Clothes to Pack for Travel as a Fashionable New Mother
The first rule of fashion as a new mother is that you WILL be spit up upon, constantly. But beyond that, what must a new mama remember about travel packing in order to be both comfy and chic?
Here are the 5 principles of new mother travel fashion, illustrated by a lavish Florida photo shoot with Milk Nursingwear, during which I went a liiiiiitle over the top...
1. Pack stretchy things.
You will be bending, twisting, and contorting with your baby. Stiff fabrics will make you angry. My favorite travel combination is a tunic or nursing dress like the one in this photo, paired with leggings and a cardigan, all in stretchy and soft fabrics. The leggings and cardigan can be removed as needed... like if you wind up on a beautiful Florida beach!
2. Pack strong clothes.
You will be rubbing off spit-up all the live-long day, and doing laundry whenever possible, so the fabric of your duds must have the fortitude to endure and not pill.
3. Drape for shape and access.
In the months after giving birth, wearing drape-y layers that gather under the bust but skim past the post-baby tummy can greatly help a new mama feel pretty. I love the dress in this photo shoot because there's another benefit to the draping: an easy access slit to the "nursing area" is hidden in the folds of the torso!
This is glorious, since the only other way a nursing mother can really wear a dress without a plunging neckline is to don leggings or shorts underneath. And what's glamorous travel without flowing dresses?
4. Embrace softness.
Since becoming a mother, I can't get enough soft, cottony clothes. My favorite travel fabric used to be wrinkle-free, easy-dry synthetic, but lately I can't stand wearing synthetic because it feels scratchy. Cottony comfort is now queen!
5. Think versatility.
My #1 travel packing tip has always been, "Pack things that are also other things." A simple black tank top can be an undershirt, shirt, pajama top, and more, and a cute dress like the one pictured here can be dressed up for a fancy night out, or dressed down for frolicking on the beach at sunset. Because let's face it: The more nights out AND sunset beaches we can have, the better!
There you have my fashionable travel mama tips! What more do YOU have to add to this list?
This "Cocktail Nursing Dress" was generously provided by Milk Nursingwear (a treasure trove of nursing dresses and nursing tops), but all opinions and over-the-top photo shoot poses are my own.
The author, Lillie Marshall, is a 6-foot-tall National Board Certified Teacher of English, fitness fan, and mother of two who has been a public school educator since 2003. She launched Around the World “L” Travel and Life Blog in 2009, and over 4.2 million readers have now visited this site. Lillie also runs TeachingTraveling.com and DrawingsOf.com. Subscribe to her monthly newsletter, and follow @WorldLillie on social media!
Believe it or not, a go to outfit for me was loose white cotton pants and a simple black tee w/ black low sandals or espadrilles. The white pants usually would look pretty good w/ a little bleach if there was an accident, and the outfit was good for day or night, and somewhat stylish w/ a bright sweater tied over shoulders. The black tee was very forgiving and hid a lot-until back in shape!
I'm shocked about white pants being durable, but if it worked for you, might be worth a try!
Great tips! I really need to get some cute nursing dresses, since a dress + leggings is my go-to outfit, but that has proven to be difficult when nursing and out in public! That dress looks great and perfect for traveling, which Sam, Eve and I will be doing soon.
Yay! So glad you all will be getting on the travel horse again, too!
This dress looks cozy and you and the baby look great in that sunset light! I love reading about how people adapt their pre-baby lives to include their baby. Seeing you travel with the little one is a great inspiration!
Gosh he is cute!!
Aw, thanks! I think so too :)
functional, comfortable and stylish....and you look lovely in them.
Merci!
Love this! Great post and wonderful pictures! I love your note about "Packing things that are other things". Genius!
Looks fun.
You have no idea how much I wish there had been clothes like this around when I had kids!!!
Kudos for talking about babies and travel in the same breath too! If you begin to travel right from the beginning it never becomes a problem traveling with children.
Ooh, pretty dress! I went post-baby clothes shopping yesterday for the first time since baby - it was surprisingly fun!
It's so weird to (sort of) have a waist again!
Beautiful pics, Lillie. I can't believe how many different poses who came up with. All lovely, and it sounds like an awesome adventure with your baby.
Thanks! In fact I had EVEN MORE poses (including my signature "L" shape) but figured very overboard was more classy than ridiculously overboard. :)
Pack as little as possible. Makes for more interesting conversations ;)
Haha!