Review: Milkstars Nursing Tops (Styles: Joan and Jenny)

I bought two Milkstars nursing tops from Babysteals when I was still pregnant, for the same reason that I bought my Bravado nursing bras (check out the full review here) - so I could nurse my baby in comfort and style.  Boy, do these shirts deliver in both departments!

Milkstars nursing tops are made of the softest fabric that drapes perfectly against your figure without being tight or clingy.  The two styles that I bought have short sleeves, and have 2 layers of fabric all around.  This is so that you can lift the top layer of the shirt to give your baby access to feed, without having to bare your belly or any other unfortunately lumpy bits.  The openings in the bottom layer are generously sized so you won't have to tug at the shirt to keep fabric from getting in baby's mouth or face.

The shirts come in many different styles and colours, I bought the Jenny (scoop neck, cap sleeves) in a bold purple shade, and the Joan (scoop neck, flutter sleeves) in a hot pink.  I wish I had ten of these shirts, whenever they are clean, I am wearing them.  Once they've both been worn, I usually will do a load of laundry just so I can get them back into the rotation.  The Milkstars website recommends hand washing the shirts but acknowledges that busy moms probably won't have time for this (exactly!) so they also state that machine washing on a gentle cycle and then laying flat to dry will also work.  I have a philosophy about clothes that are supposed to be hand washed, which is as follows: if they can't survive the delicate cycle on my washer, then I wasn't meant to own them.  The Milkstars shirts have not let me down in this department.  I have even hung them on the line to dry, but I don't recommend this as the clothespins do leave dents/marks wherever it is clipped.  They do dry nicely on an indoor rack where you can fold them in half to hang them up.

I do wonder why the shirts have the double layered fabric in the back as well as the front, perhaps it is to help the material fall nicely around the body, but it does add a bit of extra warmth which I don't really need, I find that breastfeeding is enough to keep me warm most days without extra layers on top.

If you'd like to buy a Milkstars nursing top, you can do so from their website at http://www.milkstars.com - they offer flat rate shipping to the US ($7) and to Canada ($12) so you might as well get more than one!  They are currently advertised from $56 to $60 for shirts, $79 for pyjamas (be still, my heart... I would LOVE to try these out!), and $85 for a dress.  I was fortunate enough to buy my two shirts when they were on Babysteals.com for half price (http://www.babysteals.com) but if you were to spend $30-$40 on a regular nursing top from a maternity shop, you might as well put in the extra $20 and get one of these, because you will love it forever.

DEAL ALERT!  Right now on their Facebook page (search for Milkstars Nursing Wear) there's a 25% off sale code that's valid til Wednesday - so move fast!