A message I get most weeks, in one form or another: “Nursing clothes are so frumpy and expensive, and nothing fits my new body.” Add the word sustainable and the price doubles and the choice shrinks. So let me say the honest thing first: the most sustainable nursing wardrobe is the one you already own, worn with a clip tank underneath, washed cold and kept for the next baby or passed on. Buying less is greener than buying green.

That said, the few pieces you do buy new can be made well, in fabrics that are kinder to your skin and to the people who sewed them. These are ten sustainable nursing picks on Amazon, in organic cotton and bamboo, chosen by job. I have not worn all ten; they are the ones whose listings say what the fabric is and whose reviews mention the wash. For each, what it is for and what the label means.

1. The organic cotton nursing tank

The job: under everything, every day. The Kindred Bravely organic cotton nursing tank is the one I would buy first: mid-weight, soft, wide straps, clips that open one-handed. Organic cotton here means grown without synthetic pesticides, which matters more against a baby’s face than anywhere else.

2. The organic cotton nursing top that looks like a top

The job: pass as ordinary at the school gate. Search organic cotton nursing top and choose a crossover or a lift-up layer in a relaxed cut, a size up from before. Check the listing says organic in the fabric line, not just in the title.

3. The organic cotton nursing bra

The job: hold a pad flat, open with one hand, not dig. The PACT organic cotton nursing bra is wireless, soft and Fair Trade certified, which means the people who sewed it were paid properly. Size at the end of the day. How to pick the best nursing bra is the rest.

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Two hundred nursing-friendly outfits from fifty-six pieces, fifty for every season, laid out and then worn. $29 once, yours to keep.

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4. The bamboo nursing pads

The job: replace a year of disposables. Bamboobies reusable nursing pads are a bamboo viscose and organic cotton blend, soft against sore skin and washable hundreds of times. Buy enough pairs to always have dry ones; eight is the number.

5. The Tencel or modal nursing dress

The job: one decision that drapes and breathes. Search modal nursing dress or Tencel nursing dress. Tencel lyocell is made from wood pulp in a closed loop that reuses its water and solvent; modal is its softer cousin. Both drape better than cotton and hide a mark in a dark colour.

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6. The organic cotton nursing hoodie

The job: the cold school run with a feed in the car park. The Seraphine organic cotton nursing hoodie has a lift-up front under a soft outer layer, so the hoodie never comes off. If it is out of stock, any loose organic cotton hoodie a size up over the tank does the same job.

7. The organic cotton pyjamas

The job: the night feeds, in a fabric that does not make you sweat. Burt’s Bees Baby organic cotton nursing pajamas are GOTS-certified organic cotton with a button front. GOTS is the label that covers the whole chain, from the field to the dye, and it is the one worth looking for.

8. The organic cotton nursing cover, if you want one

The job: the cover on the bench for the days you want more than the two-layer trick. The Milkbarn organic cotton nursing cover is soft muslin that doubles as a blanket and a burp cloth. A large scarf does the same for nothing; this is for the mama who wants the purpose-made one and wants it organic.

9. The bamboo nursing bra for sleep

The job: hold a pad through the night without a clip. The Boody bamboo nursing bra is a bamboo viscose crossover, cool and stretchy, with light support. Bamboo viscose is a soft, breathable fibre; the honest note is that the processing uses chemicals, so look for a brand that says closed-loop or certified, as this one does.

10. The organic cotton nursing tank, the second one

The job: the dark one, so the pale one can be in the wash. The Ingrid and Isabel organic cotton nursing tank is a softer, longer cut than most, good under a shirt. Two tanks is the system; one of them should be black.

What the labels mean, in one paragraph

Organic cotton: grown without synthetic pesticides and fertilisers, better for the soil and the growers. GOTS: the certification that follows organic fibre through spinning, dyeing and sewing with rules on chemicals and labour; the strongest label on this list. Fair Trade: the people who made it were paid a fair price. Bamboo viscose: a soft fibre from a fast-growing plant, processed with chemicals, so the brand’s closed-loop claim matters. Tencel lyocell: wood pulp in a closed loop, the cleanest of the drapey fabrics. Recycled: usually polyester from bottles, warm and quick-drying but it sheds microfibres in the wash, so use a washing bag.

The best fabrics in a breastfeeding wardrobe is the longer guide, with how to wash all of it so it lasts.

Ten picks, and the greenest advice is still the first paragraph: wear what you own, with a tank underneath, wash it cold and pass it on. Of the ten I would actually order the tanks, the bra, the pads and the pyjamas; they are the pieces that are new by necessity. The rest of the closet was sustainable the day you decided not to replace it.

If you want the outfits already laid out so you buy only the real gaps, the Year Round Capsule is two hundred of them from ordinary shapes, every one opening, with three pictures of you in them on the house. The DIY breastfeeding capsule is the afternoon that turns the closet you have into the one you need. And if you would rather someone who knows your closet told you what is truly missing, that is Anah inside the Atelier.

Buy less, buy well, keep it for the next one. The focus is on you, mama.