The Best Nursing Bras of 2024

When you are staring down the endless scroll of yet another baby registry checklist, it’s reasonable to ask: Do I really need that? When it comes to nursing bras, I am here to tell you that—if you are planning to breastfeed—Yes. Yes, you really do need that.

Your old bras simply will not work. But it’s not easy to find what will. There are a million nursing bras to choose from, and a bad nursing bra is the worst. It can make an already stressful time even harder by adding friction to feedings and even being downright painful. On the other hand, the right nursing bra can free you to focus on what really matters: smooching those squishy little cheeks. That’s why we’ve carefully sourced the very best nursing bras on the market today and put them to the test so you can skip right to the good stuff.

Our tests found that the best nursing bra for most parents is the Storq Full Cup Nursing Bra . This bra is ridiculously soft, fantastic for skin-to-skin, and super simple to wash.

For parents who want the support only underwire can give, the Thirdlove 24/7 Classic Nursing Bra (available at Thirdlove) is an excellent choice. It’s comfortable for all-day wear, looks great under clothes, and is easy peasy to clip and unclip for nursing.

Read on for everything you need to know about the top nursing bras, how to decide which bra is right for you, and the low-down on eight amazing options.

How We Tested Nursing Bras

The Tester

Hi! I’m Emily P.G. Erickson. I’m a freelance writer and hold a master’s degree in psychology. I write essays and journalism about mental health, mindfulness, and motherhood. But why should you trust me to review nursing bras? Well, before I became a writer, I worked as a mental health researcher. This means that I know all about conducting systematic, unbiased, careful tests like the kind we do here at Reviewed. Moreover, thanks to my three sons, I’ve been wearing nursing bras for a long time—I’ve been pregnant and/or breastfeeding for seven (!) years and counting. I nursed my oldest son until he was 2, my middle son until he was 3, and I’m currently nursing my youngest.

The Tests

I conducted tests on the nursing bras when my baby was between 2 and 4 months old. At that point, my breast size had stabilized, but I was still nursing on demand more or less around the clock. I followed each brand's protocol for sizing, which always required a measuring tape and sometimes necessitated a ping to their customer service team. In general, I came in at a 32G. This isn’t an especially common measurement, so it offered an opportunity to see how brands did with odd sizes and large-chested ladies.

Once the bras came, I wore each nursing bra for three sessions: one lasting under two hours, one lasting a full day, and one after a couple of wash cycles to test their durability. While I wore each bra, I lived my life—I walked, cooked, loved on my kids, and (of course) nursed.

During the tests, I assessed each nursing bra’s performance across 13 domains. These included: how easy it was to put on, adjustability, fit, comfort, ease of use, washability, quality, aesthetics, and how well it worked in real life.

What You Should Know About Nursing Bras

You need support without constriction

When you’re nursing, your breasts are busy, and frankly, they could use a little help. A proper nursing bra should hold you in and hold you up, all without being too tight. That support is important because your breasts will be tender and heavy off and on, especially in the early months as you adapt to your baby’s changing milk needs, and the right support can reduce this discomfort. At the same time, you want to steer away from anything too tight on your chest, as it could get in the way of milk production and even cause a painful infection called mastitis. Despite what you may have heard, this doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t wear an underwire bra. It just means you’ll want to get a high-quality one that gives you the support you crave while letting that liquid gold flow.

Your size will change

You probably noticed your breasts getting bigger during pregnancy and thought there was no way they could get even bigger postpartum. Well, buckle up because they can, and they will. Meanwhile, your overall body size will decrease after the baby is born. As a result, it can be tricky to tell your postpartum bra size while you’re still pregnant. It is why most bra manufacturers will encourage you to wait to measure your new size until around six weeks postpartum when things stabilize a bit.

There are a couple of workarounds. First, some nursing bras come in small, medium, and large sizes rather than traditional band/cup sizes. These grouped sizes account for fluctuations up and down. Second, the best nursing bras have extra stretch (like the Storq Full Cup Nursing Bra) and extra adjustability (like the ThirdLove 24/7 Classic Nursing Bra), so you can get your best fit for any given day (or hour).

You need easy access

The best nursing bras let you hold your baby in one arm and get a boob out with the other. All nursing bras reviewed here use the same tried-and-true mechanism: A little clip right where the shoulder straps meet the cup. With a simple flick of the wrist (and a satisfying snap), this style of bra allows you to pull down the bra cup on one side for your baby to nurse.

Your preferences matter

It’s easy to get lost in what is best for your baby in the early days. And of course you want what’s best for your baby. But what’s best for you matters as well. You’re half of the nursing equation! Happily, when it comes to nursing bras, it’s entirely possible to figure out something that’s best for you and your baby at the same time. This means that if you prefer a minimalist bra, you can find a great minimalist nursing bra. It also means if you love a good underwire, you don’t have to eschew them; just make sure you’re selecting a high-quality one. Whether you want something soft for snuggly Sundays or one you can wear to work on Wednesdays, there’s a nursing bra out there for you.

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Other Nursing Bras We Tested

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