Maternity clothes may not be your idea of glamorous, but they are a necessity when you’re carrying a child. Chances are that you won’t need them right away once you become pregnant, so you’ll have a little while to find what you most likely need to get you through the rest of your gestation period. This way, you’ll be able to take your time finding the right clothing items and the best deals, meaning you have a better chance of getting what you want at prices you are comfortable with. After all, having a baby can be very expensive, so saving money in any aspect can really help.
Where to Score Free Items
When you’re trying to find something that will work well for you, the first thing you should do is consider all of your options. The first option is trying to track down free items, which may be easier to come by than you’d think. Do you have friends or family members that have recently had a baby? You might want to ask them to let you borrow their clothes, or they may just give them to you. If you have a lot of friends that are roughly the same build as you, this will most likely work in your favor.
There are also other places online where you can find free maternity gear. For example, you can research sites like Freecycle or even join mommy groups on Facebook. Some of these groups have giveaways or swaps, so you can trade amongst each other.
Alternatively, you can host a clothing swap event at your home with friends, where you all exchange a few items, so everyone can have something new. Typically these events happen once every month, or every other month.
Another really great thing to consider is specifically asking for clothing for yourself as a baby shower present, or having what is known as a pregnancy party. This type of party usually takes place earlier on in a pregnancy. It’s a great idea for someone that already has the major items they will need, like a crib, stroller, and car seat, but needs to save money in other areas.
Where to Score Used Discounted Items
In case you don’t have any friends that can help you out, there are other places to find clothes. Keep in mind that you will only be wearing these clothes for a few months during pregnancy and a possibly a few months afterwards, so they don’t have to be brand new or perfect.
This is why it is fine to pay a visit to your favorite consignment shop and look around. Other places you can look at are Goodwill, Salvation Army, or any other type of resale, thrift, or charity shop in your area. They will likely have many gently used items or things that have been well taken care of.
Where to Score New Discounted Items
If used clothes aren’t your thing, you may be able to find clothing in retail stores that feature great deals. There are many stores that offer some of the latest styles and provide them at really great prices.
For example, many people wear things like long skirts and maxi dresses after they get so far into their pregnancy and you’ll be able to find things like that in these stores, without having to pay an arm and a leg.
Here are some of the top retailers with discounted prices to check out:
- Walmart
- Target
- Ross
- Burlington
- Old Navy
- Marshalls
- T.J. Maxx
- Kohl’s
- Kmart
If there are any outlet stores in your area, this is also a great place to look for some bargains. You never know what you’ll be able to find for just a fraction of the cost of regular department stores.
Where to Find Great Full Price Items
Even if you have gotten a number of great outfits or items to wear at a decent price, there are inevitably things you’ll want to wear that you’ll have to go to a regular department store to purchase.
Feel free to shop at your preferred store to find something you can wear. You may even be able to get something on sale. This means there’s still a chance that you’ll be able to get a great deal.
Keep in mind that you don’t have to buy your whole wardrobe at these stores. Instead, try to find a few pieces that you can pair with many different items. Furthermore, you might want to buy some of the most important things, like a pair of sturdy pants or a nice skirt, so you’ll get a ton of wear out of it without it getting holes or breaking down on you. You’ll be able to wear a nice item with cheaper tops or accessories and still feel confident and secure.
Approach the task like you would if you were buying regular clothes. In other words, you can still look for quality staple items, even though your middle will be larger. This means something like a nice sweater or a black dress. Any item that you like that’s also made well can end up being extremely versatile.
Take a look at some of the stores you may want to visit:
- Macy’s
- JC Penney
- Gap
- Motherhood Maternity
- Nordstrom
Other Places to Look for Clothes
Nowadays you may do all your shopping online. You shouldn’t have to change your routine up just because you need larger clothes. Look at your favorite online retailers for maternity clothes or clothes that are a bit bigger than you normally buy.
Here are some of the places you can try for yourself:
One More Place to Look
You can also look in your closet to see what you’ll be able to wear as you grow. For example, it’s easy to convert stretchy pants and skirts to fit, and you can also wear any longer shirts or tunics that you have been avoiding.
Many moms use what is known as a belly band on their pants, especially jeans, as they go up in size. It’s an easy way to be able to wear pants without them falling down or having to button them, and it’s essentially just a large elastic piece of fabric. What makes this even better is that you can sew your own belly bands on pants or other pieces of clothing, which will save you money. Furthermore, you can simply purchase a few bands and use them along with numerous bottoms.
You can find these bands at places that have already been mentioned, such as Amazon, Walmart, and Target.
The Takeaway
Just because you need new clothes doesn’t mean that you have to spend a lot. You can find some great deals on maternity items in a number of different places, or even ask people you know if you can use some of their old items. There could even be items you’ll be able to fix up in your own closet.
If you are a first- time mom, you can also ask around to see what others needed and where they shopped. There may be a store in your area that has just what you need. It’s best to get items that you can get a lot of wear out of, but still won’t make you feel like you’re unfashionable. It’s even more important to only purhase items that you’ll get a lot of use of, and not things that you’re unlikely to end up wearing.