As you go through pregnancy, you’ll need to get clothes that can accommodate your growing belly. Some women choose to buy maternity clothes while others look for ways to save money.
In this article, I’m going to share some of the ways I managed to save money on maternity clothes in my second pregnancy.
I bought some maternity clothes when I was pregnant with my first child. Unfortunately, I couldn’t lose the baby weight, so those clothes didn’t fit me anymore when I needed them for my second pregnancy.
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I didn’t want to spend more money the second time around buying maternity clothes I was only going to wear for less than 9 months, so I had to improvise.
Keep reading to find out how I was able to go through my pregnancy spending less than $60 dollars on maternity clothes
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How To Save Money On Maternity Clothes
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Buy used maternity clothes
One way to save money on maternity clothes is to buy them used. You can get quality second-hand clothes from thrift stores, Salvation Army, and Goodwill.
I’ve used them in the past to get maternity clothes, regular house clothes as well as baby clothes. You could also check Facebook Marketplace for used maternity clothes being sold in bulk.
Try to find listings in your neighborhood so you can avoid the shipping cost and pick them up locally.
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Use hand-me-downs
If you have any family or friends who’ve gone through pregnancy, then you can ask them for their used maternity clothes.
Chances are, they’ll be happy to part with them if they’re not planning on having another baby. You can return them after you’ve given birth if they still plan on having more kids.
Reusing clothes this way doesn’t just save you money, it also saves the planet. The clothes end up being worn over and over instead of ending up in a landfill.
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Use normal clothes as maternity clothes
There’s a huge misconception that we need to buy maternity clothes when we’re pregnant. As I mentioned above, I spent less than $60 dollars on maternity clothes during my second pregnancy.
That was to buy a dress for a wedding and some pant extenders.
To save money, all I did was go through my closet and find regular clothes that could work as maternity clothes. Below is a list of normal clothes you can use as maternity clothes
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Regular Clothes That Work As Maternity Clothes
Sweatpants
Sweatpants are the regular go-to clothes that I use as maternity pants because they’re comfortable and roomy. You can wear them at any stage of your pregnancy without feeling constricted.
There are two types of sweatpants. Yoga sweatpants and regular sweatpants. I prefer yoga sweatpants like these ones on amazon because they have a drawstring you can adjust to fit your belly, and they’re wide-legged.
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Oversize T-shirts
Other normal clothing you can use as maternity clothing is an oversized T-shirt. Depending on your size, you may be able to get away with using your spouse’s t-shirts.
If you and your spouse wear the same size, then you will have to buy a larger T-shirt to accommodate your belly.
You can get cheap t-shirts from the dollar store, Costco, or Amazon.
Stretchy leggings
I love wearing leggings even when I’m not pregnant. They are comfortable and easy for a stay-at-home mom like myself to throw on in the morning.
There are maternity leggings like these ones from amazon you can buy. They usually come with an extra layer of stretch fabric that goes over your bump.
If you don’t want to spend money on maternity leggings, you can use your regular leggings. I made it to 8 months pregnant with my normal leggings before they stopped fitting over my bump.
Make sure you only wear extra stretchy leggings so you don’t risk constricting your bump. If possible, fold down the leggings so it lays below your bump.
Wear an oversize t-shirt over the leggings to hide any evidence that it was folded down.
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Large or X-large tops
If you have friends and family who wear a bigger size than you, ask them for some clothes. They may have clothes they’re looking to donate. Those are clothes you can repurpose as maternity wear.
Loose fitting Tunics
Blouses that are loose-fitting and flared work really well as maternity clothes. When choosing tunics, ensure they’re long enough to accommodate your growing belly.
The last thing you want is a top that doesn’t cover your bump fully.
I got these tunic tops from amazon to use for work years ago. I ended up using them as my go-to maternity top while pregnant. They’re comfortable and made in the USA. I still wear them casually around the house today.
Pants with elastic waist or drawstrings
Drawstring pants or pants with elastic waists are regular clothes that would work great as maternity clothes. Using drawstring pants will allow you to adjust the waist size as your bump grows.
If you do go with elastic-waisted pants, make sure that the elastic isn’t too strong. Pants with strong elastic will be very uncomfortable to wear over a large baby bump.
If you’re more into dresses, then take a look at the bump-friendly dress options below
Bump Friendly Dresses to wear when pregnant
Ruffle dresses
Ruffle dresses are a great option for maternity wear. They’re made to extend to fit a variety of body shapes, which makes them very bump-friendly.
I really love this off-the-shoulder ruffle dress from Amazon. I wore it to a wedding when I was 8 months pregnant, and it was perfect. I’ve also used it over the years on my post-pregnancy body.
Empire waist dresses
I love to wear empire waist dresses as maternity clothes because they are comfortable. Empire waist dresses are those that are fitted on top and drape out under the bustline.
Because they’re not tight on the waist, you can use empire waist dresses for the whole duration of your pregnancy with problems.
Wrap dresses
Wrap dresses are another normal clothes you can use as maternity clothes. They work so well because you can wrap them as tight or loose as you need to fit your growing belly.
Maxi dresses
Any flowy maxi dress will do as maternity wear. They’re made to be comfortable so they can work for any stage of pregnancy.
Other ways to Save Money On Maternity Clothes
Check your local buy-nothing group
If you have a buy-nothing group in your area, this could be a great way to save money on maternity clothes.
The buy-nothing project was created to stop the dumping of clothes, plastic, and other items in landfill as a way to save the planet.
The purpose of a buy-nothing group is to give away items that you no longer use and to ask for items you need before you go shop for them.
I’ve received a lot of maternity, baby clothes, and baby gear from my local buy-nothing Facebook group.
I suggest you search Facebook for a group in your area and see if anyone has maternity clothes they’re willing to part with. You’d be surprised what you’ll get.
Use pant extenders
Pant extenders are designed to help pregnant women extend the fit of their pants, so they don’t have to buy maternity pants early in pregnancy.
Most pant extenders add 1 to 2 inches to your waistline so you might be able to get away with not buying maternity clothes until your third trimester.
I used these brands of pant extenders from amazon when I was pregnant. They worked really well.
Keep in mind that you’ll have to buy a belly band to cover your pants because the pant extender will prevent you from zipping all the way up.
Overall, pant extenders are a great way to save money on maternity clothes.
Belly bands
Belly bands are a necessity if you want to use pant extenders. As mentioned above, you won’t be able to zip up all the way when using pant extenders.
Belly bands help you cover up that exposed section so everything looks seamless. If you get a good one, it won’t ride up and bother you as you go throughout your day.
Target and Amazon have a good selection of belly bands to choose from.
Conclusion
To recap, there are ways to go through pregnancy without spending a lot of money on maternity clothes.
You can choose to repurpose your existing wardrobe, get hand-me-downs from others or use things like pant extenders.
If you’re someone that prefers dresses, then choose from one of the bump-friendly dress options I provided above.
What methods are you planning to use to save money on maternity clothes? Please comment below and let me know.
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