As a nursing mother, I am always incredibly happy to find products that support a woman’s right to breastfeed outside of her home. Life doesn’t stop or slow down just because you have children – there are still errands to run, people to visit, trips to take, and with a nursing baby in tow, public breastfeeding becomes a very likely possibility.
Thankfully, the days of being told to simply throw a blanket over your child’s head are slowly becoming a thing of the past. Growing awareness of the importance of breastfeeding brings with it newer, more modern options for ensuring the comfort of both mother and child when nursing in public.
BabyBond, a creative new take on breastfeeding covers, was created with the intention of allowing for “nursing, conversing, and bonding”. Speech-Language Pathologist Missy Reder learned early on that eye contact and attention are vital to cognitive and language development.
Once she began to have children of her own, Missy realized that daily events make for wonderful learning experiences, and that breastfeeding in particular offered infinite opportunities for a mother to interact and communicate with her child.
Nursing discreetly in public was a challenge since she refused to keep her children’s heads covered, and there were few options available to help her keep certain body parts from being exposed. Frustrated by this lack of versatility, Missy envisioned an accessory that would comfortably cover a breastfeeding mom, but not her baby – and, the next morning, created what would be the very first BabyBond nursing cover.
BabyBond differs from traditional nursing covers in that it is not oversized or apron-like. Instead, BabyBond resembles a sash, placed over mom’s head and spread out beneath her shoulders. Double-paneling keeps breasts covered above and below, while the layers of fabric separate easily to allow baby to latch on.
There are three distinct styles of BabyBond covers – Original, Flex, and Couture. BabyBond Original functions in exactly the way detailed above, and includes a built-in double-layer terry velour burp cloth. Both items store in a matching pouch.
BabyBond Flex differs in that the included burp cloth is removable, allowing the cover to be worn with another cloth of choice or with nothing attached.
The final style, BabyBond Couture, offers mom the most versatility, creating a custom fit with its adjustable properties. A combination nursing 
cover and belly-band, the Couture style can be worn to nurse from the top or bottom of your shirt. When worn like a sash, it functions as a nursing top; when worn like a belt, it functions as a belly-band. As an added bonus, BabyBond Couture rolls up into a self-storing pouch.
I absolutely love the philosophy behind BabyBond (privacy without isolation, nursing while conversing) and was thrilled to be have the opportunity to select a cover in the style of my choice. For review, I chose to receive the BabyBond Couture in Barcelona print.
100% cotton and a gorgeous shade of grey, the Couture Barcelona cover arrived neatly rolled up in its convenient self-storing pouch, ready to be unfolded and used. BabyBond’s website offers helpful tutorial videos to guide you while you learn to properly adjust your nursing cover, which I made sure to watch once or twice to familiarize myself with the process.
To use the BabyBond Couture as a sash (which is my favorite method since my shirt can safely keep my back and stomach covered), you simply unroll the fabric, spread the double-panel across your chest, wrap the tail of the fabric across your back and through the loop at your front, and pull until comfortably tightened. Once the sash is snugly in place, pulling the top layer up and the inner layer down will create just enough space for your baby to latch on without unnecessary exposure.
I honestly can’t say enough positive things about the BabyBond nursing cover that I received. I love that it acts as a functional accessory without compromising on style, and that it accommodates nurslings of all ages because the cover is meant to be worn by mom and not baby. While I usually don’t have a problem with nursing discreetly in public, I’ve taken to carrying my BabyBond around with me inside our diaper bag because there is always the chance of needing a little extra coverage or privacy.
Would you like the chance to do the same?
BUY IT!
BabyBond nursing covers come in three distinct styles – Original, Flex, and Couture. All three sell for $35.00, and can be purchased online at the BabyBond online website, or at select virtual boutiques and retail locations near you. As an added bonus, every order placed will receive a free meet-and-greet with a lactation consultant courtesy of VirtualBreastfeedingHelp.com, along with a Motherlove nipple cream pillow pack (while supplies last).
WIN IT!!!
BabyBond has generously offered to gift one (1) lucky reader with their very own Couture nursing cover!
MANDATORY ENTRY:
Visit BabyBond’s Couture collection and let me know which color is your favorite! This is required and must be left as a comment at the end of this post before additional entries are submitted!
EXTRA ENTRIES:
Feel free to do any of the following to increase your chances of winning. Be sure to leave a separate comment for each additional entry!
1. Become a Follower of this blog. If you are already following, please let me know! (1 Entry)
2. Follow me on Twitter. (1 Entry)
3. Follow BabyBond on Twitter. (1 Entry)
4. Tweet the following:
RT @MommasGiveaways: Nurse. Converse. Bond. Enter to win a BabyBond Couture nursing cover HERE: http://bit.ly/bftUPG!Leave the link to your Tweet so I can take a look (if you're unsure about direct-linking on Twitter, please see this page). (Can be done Once Daily for UNLIMITED ENTRIES)
5. Become a Facebook fan of BabyBond here. (1 Entry)
6. Subscribe to the Ruminations feed using the form in the left-hand sidebar (please be sure to confirm your email subscription!). (2 Entries)
7. Grab my button and add it to your sidebar (if it's already there, let me know!). (1 Entry)
8. Fave me on Technorati (by clicking the link on my left sidebar) and leave your user name in a comment. (1 Entry)
9. Blog about this giveaway, with a link back to Ruminations of a Twenty-Something Momma, then leave the permalink so that I can visit. (3 Entries)
10. Enter any other on-going giveaway here at Ruminations, then let me know which one you've participated in. (1 Entry Per Giveaway)
Open to US residents. Contest ends at 11:59 PM (EST) on February 16th, with a winner drawn via Random Number Generator within the week. If your email address is not visible in your Blogger profile, please be sure to leave it in your comment so that I can contact you if you are the winner! You will then have 48 hours to confirm or a new winner will be drawn.
Good luck!
