As any new mom knows, nursing isn’t as easy as you’d think. It’s common to experience some discomfort—particularly sore nipples and dry, cracked, sensitive skin. As a breastfeeding mother, you are likely to experience with sore and cracked nipples. The more severe cracks can cause bleeding too. If you are experiencing such pain, a nipple cream can be a great help to soothe and alleviate the soreness and also heal the pain.
Read More: 11 Home Remedies for Treating Nipple Itching
In this article:
What can I use instead of Nipple Cream?
Can you Breastfeed with Nipple Cream?
Top 11 Best Nipple Creams for Breastfeeding Moms
What can I use instead of Nipple Cream?
Traditional treatment for nipple pain has largely been lanolin, a waxy, yellow substance derived from wool. But lanolin has proved to be unsafe for babies and your skin (can cause an allergic reaction or skin irritation), so here are some natural alternatives:
Hind Breast Milk
Hind breast milk, aka the thick creamy milk that you produce towards the end of the feeding, has been shown to be more effective than lanolin for nipple pain. Simply rub a little into the sore skin after each feeding. It’s natural and safe for baby.
Unrefined Coconut Oil
It is anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and rich in antioxidants, organic raw coconut oil (best to avoid refined, purified, and liquid forms) is a great natural nipple cream and provides deep moisturizing that is absorbed quickly. Coconut oil has also been shown to strengthen underlying tissues and remove excess dead skin cells from the skin’s surface and is also safe for your baby.
Organic Olive Oil
Extra virgin olive oil is a great lanolin alternative with healing and anti-inflammatory properties make sure to use an organic version and be sure to wash it away before your baby feeds.
Manuka Honey
Manuka honey is known for being anti-bacterial and for its healing properties. This alternative to lanolin nipple cream has shown to effectively fight and kill bacteria. It is best to use either manuka or pure, raw honey.
Can you Breastfeed with Nipple Cream?
Anything you put on your nipples should obviously be safe for your baby to consume, so avoid any alcohol-based creams, ingredients you’re allergic to and ingredients such as petroleum, parabens, mineral oil and triethanolamine. You should also avoid scented products and numbing creams since they can cause a baby to stop feeding at all.
Natural and organic options are better in a nipple cream since the baby will ingest it while breastfeeding. Also consider the texture of the cream: some balms can be surprisingly tough to apply and you don’t want any extra pressure in an area that’s already super-sensitive and sore.
Top 11 Best Nipple Creams for Breastfeeding Moms
With so many options out there, it can be tough deciding which is the best option for you and baby. Here are a few criteria to keep in mind:
Earth Mama Angel Baby Natural Nipple Butter
While most organic creams use beeswax as a softening agent, but this nipple butter softening agent is based on various plant extracts. Earth Mama Angel Baby cream texture lets your skin absorbs it fast and heals faster. It’s lanolin-free and does not need to wash it off before nursing.
Bella B Nipple Nurture Butter
It is organic with shea, avocado, mango butter, and natural cocoa. It is lanolin-free, made without using any animal by-products and has plant-based ingredients that are food-grade and 100% safe for both mother and child. This does not need to be removed before feeding or pumping and soothes, heal and relieves pain quickly.
Motherlove Nipple Cream
100% organic and safe for both mother and baby. It is a herbal ointment that accelerates healing. The natural oils soften the nipple and soothe sore nipples. The cream is lanolin-free.
Palmers Cocoa Butter Nursing Cream
Cocoa butter-based, this nipple cream that also contains natural vitamin B5 to nourish the nipple skin. It is tested by dermatologists and is safe for both the mother and the baby.
It does not contain parabens and phthalates.
Medela Tender Care Lanolin
It is made entirely from naturally sourced ingredients and contains pure lanolin with no additives, is hypoallergenic and safe for the baby and the mother. It moisturizes the nipple and helps it stay soft and helps reduce discomfort caused due to the baby latching on to the breast for long.
Hey Mama All Natural Nipple Cream
The Hey Mama Nipple Cream is a 100% all-natural nipple cream made of beeswax, coconut oil, cocoa & shea butter, olive oil, calendula flowers, and marshmallow root. It contains soothing moisturizers that protect your sore nipples from chaffing or soreness caused by breastfeeding.
Era Organics Mommy Balm
All-organic ingredients extracted from edible plants and fruits. It is safe for mother and baby and is made to heal chapped and painful nipples. It is hypoallergenic and has natural ingredients including beeswax.
Bamboobies Boob-ease Organic Nipple Balm
The texture is smooth and protects soft skin with a barrier. It has only 5 simple ingredients and has an olive oil fragrance. It does not need to remove before feeding or pumping and is the perfect salve for pain and cracked nipples caused by breastfeeding or pumping.
Milkies Nipple Nurture Balm
This organic product is 100% vegan. Its primary ingredient – olive oil, gives off a mild scent. The balm is solid till it rests on your fingers and then it melts gradually, perfect for applying on very sore and sensitive skin. It is also not tested on animals and contains no artificial colors, preservatives or animal products.
Garden of Life Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
The quality of this oil multitasks as nipple cream, moisturizer and good for diaper rashes, it is totally safe for your baby if there’s still a bit on your skin when you go to nurse again. It is a very soothing and quick healing cream.
Honest Co. Organic Nipple Balm
This organic cream has olive oil, aloe, shea butter, and tamanu. Your skin will recover with this hydrating and nourishing cream and it does not need to be taken off before feeding. It is 100% vegetarian, safe and hypoallergenic as well. It can help relieve irritation and help revitalize your sensitive, sore or chapped nursing nipples.
Sources
https://www.thebump.com/a/best-nipple-creams
https://community.today.com/parentingteam/post/the-11-best-nipple-cream-that-is-safe-for-moms-and-babies
