Note: There is no one universal “best,” especially when it comes to parenting. These are “The Best Nursing Pads” based on Also Mom's strict criteria, detailed here.
New moms are leaky af. And while it’s a bit of a right of passage to soak through a shirt with milk, all the better if you can avoid that war story entirely.
That’s where nursing pads come in. Stick a couple of these suckers into your bra, change ‘em out when they’re wet, and voila.
Some moms will only need breast pads for the first few weeks, others for the first few months, and still other special unicorns might find that they don’t need them at all. Regardless, it’s nice to have a few on hand as a preventative measure, and to protect your shirts from nipple balm, if you’re planning to breastfeed.
There is only one choice you need to make? Reusable or disposable?
If you go reusable…
Props, because they’re easy to wash and you only have to buy them once.
We love Bamboobies Washable Nursing Pads. Get the overnight ones for, well overnight, and if you prefer to have a lighter stash as well, you can grab a box of the heart-shaped ultra-thins as well, though we found the overnight nursing pads to fit well in any bra or top, making the thinner pads largely unnecessary.
You can also find organic bamboo nursing pads on Amazon for about half the price of Bamboobies. They're totally fine.
If you go disposable…
That’s fine too. Lansinoh Stay Dry Nursing Pads work well. You can also try Medela Disposable Nursing Pads, which are sometimes less expensive. (Amazon prices fluctuate regularly on these items, so depending on where you purchase these things, you might get a better deal on one versus the other.)
And just like that, no more milk-stained shirts. (Unless your baby pukes fresh milk on you, in which case, sorry we can’t help you.)
Featured image courtesy of mama artist Kayla Gale (@slow.season).