Breastfeeding twins comes with a whole raft of challenges. One of those challenges is access to both boobs at the same time for tandem feeding. You can’t get both boobs out in all breastfeeding friendly clothes.
Technically any top is breastfeeding friendly if you can pull it up to latch a baby on. The thing is, I don’t want to expose my post-twin tummy to anyone that doesn’t need to see it. Plus, just pulling up a regular top is a challenge when tandem feeding. Both hands are needed for the babies and you end up with fabric up round your neck with no way to keep it from falling on the babies. Doesn’t work.
If you’ve ever wondered ‘can I tandem feed in this’, this post is for you. I’ve put together a list of clothes that you can tandem feed in, by boob access. And if you’re breastfeeding one baby, you sure can breastfeed in these clothes.
Slit access – horizontal
By slit access I mean a top that has a horizontal slit under the bust. It means you can raise the top panel above your boobs to feed. The bottom panel pulls down below your bust but stays in place covering your belly.
This style is very simple to feed in. Access is quick and you don’t have excess fabric in the way. It’s perhaps not the most stylish look but it’s probably my personal favourite!
Slit access – vertical
Tops with hidden vertical slit access are great because they don’t scream ‘breastfeeding top’. They’re a little more flattering and slick than other styles.
Access to your breasts is relatively quick because you don’t have to battle with buttons. It’s also very discrete for tandem feeding. The only downside of this style is there’s a lot of fabric to contend with when feeding two babies.
Zip access
There’s a lot to love about zip access for tandem breastfeeding. It’s fast and easy access, which is important when you have two hungry babies. Tops or dresses with zip fronts are relatively easy to find in regular stores. They tend to be more flattering than tops that are also maternity tops.
On the downside. The zip can sometimes scratch little faces. Also, zip from tops or dresses can leave your chest very exposed.
Button access – shirts and plackets
A regular button up shirt is a great option for tandem breastfeeding. One of the benefits is that shirts are regular fitting rather than doubling as both a maternity and breastfeeding style. They’re easy to find and aren’t as expensive as some clothes designed for breastfeeding. Shirt front dresses are an excellent option for summer tandem feeding.
The downside of shirts is that you do end up with a lot of boob on show. Babies aren’t always especially patient while you undo buttons either.
Placket button shirts or Henley type tops are hit and miss. The benefits of a placket style top is they aren’t obviously a ‘breastfeeding’ top and are inexpensive. They are great for feeding a single baby. Whether you can tandem feed in them depends on how low the buttons are. The longer the placket, the better. Going up a size is wise.
Wrap front
Wrap fronts are great for providing fast boob access. There’s no buttons or zips to fuss around with and all the fabric is out of the way. The downside of a wrap front is that they do leave a lot of your chest exposed when tandem feeding. It’s not an issue when feeding a single baby. Often wrap fronts are a maternity style which aren’t always flattering on a non-preggo body.
Invisible zip
Tops with invisible zip access tend to be active wear. To the naked eye, you can barely see the zips, which means the top looks like a regular top. They also fit like a standard top.
Invisible zips provide discrete and reasonably fast access. There’s plenty to love about this style. There’s no doubt that you can tandem feed in it!
Can I tandem feed in this? The movie!
Take a look at this video, Can I tandem feed in it, to see these tops in action.
Want these tops?
Slit access – horizontal from Milk and Love
Hidden slit access – vertical, Swing Back nursing top from Blossom and Glow
Wrap front from Glama Mama
Zip access – Moolk shop
Invisible zip breastfeeding hoodie from Mammojo
Linking up with Kylie for #IBOT
That looks like the scariest juggling act ever!
It was daunting at first but now I love it!
Tandem feeding must be an every day reality for Mum’s of twins, I can imagine they would often be hungry at the same time. Great tips here.
How much did I love this post. You are a wonderful mum!! I used to use the under the arm feed position for my son when “I was too full” but a long time ago no-one ever actually breastfed in public. It WAS 38 years ago. Sigh. D xx
Wow! Invisible zips and hidden zips. Things have changed since I breastfed. It’s awesome there is so much variety out there to make feeding in public easier – especially for mums of twins.
Great advice here and lots of great options to choose from too. I never realised there were quite so many different styles of breastfeeding tops available. #teamIBOT
You’re a rock star. My friend had twins about 5 years ago, and she was endlessly on the hunt for clothes to make feeding possible. Oh, the juggle. Thank you for sharing this! I’ll make sure she knows it’s here in case she knows any new twin Mummas.
Oh that’s such a sweet comment, thank you so much. It sure is a juggle but absolutely worth the effort!