nursing covers - what are the advantages of breastfeeding cover ups?

• Nursing covers help with new babies- New babies typically need a little help getting latched on. They're not old pros yet who can find the nipple in their sleep. It might take Mom a minute or two to get baby settled, and then she might have to stay put so as to avoid jostling the baby and causing him to lose his latch. So rather than leaving the room or pulling her blouse up to her throat, she could toss a nursing cover over her shoulder and get the job done.
• Distracted babies can benefit from a cover up - Many babies, especially at around the 9 month mark, are very distractable during feedings. If you need your little one to get down to business instead of doing the on-again, off-again dance, a nursing cover may be just the ticket. This helps if he's overstimulated and having trouble getting to sleep too.
• Nervous Mommies - If a Mom is nervous about breastfeeding in public, I would much rather see her nurse under cover than go to the trouble of pumping and feeding her baby a bottle that may cause problems for her baby (nipple confusion doesn't happen to all babies, but for some, it only takes *one* bottle to cause difficulties).
• Unenlightened Relatives - Some of us, no matter how strongly we feel about breastfeeding, have relatives (or even friends) who think it's "gross" to feed a child the way nature intended. If your family is going to spew out toxic energy and make you feel bad about meeting your baby's needs, use a cover up. That way you head off a lot of the negative comments.

Personally I think that slings are more convenient as a nursing cover since they can also be used as a carrier. Many times I've been nursing a little one and had someone go so far as to peek in and not even know I was breastfeeding. There are some gorgeous slings at Comfy Joey.

If you prefer some other type of baby carrier or don't like slings, you can get a nursing cover up at Peek-a-Boo.