How to Make Your Own Sleep Bra

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I don’t know about you, but the one thing about breastfeeding that I hate the most is leaking. At night I really appreciate wearing a sleep bra.

If you don’t know, I am a new mommy to a beautiful baby boy. He is our world! So, naturally, I want what is best for him and what better way than to breastfeed. So I discovered a way to make my own sleep bra! You can get a copy of this sleep bra tutorial here if you want to read it later.

Let me explain something about how I prepared for my son’s arrival when time got closer. I made lists and put together the hospital bag, made sure everything was sanitized and his bottles were cleaned for my breastmilk, created a changing station in my bedroom near the bassinet, and washed all the newborn clothes we were given.

No one really filled me in on what I would be dealing with when it came time for my milk to come in. I did get warnings that my nipples would be sore and the possibility of having problems with latching. But I wasn’t really prepared for the possibility that I would be leaking all over myself when I would sleep at night.

Oh boy, it was fun at nighttime! (Hear the sarcasm?)

When I started researching solutions the one thing that would pop up was “Sleep Bra.” Let me tell you, some nursing sleep bras are expensive.

I do try to be frugal. Especially since we have a tight budget. So when I dropped $20 on a thin flimsy piece of fabric a bit of me died a little inside.

I absolutely did not want to buy more than one. I would wear the same one every night and wash it constantly. It was getting worn out pretty fast. However, it is still wearable.

One day my husband saw a hack on how to make a bra out of men’s briefs. At first, I didn’t really care for the idea. Then he suggested that I make it my own and make some nursing sleep bras. I still wasn’t sold but I humored him and gave creating a DIY nursing bra a shot.

I tried it. Oh boy! (Not sarcasm.) It was one of the best things I could have done for myself! Now I have a variety of sleep bras versus just the one. I did a little modifying to change up the original hack but it worked like a charm!

The one thing I like about this hack is that you do not need a sewing pattern! WooHoo! I like to think I can sew pretty decently but following a free sewing pattern online or trying to wing a DIY nursing bra pattern is asking for problems. So here is what I came up with:

How to make a nursing sleep bra free tutorial:

#1. First, you need to determine what kind of men’s briefs you want.

I know it sounds weird wearing men’s briefs as a bra. Trust me it will be worth it.

I’m not a big fan of white so I went with some Hanes darker colored (affiliate link) briefs similar to the ones in the link. I justified spending around $18 since I knew I would be getting 6 sleep bras out of it.

The best way to determine what size you need is to take your current bra size and match it to the waist size on the packaging.

#2. Take one color out of the pack that you don’t mind making your guinea pig.

The reason I say this is that you may have to go through some trial and error before you can happily wear your final project. That way if you really mess up it isn’t in a color that you really like.

#3. Lay out your briefs so you can measure down the middle, mark, and then cut.

You are going to have to have to measure from both side openings in the front and the back. To be honest, I eyeballed it. For the most part, it seemed pretty straight.

Update: After I did the rest of the package and wore a few of the bras I made I realized eyeballing it wasn’t the best idea. One boob always seemed to have more coverage than the other. You can see my full review of How my DIY Sleep Bra Held Up.

#4. Cut the line you made up to where the flap starts on the front.

Don’t cut past the front flap. If you do you won’t have enough support and you’ll be sagging and falling out when you sleep. It can depend on how large you are too. I’m more heavy chested since my milk came in (DDD) so I need as much support and coverage as I can get while I’m sleeping.

#5. Finish cutting down the back and the elastic seam.

#6. Take the briefs and put your arms through the holes with the opening in the front.

Make sure the front of the briefs with the flap opening goes on your back and the part that you cut all the way through is on your chest. It will kind of look like a vest.

#7. Take the elastic and pull it to where it will overlap on top of the other and mark it with a pen/pencil or pin.

I used a pin to mark where the overlapping parts will meet. You might want to use a pen mark just in case the pin falls out.

#8. Next, fold and pin the cut edges to hem (optional).

This part is completely optional. I made two different sleep bras. One with the hem and one without to see which ones I liked.

The stitch I used was just your basic stitch.

Update: See my review of which one I liked in my post about How my DIY Sleep Bra Held Up here.

#9. Hem along the edge of the cut (optional).

#10. Make a “stopping point stitch.”

At the point on the front of the briefs near the flap where the hem will meet you will need to make sort of a “stopping point” stitch (as shown) so you don’t accidentally tear the fabric when taking the bra off and on. I’m not sure what the correct terminology is called but “stopping point stitch” sounded best.

#11. Take the elastic and pin the points where it was overlapped together and stitch.

So for this stitch, I figured I needed it to be more heavy duty. As you can see in the picture it is thick and close together. I don’t know the correct name of the stitch but I’m sure most sewing machines have this option. I wanted to make sure it had no chance of coming apart over a period of time of being washed and worn.

#12. Try on to see if it fits!

Make adjustments if needed. If it does not feel tight enough or too tight you might want to undo the front elastic stitching and remeasure.

I had to do this once because my boobs felt like they were going to fall out. Once I had the correct measurement I was able to size the rest of the briefs in the package accordingly.

ALL DONE!

Tips: If you don’t have a sewing machine for your sleep bra and want to be brave you can always sew by hand. Just for the sake of speed and time, I do suggest using a sewing machine. One bra took me about 20 minutes by the time I was done with the measuring, cutting, and sewing. Not to mention I had normal interruptions from the baby in between so it took a little longer to get each one done.

Make sure you have a good needle on your machine or if sewing by hand. When you get to the elastic it gets pretty thick. The last thing you need is your needle breaking in the middle and then you’re stuck until you can replace it.

Reflection

Even though each sleep bra wasn’t professionally sewn, (by all means, I am no seamstress) I think they came out well for just winging it. Plus, no one would be seeing these bras except for me and my husband so who cares if they look a little wonky. As long as they fit and do their job it is fine by me.

What an amazing, cheap alternative to purchasing an expensive sleep bra. It is additionally great because most of the work is done for you and no nursing bra sewing pattern is needed. I’m so glad I could save money on this project. Each bra cost me less than $3 and my time to make. I think I saved a pretty penny. Wouldn’t you agree?

If you want to save this tutorial for later you can save the pin for the free sleep bra tutorial here or sign up below to have it emailed to your inbox.

Let me know if you tried this project and if you did anything different.

Update: Don’t forget to check out my review of How my DIY Sleep Bra Held Up after wearing and washing them for a few weeks.

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Kim Calderon

Kim is a wife and a stay at home mom who loves spending time with her little boy. She likes managing her home and seeking out ways to improve her way of living.

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