Cost: $39 (or $48 for an organic version)
Official URL: http://www.slurpburp.com/
Availability: This new model will be available early to mid September. Model with built in burp cloth is immediately available.
Rating:

Give-Away!: During the month of September 2008 we are giving one of these cover-ups away. The winner gets to pick the style. For more information and to see other give-aways, click here: Give-Aways

When I saw the Slurp & Burp my eyes lit up as I thought “FINALLY a breastfeeding cover-up that covers the breast and not the baby.” No more overheated screaming infant, no more accidental public exposure due to toddler hijinks. No more pitching a tent whenever I have to nurse. And best of all, no more limiting my wardrobe to expensive nursing tops with trap doors and all their associated intrigue (and occasional embarrassing failure). Ok. I lied. What I like best of all is no more calling unnecessary attention to myself with cover-ups that scream “I am nursing discretely in public”. Since your child’s head stays outside of the cover-up, it simply looks as if you’re cuddling a sleeping infant. How’s that for discrete?

DISCRETION

To exemplify how discrete the slurp and burp can be… I used this cover-up to nurse my son at the park while helping an older gentleman friend of mine to install his new digital music player on his laptop. The whole process took an hour and a half. Throughout that time that I was nursing my 20 month old son and I was talking to my friend. Later that night the topic of breastfeeding came up and he expressed surprise that my son was still nursing. He hadn’t noticed that I was sitting next to him nursing for the greater part of an hour while my son drifted off into a nap. He simply thought that my child was sitting on my lap. I pulled out the Slurp & Burp and asked him what he had thought it was, and he had thought it was a purse. I’m not entirely sure how he thought it was a purse, but I can see thinking that it’s a blanket, a burp pad, a baby sling, or any number of other things.

When I first started nursing I realized exactly how non-discrete most cover up methods are. I was using a blanket then, and was having trouble getting my son latched on while keeping the blanket in place. Desperate, I ducked my own head under the blanket. I emerged tear-stained and sweaty with disheveled hair and the thought of “Exactly how is this discrete?”

STYLE/AESTHETIC

The Slurp & Burp comes in a variety of colors and designs. The Slurp and Burp that I ended up reviewing was a basic black model with a deliciously soft natural colored terry velour burp pad with cheetah edging. The matching bag was made of the same soft black jersey knit, with a matching cheetah carry loop. Very fashionable, very practical. All mom accessories should follow the lead of Slurp & Burp.

Other styles are offered range from the beautiful plain unbleached look of the organic cotton, to a bright pink floral “Garden” style. Whatever your personal style is, there’s a Slurp & Burp to match. Note: If you buy the pretty pink Garden style during the month of October, a donation will be made to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

When the cover up is rolled and in its pouch, it’s about the size of a compact travel umbrella. It weighs in at 7.6oz (this will vary depending on fabric, style and size) and measures about 4 1/2″x10″x2″, although it compresses down to fit in smaller spaces and pockets. I could easily fit this cover-up, two diapers and a stack of wipes into a super-compact diaper purse.

COMFORT

All of the Slurp & Burp styles are 100% cotton knit, either baby rib or jersey. This means that they’re slightly stretchy, breathable and comfortable as well as non-irritating to your baby and you. Also important to note is that this cover-up is very comfortable for your baby because your child’s head and body are not covered up while he is nursing. This makes it great for nursing in warm weather or in heated buildings. This cover-up is also great for babies that don’t tolerate the feeling of fabric over their heads, or that have breathing problems from asthma, allergies, or a cold.

The burp cloth is made of terry velour which is unbelievably soft and absorbent.

CONSTRUCTION/QUALITY

The fabric will vary according to style, but the basic construction remains the same: Two loops of fabric, one inside of the other, and attached together at the shoulder. When laid flat this cover-up is 22″, which translates to a 44″ loop or the “small/medium” size. Slurp and Burp offers up to a 58″ loop in select models. The loops are about 10″ wide, and the whole contraption resembles a “pouch” baby carrier so much that Slurp & Burp cautions parents that it is NOT a baby carrier and should not be used as such.

The burp cloth offers a burping surface of about 8″ by 6″. Both sides are made of an ultra-soft and absorbent terry velour, and the outside of the burp cloth is edged with grosgrain.

This version of the Slurp and Burp has a detachable burp cloth. At the shoulder is a loop of slightly stretchy fabric. You can simply place the burp cloth under this loop, or you can fold an edge under the loop for more stability and to protect more of the cover-up while burping your little one.

VERSATILITY

One of the things that kept me from trying the original slurp and burp was the attached burp cloth. I didn’t want to have to wash a cover up every time it became soiled, and I didn’t want to have to tote a burp cloth around after my son had outgrown the spitup stage. This version with the detachable cloth makes it much more versatile. If the burp cloth becomes soiled you can wash it separately from the cover up. Since the method of attaching the cloth to the cover is simply a loop, you can use any other burp cloth in the meantime. I hope that Slurp & Burp will sell the burp cloths separately from the Slurp & Burp so that I can stock up on coordinating cloths when baby number two rolls around.

The burp cloth itself is double-sided so that you can get more use out of it during a single outing.

EASE OF USE

The two loops of fabric go over your shoulder and loop down under the opposite arm. Once in place you simply unhook your bra and unbutton the shirt from the top to access your breast. Once you’ve unhooked your bra and opened your shirt, you position your baby and slide the folds of fabric apart just enough to expose your nipple and the area that the baby needs to latch onto. Once baby is latched on you can arrange the fabric for optimal coverage.

The burp cloth is as simple as pushing it under the fabric loop, or folding a corner under it. Very quick, easy to do one-handed, and it works with any burp cloth out there.

CARE

The burp cloth and cover-up can be machine washed, and tumble dried just as you would wash any cotton clothing. The cotton jersey knit that my cover-up was made with is of high enough quality that shrinking was minimal and it stretched back out quickly with use.

The fabric does tend to attract pet hair and other fuzzies a bit initially, but after a wash cycle this decreases a bit, making it even easier to care for.

BOTTOM LINE

The truth is, even in the middle of a cold north-east December, most cover-ups are far too warm when you have mom’s and baby’s body heat warming up the air underneath. Most cover-ups, even those that have windows, make it impossible for mom to see what she’s doing enough to latch her child on properly. And as your child gets older, most coverups quickly become brightly colored flags that the child can wave overhead as mom tries to pull her shirt down quickly.

The Slurp & Burp is none of these. It does not cover your baby’s head, it does not obstruct your view, and it does not significantly increase the temperature of your baby or you. It is comfortable to use in the middle of the winter and it is comfortable to use in the middle of the summer.

I usually suggest that women learn to nurse discretely without any cover-up at all, as my own experience has told me that in the long run this is far less noticeable. However, now that I’ve used the Slurp & Burp, it has become the first thing that I will mention to any mom that is nervous about nursing in public. It’s the perfect hybrid of the freedom and comfort of nursing without a coverup and a cover up’s increased privacy.

I wish that I had this cover-up when I was new to nursing, and I am thankful that I will have this coverup for those early days of nursing a second child.

Give-Away!: During the month of September 2008 we are giving one of these cover-ups away. The winner gets to pick the style. For more information and to see other give-aways, click here: Give-Aways