For today’s blog, I really want to share all about my breastfeeding necklace and why I love it so much. We stock beautiful breastfeeding necklaces from Milk and Love, you can check out our full collection here. I love my Scandi Pastels design.
I never had a breastfeeding necklace with my first baby, but boy did I need one for my second baby!
My little boy, Patrick, was a great breast feeder. He latched perfectly straight away, and we never had any troubles. I am so thankful for that! He got plenty of milk, and he fed frequently and used breastfeeding for comfort as well as when he was hungry. He really did make things easy in the beginning of breastfeeding.
But as he got older, there were things that started to make breastfeeding and life with a baby a little more difficult or inconvenient. My breastfeeding necklace helped so much with these!
My baby kept putting his hands in my mouth:
From only a few months old, my baby kept putting his hands in my mouth. As soon as he found it, it was like his favourite spot to put his hands while feeding. I couldn’t stand it! This was also the time he was starting to crawl on the floor, and his hands seemed so germy and disgusting. Whenever I would grab his hands and remove them from my mouth, he would cry, or wriggle, or pull off from the breast. Of course, this was frustrating, and would means there were lots of interruptions to feeding time. This was the time I first used my breastfeeding necklace. It was wonderful, as my baby started to play with the beads instead of putting his fingers in my mouth. It worked really quickly, and he loved feeling the beads on the necklace.
Avoiding distractions:
From around 6 months old, I had a lot of trouble with both of my babies becoming distracted while feeding. This was frustrating for a number of reasons. They would have tiny feeds during the day, and then marathon feeding sessions at night. They would pull off to look around when there was any noise, exposing me to the whole world and causing me to have to quickly flip my clothing back up in the blink of an eye before everyone saw. It also made feeding time generally more time consuming and difficult. The two things I found helpful at this time were: 1) feeding away from distractions (like in a dark room away from others – not always practical!) and 2) a breastfeeding necklace. I didn’t own one with my first baby, and this meant that I was constantly in and out of dark rooms to feed, and putting up with the distraction. When I used my breastfeeding necklace with my second baby, it really helped. He looked at and played with the beads and it really helped to keep him engaged and helped avoid the distractions. Now if the dog barked, a person talked, or any other kind of noise happened, he would often keep playing with the beads, rather than pulling off and looking around.
Twiddling:
Like so many other breastfeeding mums, I had to put up with a baby who liked to twiddle. In case you haven’t experienced it, twiddling is where the baby likes to play with the other nipple while they are feeding. I cannot describe to you how much I disliked this feeling. I couldn’t stand him touching my other nipple, and had to constantly pull his hands out of my bra. It was awful! At night was even worse because I was wearing fewer clothes and there were fewer barriers to him getting to the other nipple. The. Worst. Feeling. Ever. When this started, I pulled out my breastfeeding necklace, and once again, it really helped! He could play with the beads, which were now familiar to him, and play with those instead of playing with my nipples.
Weaning:
My son is now just past 18 months old, and we have started to wean. While he is down to only having one breastfeed a day, he still likes to be close, and still wants to have his hands down my top. So recently, I put on my breastfeeding necklace once more, and the familiar beads that he is used to seeing around the neck have continued to be a comfort for him. Each time he tries to put his hands down my top, I can redirect him to the beads once again, and he will usually play with these instead of putting his hands down my top.
Style:
I may be biased because I love these necklaces so much, but I think they are really stylish and pretty. With my Scandi Pastels design, I can wear them with a whole range of different outfits, and they really add style. My breastfeeding necklace doesn’t feel like an extra accessory I need to wear, but rather a stylish part of my outfit. It also doesn’t feel “mum”ish – I’ve had lots of people comment on my necklace without ever knowing that the purpose of the necklace is to help me with breastfeeding my baby!
Adjustable length:
Our breastfeeding necklaces are extra long and can be adjusted to any size. Just tie a knot to the length you want your necklace, and then cut the excess off. You can have an extra low and long necklace if that helps your baby, or have it shorter for style and so your baby is looking up at you while playing with it.
Safety:
On a final note, I just need to add that all our breastfeeding necklaces are perfectly safe for mum and baby. The beads are made of medical grade silicone, so baby can pull on them, knock them, chew them and they won’t break or become damaged. They also detach at the back if baby pulls too hard on them, keeping them nice and safe for mum and baby. Having said that though, they are not designed to be a chew toy, so use them as a necklace and nothing more.
So there are just a few of the reasons why I love my breastfeeding necklace! Check out our collection of breastfeeding necklaces here. Which one is your favourite?