Posted by Setting up a breastfeeding station before you bring your baby home from the hospital is one of the things you can do to support yourself in your breastfeeding journey.
When I became a first time mom, I found breastfeeding to be the most wonderful yet challenging aspect of my newfound motherhood.
I had no idea that there would be such a big learning curve!
Flat nipples, leaky nipples, chafed nipples, latch issues and a clogged milk duct – these are some challenges I didn’t realize I’d be dealing with (but don’t let this scare you!).
Setting up a breastfeeding station with the right items allowed me to push past the difficult beginnings of breastfeeding and enjoy a beautiful experience.
In this post, I’m going to share what essentials you’ll need at your nursing station, as well as a few tips I’ve learned after successfully breastfeeding two babies for over a year each.
This post contains affiliate links. For more information read my disclosure here.
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What Should Be Included At A Breastfeeding Station?
Whether you plan to breastfeed in a rocker in the nursery, your bed or your couch, you’ll need something to hold all of your smaller supplies. Grab a basket from around the house or a diaper caddy with dividers to keep things organized. I’ve even seen some moms who use a rolling cart for their items.
Here’s what you’ll need:
Nipple Cream
When you’re first learning to breastfeed your baby, it will take practice for the both of you to get the latch right. Until you do, your nipples will be chafed and possibly even cracked to the point of bleeding.
And let me tell you, it hurts.
Keep lanolin cream at your breastfeeding station and apply it often to help you get through it. I experienced chafing with both of my babies in the first 2-3 weeks of breastfeeding. The good news is that it doesn’t last forever as you both get the hang of it.
Nipple Pads
After you’ve slathered on your nipple cream, replace your nipple pads too if needed. Your breasts will leak a lot in the first several weeks as your body regulates the amount of milk it needs to make for baby.
Boppy Pillow
You will be spending several hours a day feeding your baby so make sure to invest in a nursing pillow like the Boppy Pillow or My Breast Friend for your breastfeeding station. These offer the best support and comfort for the task, and also allow you to try out different breastfeeding positions to get the right latch.
I am a big fan of the boppy pillow over My Breast Friend, but of course, this is a personal preference. You’ll figure out quickly what’s comfortable for you.
Pump & Parts
Planning to pump? Make sure your pump can reach an outlet from your breastfeeding station. Otherwise, I suggest getting an extension cord as the battery packs on the pumps don’t last very long in my experience (and they take tons of batteries).
If you haven’t gotten your pump yet, you can get one for free with your insurance card here.
Tip:
If your nipples become flat when your milk comes in because your breasts are so engorged, use the pump for like 10 seconds just to pull the nipple out so baby can latch. I had to do this several times with my second baby before my milk regulated and my swollen breasts went down.
Nipple Shield
Keep a nipple shield at your breastfeeding station in case your nipples are just absolutely too cracked and painful to nurse or your baby is unable to latch at all.
I had to use one with my firstborn for the first 6 weeks of his life. And if I’m being totally transparent, I sincerely wish I hadn’t had to, but I was determined to nurse. It made nursing take soooo much longer and it was a struggle to finally get him to latch without it. (But we did it!)
So I only recommend this if it’s the only way. This is actually how I came up with the pump trick I mentioned above for my second baby. I really didn’t want to use a nipple shield again!
Snacks
Keep snacks in your breastfeeding basket at all times because you will be RAVENOUS… yes even in the middle of the night! It’s all about the one-handed snack at this point. So throw some snack bars in there for easy refueling.
Water Bottle
Speaking of being ravenous, you will also be extra thirsty. Breastfeeding moms need to drink lots and lots of water. If you don’t already have a large water bottle, you can track your water intake with a bottle like this one.
Dimmable Night Light
When you breastfeed your baby at night, the last thing you want to do is turn on the lights. Your baby’s circadian rhythm is already off when you bring them home from the hospital. Keeping things dark at night will help them to regulate it as they get used to the world around them.
