Comments on: Cheerful Frugality Wears Maternity Clothes

By: KimC (frugalmommy)

KimC (frugalmommy) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:51:57 +0000

I know I’m repeating a lot of what other commentors have said, but here are two new things I’ve learned in the last of 10 my pregnancies:

* Skirts are much more flattering than dresses; elastic waist skirts are forgiving enough that you can wear non-maternity styles throughout your entire pregnancy. Just let it ride low, below the bump, and use a men’s tank style undershirt to cover the gap.

* Try a men’s undershirt (tank style) under your top to provide more coverage above and below with today’s revealing styles. I picked up this tip from the Headmistress, and I love it! Much cheaper than buying ladies’ tank tops, and much better coverage, especially below since they are made super long. If only they came in more colors…

By: Natalie

Natalie — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 13:15:21 +0000

Personally, the best thing for me was having lots of friends loan me clothes. I spent less than $50 total on maternity clothes, and was able to find some nice things on consignment… but it was the bags and bags of loaned clothes that made it really fun to get dressed!

Ladies, save those maternity clothes! Your friends may need them! I think it would be really neat to get a rubbermaid tub specifically for maternity clothes to be passed around in a circle of friends. I have several friends pregnant and I know that they’ll be blessed by the maternity clothes I returned to the lenders, who will no doubt offer them again to others!

By: Maria @ Frugal Homesteading

Maria @ Frugal Homesteading — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 16:20:42 +0000

I went to the half-price sale at the end of our local semi-annual babies & Kids consignment sale run by our church. I got some very cute and recent maternity fashions for only a dollar or two per piece. Some were brand new and others almost.

I liked my Motherhood jeans the best–so comfy and versatile. I was working during my first pregnancy, and tended to wear cotton Old Navy shirts and blouses which looked nice and held up surprisingly well.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:33:34 +0000

I found a couple maternity wardrobe “rules” that worked great for me:
–Keep it to one color pallette, black coordinates or brown coordinates: it’s so much easier to match and keep the wardrobe small.
–Bella bands rock! You can use your normal pants alot longer.
–That being said, elastic waist skirts are better than pants and shorts. More flattering, more comfortable, and I wore non-maternity skirts my entire pregnancy. They sit well below the bump.
–Don’t be a tent! Fitted tops are prettier.
–Also invest in maternity shoes and maternity jewelry. I felt so much better with new, cute, comfortable shoes. As for the jewelry, well….

By: TrentTribe

TrentTribe — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 21:48:27 +0000

I love the bella band! I used a khaki one with my last pregnancy. I am sure they could easily be made. If I have any future pregnancies I plan to make them in several colors. The key is finding the right fabric and making it the right size for your belly (the wrong size will roll down). It works great at covering those outies. It also works great at covering pants that are undone in the early and post pregnancy days. Buy it or make it – it’s a great addition to the maternity wardrobe.

By: Adventures In Babywearing

Adventures In Babywearing — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 20:48:07 +0000

I’ve found that this pregnancy has been my best yet for maternity bargains- probably only half of my maternity wardrobe is ACTUALLY maternity. With all the empire waist styles out right now in dresses and tops, I’ve been able to buy regular clothes and then should be able to wear them after baby and beyond- making them even more of a worthwhile investment! Just the other day I got a few different summer dresses from Marshall’s for about $14 each- plenty of room in the belly and nice and cool for summer.

Steph

By: emily

emily — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 20:23:09 +0000

I am 34 weeks now but I was DETERMINED to make it through early spring without buying any maternity clothes for the cooler weather, I wanted to spend my money on some nice things for hot weather (which we are having in abundance now!)

I got one of those stretch bands from Motherhood Maternity and have practically worn it out! By using that and wearing looser fitting or longer shirt-tailed tops I made it to the capri/shorts weather! It definitely saved us money since we didn’t have to buy any maternity pants for just a month or so.

By: Cathy

Cathy — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 19:54:41 +0000

I did well the past two summers (yes, I was pregnant the past two in a row) with a khaki A-line skirt, khaki pants, jeans and a pair of stretch waist non-maternity khaki shorts. I also had one pair of black dress pants from previous pregnancies. The Old Navy knit tops lasted through wear after wear and wash after wash with little to no pilling, but are finally starting to look a bit faded, so I’m in trouble next time around! I had these in coral, spring green and navy blue.

By: Joyce

Joyce — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 19:09:38 +0000

I don’t know what I would do without my Old Navy maternity tanks that I wear under everything. They have adjustable straps, have a shelf bra for extra support, and are long enough to cover a 40-week belly. They also help to smooth out lumps and belly buttons and such under knit shirts (I happen to love my knit shirts and they stay nice longer if I drip dry them) and they provide more coverage up top for those maternity shirts that tend to show off more of “the girls” than I am comfortable with.

By: Emily C

Emily C — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 19:00:29 +0000

I’m 18 weeks into my second pregnancy–fortunately, I started this one at a healthier weight than the last one, but this means NOTHING fits me right now. I dumped my fat clothes, kept the maternity clothes. Meaning I’ve got nothing in-between my healthy non-baby weight and 8 months pregnant!

My neighbor, though shopped mostly in the juniors department for her blouses, finding lots of cute shirts that looked just like maternity shirts with a baby belly under them.