottles is obviously one of the most popular baby products out there with all different shapes and sizes and styles.
Whether you choose to exclusively breastfeed, mostly breastfeed and gives some bottles, or exclusively bottlefeed, will determine what type of bottle may be best for you.
For mostly breastfeeding babies, the Nuk and Comotomo style bottles have been my favorites.
They are some of the best at preventing baby from taking in excess air.
11. Bras
Some people can get away with still just wearing their old sports bras or regular bras while nursing.
Personally, I much prefer to wear designated nursing bras!
These sleep style bras are great because you don’t have to even mess with unclipping any clasps.
You can just pull the bra over to the side and have access to feed your baby.
I will say though that I do prefer nursing bras that have a little padding in them, as well as a bit more support.
My favorite style of a bra to wear during the day is a sport’s bra style nursing bra.
Not only does it provide great support and padding, it’s also racerback! It has easy to open clasps too.
If you’re looking for a prettier/sexier option for special occasions or to just feel a bit more feminine, I like these lace nursing bras!
They aren’t as comfortable for all day, everyday wear like the ones I mentioned above. But they’re pretty and still give nursing access!
12. Tanks
I LOVE nursing tank tops!
Many times I will actually just wear these as a bra too!
So it’s important to me that they have built in bras for me to put breast pads in, as well as provides good support.
I’ve tried a few different styles of nursing tanks over the years and these ones are probably my favorite!
13. Heat/cold packs
In the early days of breastfeeding when your milk first comes in, engorgement can be a painful issue.
These cold/heat packs from Lansinoh are great during this time!
For engorged breasts, you mostly want to use cold to diminish the swollen tissue.
Using excess heat during this time can actually stimulate MORE milk production and can contribute to additional swelling.
This is also why I recommend being careful not to let the hot water from the shower beat on your chest if you’re experiencing engorgement.
A time when heat CAN be beneficial however, is if you’re experiencing a clogged duct, mastitis, or wanting to increase your milk supply.
14. Nipple Cream
In my experience, the main time you need nipple cream is those first few days of breastfeeding before your milk comes in.
Once your milk comes in, I find that squeezing a bit of your own milk out and rubbing that on is the best form of treatment for sore nipples!
But in the meantime, some of my favorite things to use and suggest to other moms is a combination of coconut oil, vitamin E oil, and some type of natural nipple balm.
Motherlove, Bamboobies, and Earth Mama are all good options!
You can also use a lanolin cream such as this kind from Medela or this one from Lansinoh. I’ve used those as well!
The main thing to remember with using balms, creams, and oils for sore nipples, is to apply them liberally in between EACH feeding!
Especially while baby is cluster feeding and your nipples aren’t getting that long of breaks between feedings, keeping them lubricated is important!
15. Nursing Cover
While a nursing cover may not be a necessity to some breastfeeding moms, it definitely is to others.
Now with my second baby, I rarely ever cover. And if I ever do it’s typically just with a burp cloth or receiving blanket.
With my first daughter however, I wasn’t as comfortable nursing around people. So I used the Milksnob cover when I found I needed to cover.
I love nursing covers that are the 3 in one style like those so they can also be used as a car seat or shopping cart cover.
Having couple on hand is good too for this reason.
If you’ve been using one cover over the car seat or shopping cart, it’s good to have another clean one to use as a nursing cover.
You can also make your own nursing cover if you’d like a fun sewing project!
Here’s a tutorial from one of my favorite bloggers on how to make one!