I’ve always kept this portable and dimmable night light right next to me, which allows me to see enough to get the latch right but without it being too bright for me and baby to go back to sleep when we’re done. You’ll also need it for those middle of the night diaper changes which usually happen at the same time.
Burp Cloths
Burp cloths are a no brainer for your breastfeeding station. You’ll be going through lots of these daily for burping and wiping up any drooly milk or spit up.
But, you can also use a burp cloth as a way of remembering which side you last fed on. At least that’s what I did.
Here’s how:
If you’re feeding baby on the right side, put a burp cloth on the right side of the Boppy pillow under your baby. Not only will it catch any milk that dribbles out of baby’s mouth, but the next time you come back to nurse, you’ll see the burp cloth on the right side and know you need to move it to the left and nurse.
Waterproof Pad
Sometimes burp cloths just aren’t enough for spit up. If you get a real puker like my kiddo was, you might need to take it a step further.
My second baby never knew when to quit nursing and would often throw up right afterward breastfeeding. And not just a little. Like a lot. Burp cloths could not hold the amount this kid would spew.
I put this waterproof pad down and when I knew the milk was coming up I’d hold him over that! It was much easier to throw that in the washing machine than to steam clean the chair each time this happened and wait for it to dry.
You can also drape it over the back of the chair or couch to protect your furniture for when baby projectile spits up over your shoulder 😬.
Feeding/Diaper Tracker and Pen
You’ll need to document your newborn’s feedings and poopie diapers for the first couple of weeks at least. Your doctor will want to see this, so the best way to do it is to write it down immediately after each feed and diaper change. (You can print my free tracker here).
I remember being so completely sleep deprived in that first week that I had trouble remembering things that had happened hours earlier. Write things down immediately because you may not remember!
Phone Charger
I spent many hours gazing at my beautiful baby while breastfeeding and many of the other hours surfing the Internet while I was stuck in one place. Consider placing a phone charger at your breastfeeding station or a portable power bank that can charge your phone up quickly. You’ll probably be on it a lot!
More Items To Consider For Your Breastfeeding Station
Nail Scissors
The easiest time to clip your baby’s nails is right after they’re full and fast asleep on you. And when I say clip, I don’t actually mean clip. “Infant” clippers are awful (I know from experience 😣).
I recommend keeping this pair of baby nail scissors in your breastfeeding basket instead so it’s right there when you need them. They have rounded edges to cut across the nail so there’s no chance of pinching and cutting the soft tips of baby’s finger.
Hand Mitts
I like to keep hand mitts or even just a pair of newborn socks at my breastfeeding station to put over baby’s hands after he’s done feeding and has fallen asleep. That way when I transfer him to his crib, I don’t have to worry about him scratching his face in his sleep as newborns love to do!
Blanket
Keep a blanket near your breastfeeding station for either yourself or to cover baby up with as necessary. Get those cozy baby snuggles in!
Final Thoughts On Setting Up A Breastfeeding Station
Breastfeeding your newborn is a wonderful bonding experience, and being prepared with these nursing essentials will make that experience that much easier and sweeter.
Make sure to add them to your baby registry (if you haven’t started a registry yet you can create one here).
Here’s a recap of the breastfeeding station essentials you’ll need.
- Nipple cream
- Nipple pads
- Boppy pillow or My Breast Friend
- Pump and parts
- Nipple shield
- Snacks
- Water bottle
- Dimmable night light
- Burp cloths
- Waterproof pad
- Feeding/Diaper tracker
- Phone charger
- Nail scissors
- Hand mitts or newborn socks
- Blanket
More Posts:
- Labor Hospital Bag Checklist (Free Printable)
- Third Trimester Checklist: The Pregnancy To Do List You Won’t Want To Forget
- Postpartum Care Kit: The Only Things I Needed The Hospital Didn’t Give Me
- What To Pack In Baby’s Diaper Bag
- 35 Baby Registry Must Haves
- Newborn Hygiene: 7 Common Questions Answered For New Moms
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