The number of nursing covers you need will depend on your lifestyle. If you plan to be out in public most days and want to use a nursing cover each time, you might want to invest in two or three covers, depending on how often you are able to do laundry. And some parents might want to have a few different styles and patterns on hand, depending on their mood or needs. You might want to have a more compact nursing cover that you always keep stuffed in your diapers bag just in case, and another cover with more bells and whistles and bells that you bring along when you expect to need it.