I have been pregnant twice and both times I oddly enjoyed the experience of shopping for maternity clothes but at the same time I know this can be a very frustrating experience. On one side of the coin you want to buy maternity clothes that make you feel both stylish and comfortable but on the other side of the coin you are not exactly sure you want to spend a ton of money on clothes that you will not be wearing for a long period time. To help you navigate the waters of maternity clothes I have come up with 10 failsafe tips for creating the perfect maternity wardrobe.
1. Borrow What You Can
If you start asking around I guarantee you will find friends who have maternity clothes that they are willing to part with. Ask your sister-in-law, your pre-school mom friends, your work collages, chances are more women then you think will be happy to clean out their closet and either let you borrow or have their maternity clothes.
2. Splurge On A Few Key Ideas
A good pair of maternity jeans will last you through several pregnancies and will make you feel stylish from start to finish. Almost every high end jean designer nowadays makes a maternity line allowing you to still rock your favorite brand now with just a little extra wiggle room. I invested in a pair of maternity 7 For All Mankind jeans with my first son and I have worn this pair throughout both pregnancies and well into my postpartum stage. See a complete list of great designer maternity jeans. If you have to wear professional dress to work maybe you want to splurge on a few good pairs of black pants or a set of stylish maternity dresses – either way find something to splurge on and enjoy wearing it!
3. Shop The Budget Friendly Spots
Brands like H & M, Old Navy, Gap and Target all have great maternity lines that can help you fill in the gaps of your closet. I always enjoyed hitting up stores like Old Navy and Target and buying T-shirts, tank tops, lounge pants and more to help round out my pregnancy look.
4. Rent Your Wardrobe
Did you know you can now RENT a maternity wardrobe? Yes, someone had the great idea to allow women to rent pieces for their maternity look and of course why not, it is a great idea. Le Tote has everything you need to rent key pieces, wear them and return them when you are done and it all starts at $49 a month!
5. Mix & Match
Just because your belly is starting to grow it does not mean you need to say goodbye to everything in your closet. Most women will find that their yoga pants, leggings and workout jean will fit without a problem through most of their pregnancy. Keep wearing all of your favorite black stretch pants and just add in a few belly friendly sweaters, cozy maternity tops and comfy tanks to make the look!
6. Upcycle
With two babies with due dates in winter it was pretty important that I had a maternity winter jacket and so I headed over to Ebay and found a great looking one that had been worn only a handful of times and boom, my winter maternity look was complete. Instead of paying full price for a maternity coat look at ways to upscycle – check out Ebay or local resale stores!
7. Host A Maternity Party
More than once I have been invited to a friends house for a ladies night where people bring clothing they are willing to part with and trade with everyone else. This model works great for maternity as well – ask over a bunch of friends and let them get rid of their maternity clothes and trade for some non-maternity items.
8. Know The Lingo
It is so easy to just start buying when you shape starts to change and lets face all you want is to be comfortable in your clothes. I urge everyone to get to know the lingo and understand what all the maternity terms means so you can select the right item for you. For example there is several different style of maternity pants – full panel, side panel, low front panel and even more – so get to know what style you feel most comfortable in, this will really help with shopping especially online shopping when you will not be trying things on.
9. Shop For The Season
If you are due in June don’t rush out in early spring and purchase a maternity bathing suite – chances are you won’t wear it. Really try to shop for the season you are currently in – so many things change in pregnancy and you won’t be able to predict what shape or size you might be down the road. Each trimester brings new changes so try to shop current and stay in the season.
10. Get It Delivered
Did you know you can have a box of maternity goodness sent to your door? For a long time now I have been a fan of clothing delivery services and my favorite being Stitch Fix! Well lucky for anyone ready to dress your belly, Stitch Fix now has a maternity section and will be happy to delivery you amazing clothing options each month right to you door!
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