Let’s be real, who doesn’t love an excuse to buy cute clothes. And pregnancy is the best excuse for needing a new wardrobe. The downside is you will only wear those pregnancy clothes for about five months. So how do you get some great clothes without going crazy spending on the maternity clothes. Save your money for post-baby clothes (trust me it will be money well spent).
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Two things make shopping fun for me, being able to spend money and finding a good deal. After 6 kids, I discovered how to combine these two things when shopping for pregnancy clothes.
When to Start Wearing Pregnancy Clothes
Honestly, there is no set timeframe. You can start wearing them whenever you feel like it. But there is a downside, you will get sick of wearing the same clothes.
With baby number 6, I finally succumbed to pregnancy clothes after 20 weeks, 4 days, 15 minutes of staring at my closet, and 3 outfits later. I try to hold out as long as possible. By the time I reach 40 weeks, I am so tired of seeing the same clothes and hitching up my pants for the hundredth time in 5 minutes.
Some Essentials for Pregnancy Clothes
You can’t avoid maternity clothes, but before you go shopping look in your own closet first.
When I worked in a high-powered office environment, I had to buy the suits and nice office wear. But now that I work from home, maternity overalls all the way.
Here are some things to consider before you start buying:
1. Repurpose your current wardrobe
Yes, you can loop the rubber band through your jeans to be able to wear them longer, or buy the loops. Or get the belly bands to extend the life of your jeans, but you are still spending money. Step one in this process is to figure out where you can save some money.
I love graphic tees and I have a bunch of them. They work great as maternity shirts. They are stretchy and the material is soft on your belly, so these are great for your pregnancy. You may be surprised at the shirts you can keep wearing while you are pregnant.
Check your closet for maxi skirts, or crotchless yoga pants as my sister calls them. Maxi skirts are awesome when you are pregnant. You can pull the waistband above you belly (if you are on the vertically challenged side) and it won’t change the length too much.
Oversize sweaters are back in, are there any in your closet? You can keep wearing these while you are pregnant. I find that I am able to continue to wear a number of my shirts while I am pregnant. As long as they have some length to them, I don’t want to be showing off my belly, I can wear them for almost the entire time.
2. Repurpose husband’s clothes…if you can
If you husband is a foot taller than you, then you probably won’t be able to raid his closet. But, if you can, steal his graphic tees and let him know he will get them back in a few months. You won’t be pregnant forever, so this is just a temporary wardrobe acquirement.
3. Multipurpose maternity and nursing clothes
There are some super cute and clever nursing clothes on the market and they can also double as maternity shirts. If you are planning to breastfeed, look at multipurpose clothing. You are wearing pregnancy clothes for such a short time, if you can extend the use a little longer that is a score in my book.
4. Ask your friends
Yes, friends are a great place to “shop” from. After baby number 1, a friend was pregnant, and I loaned her my maternity clothes with the request that she give them back when she was done. I knew that I would need them again, but I didn’t need them right then. So ask your friends if they have maternity clothes they can loan you.
Where to Shop for Pregnancy Clothes
You don’t need to break the bank when you are shopping for pregnancy clothes. These can end up being very expensive for only wearing them for 4 or 5 months. Yes, that is the life of your wardrobe. Unless you are planning on more kids, then your pregnancy clothes will be used longer.
I am going to let you in on my secret. I don’t buy new maternity clothes. For this last pregnancy (I didn’t keep my pregnancy clothes from baby number 5, so I had to buy new or new to me. We’ve done this with baby gear too.) I probably spent around $150 on maternity clothes. And I had Gap jeans, Gap sweaters, H&M, and more. Just to give you an idea, I had 7 pairs of jeans. One for every day of the week. So I didn’t skimp on the variety to choose from.
Here are my tips and tricks for buying pregnancy clothes, you will want to wear, on a budget.
1. Thrift Stores
Give yourself a lot of time and think of it as a treasure hunt…because it is. But you can find some amazing clothes, like almost new Gap jeans, for less than $10. And if they run tag sales on certain days, jackpot because you get them discounted even more. Women wear maternity clothes for a very short time, so you can really find some great deals in excellent condition.
2. Consignment Shops
This is my next stop after the thrift stores. You won’t find the same deals that you would at a thrift store, but it will still beat retail prices. The plus side is these clothes are thoroughly checked to make sure buttons are on and they are in good condition.
3. Ebay
Many moms sell their pregnancy clothes in lots on Ebay. If you want a one-stop shop this is a great way to buy. You can pretty much get a whole wardrobe in one purchase. The downside is you can’t try them on, and you can’t be totally sure of the condition of the clothes. There are pictures but sometimes it is hard to tell how worn something is. For baby number 5, I found my favorite pregnancy overalls on Ebay.
4. Retail
This is the final stop, and I usually only go if I am looking for something specific (or if I have a gift card). This is the time to bring friends and have fun trying on pregnancy clothes. Most of these shops have the fake bumps, so you can see what a shirt will look like with a baby bump. I took my sister with me one time, and we had so much fun trying on clothes and seeing the bump.
Conclusion
Buying pregnancy clothes doesn’t need to break the budget. You can find some great clothes by shopping at thrift stores and consignment shops.
What are some of your favorite places to shop for pregnancy clothes? Do you have any tips and tricks to add to the list? Let us know in the comments below.
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