The Best Breastfeeding Pads For Preventing Leaks While Nursing

Sore nipples are no fun for anyone, but especially you because baby’s not taking a break from breakfast, lunch and dinner any time soon. These reusable hydrogel pads help provide cooling relief to sore nipples in between feedings and help heal cracked and ultra-sensitive nipples. 

Dr. Brown’s does things simple, but they do things right, from their hospital-acclaimed preemie bottles to these washable breast pads, which are significantly larger than other breast pads, at six inches in diameter, making them ideal for moms with larger breasts. They’re made of organic cotton, so they’re super soft against your often irritated nipples and come in a pack of four. You can toss them in the washing machine after each use. 

For the price and quality, you really can’t beat this deal. These organic bamboo nursing pads come in a 14-pack, which is more than most reusable packs come in, as well as a laundry bag and a gift bag. They also come in three different sizes—medium, large and extra large—so you can find the perfect fit for your breasts. Each bad as a total of 4 layers and is made to last 5-6 hours between changes. 

These reusable nursing pads are equally adorable as they are useful. They’re thin and heart-shaped and come in two levels of absorbency—three of the pairs are for a regular flow and one pair is for a heavy flow. Both pairs are made from the same super-soft top layer material that’s 57 percent bamboo viscose, 23 percent polyester and 20 percent cotton. The inner layer is made from a blend of ramie and cotton. Moms love how well these pads hold up their shape after several uses. 

If you feel bad about throwing out so many paper products, you can minimize your carbon footprint with this reusable pack of 10 super soft, flower-shaped nursing pads. They’re made out of organic bamboo, which is nice and thick as well as absorbent. This two-in-one pack includes 5 pairs total, but two of them are meant for light-to-medium flow and the other three are meant for medium-to-heavy flow, both of which will come in handy. All pads can be hand washed or thrown into the washing machine for future use. 

It’s only natural that one of the most popular brands of breast pumps would also sell their own nursing pads. They’re hypoallergenic, ultra absorbent, thanks to a polymer core, and have a leak-proof design and waterproof back layer. Unlike some reusable nursing pads, these have an adhesive strip that helps them stay put underneath your bra so they’re not moving around constantly and causing friction. Each pack comes with 120 breast pads to last you a few months at least. 

Moms trust Lansinoh, a company that’s been around since the ’80s and was founded by a breastfeeding mother, for so many of their breastfeeding products, and they have an excellent line of disposable nursing pads that come in a 200-count box. They feature a quilted honeycomb layer that stays dry even with a significant amount of drippage, as well as a contoured shape that sits nicely in your bra, without causing discomfort. 

NUK is better known for their bottle feeding products than breastfeeding, but their disposable nursing pads are a favorite among nursing moms, mainly because of how thin and seemingly non-existent they feel underneath a nursing bra. Since they’re less bulky than most of their competitors, they are great for wearing underneath tight-fitting clothing. The only negative is that, unlike many other disposable nursing pads, these ones don’t have an adhesive strip to hold them in place.