The Internet provides a vast array of retailers who make and sell inexpensive maternity clothes, often just as fashionable as higher-priced stores.
Before you buy, first decide what maternity clothing items you actually need.
Alternatives to Buying Maternity Clothes
- Make do with your current clothes for as long as possible. The average expecting woman can wear her pre-pregnancy wardrobe up to the fourth or fifth month of pregnancy. Get your “fat pants” and oversized T-shirts out of the closet.
- For hanging out around the house, raid your husband or partner’s closet for his button-down shirts. Roll up the sleeves and enjoy the comfy embrace of your man’s borrowed clothes.
- One word: overalls. These maternity clothing staples go in and out of fashion, but they never lose their comfort. Especially during the last months of pregnancy, the comfort of pants without a waistband cannot be over emphasized.
- Make use of hand-me-downs from friends and relatives, particularly for work clothes. If your girlfriend has vowed to have her last baby, then she will be happy to pass on her second hand maternity dresses and pants to a thankful recipient.
For those pregnancy clothes you really can't do without, try these sources:
Stylish Maternity Clothing
Far from the dowdy and frilly maternity styles of past generations, Old Navy and Gap online and bricks-and-mortar stores sell hip, comfortable maternity clothes for less than the average department store or maternity clothing store. Old Navy, in particular, is a great option for inexpensive maternity wear and often offers in-season maternity clothing sales. Online-only offerings from Old Navy include the cute stretchy Maternity Banded Tanks pictured below in colors that include parakeet pink, pacific blue, white, new black, little miss teal, and daisy yellow. Price: $16.50, shipping is $5. Old Navy maternity swimwear starts at $14.50.
Gap maternity clothes are a little higher priced, but the online store also offers regular sales on its maternity clothing, often on in-season styles. The chic Velveteen Cami Dress (seen below) sold in late winter 2008 for $14.99, down from $68 (sizes S, M, and L). Shipping is $6.
Discount Maternity Jeans
A trusty, versatile pair of blue jeans is just as vital to your wardrobe when you’re pregnant. Choose from a wide range of jean styles at reasonable prices at JCPenney’s online store. Regular sales also help bring down the price. In late winter of 2008, the duo Maternity Low-Rise Bootcut Jeans were available in petite, plus, and tall sizes for $19.99 to $21.99. The stretch jeans feature an underbelly band. Shipping is $5.95.
Café Press Maternity T-Shirts
Although these funny maternity tees are a little on the pricey side, they make up for their cost with a wealth of hilarious sayings and artwork. The collective creativity of artists worldwide makes Café Press a perfect online source for funny and unusual clothes. Baby Core’s “Does This Baby Make Me Look Fat?” maternity tee-shirt fits the bill for an expecting mom with a sense of humor.
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