Affordable maternity clothes

[tink_n_pooh]

Any suggestions for affordable maternity clothes? I'm getting to the point now that I will need them very soon. I'm going to need clothes for work (professional yet slightly casual office) and casual every day clothes.

I will check out the local consignment shops but there aren't many around and they are very difficult to get to with my work schedule.

 

[QVCshopper]

Do you have any Goodwills near you? They are open at night, and Target sends them their Liz Lange line all the time. I got most of my clothes from there; also, I found $7.50 jeans and $2.50 shirts at Tagret on clearance, as well as $1.50 nursing bras. You just have to keep checking and not be picky. I work at home mostly, so don't have to dress up, though. Oh, and Motherhood Maternity has 90% off clearance clothes. Old Navy sometimes has clearances too... Got $4 shorts there. I spent maybe $75 on an entire wardrobe.

I have lots of t-shirts and just stick a longer regular sized cardigan on top. I have 2 jeans, 1 pair of pants, and a couple yoga type pants. You really don't need too many clothes. I have two drawers full, but the majority came from my mom who went way overboard getting them at a used sale, and most are too big as I have only gained 10 pounds so far. And I'm just using my old coat with a sweater underneath... I'm due in 10 weeks and I'm not getting a jacket for such a short period of time.

 

[mrsklamc]

Do you have a Goodwill? Ours always has tons.

 

[redlawyer]

Check out Old Navy online. I don't think maternity clothes are in the stores, I think it's online only.

 

[Ennazus8810]

Khols clearance sale is where all of mine came from. I used the summer type tops with a cardigan over top. Worked perfect, and they were 75-90% off. My pants were mostly from old navy online. Great sales there too.

 

[QVCshopper]

Check out Old Navy online. I don't think maternity clothes are in the stores, I think it's online only.

They are in some stores. Mine has a small maternity section near the baby clothes. I've seen cheap shorts, tops, and pants before.

 

[RachaelA]

I think Old Navy was getting rid of their maternity line.

If you use Gap's 40% off coupons that they have all the time, you can get stuff from there pretty affordable. Unfortunately if you buy online you have to return it through the mail.

Macy's sells Motherhood Maternity for cheaper than at the Motherhood Maternity stores. Unforunately, you can't use Macy's coupons on the stuff.

I haven't found much nice non-frumpy stuff at Kohls and Target.

My entire maternity wardrobe came from Gap and Macy's (Motherhood Maternity).

 

[tink_n_pooh]

We don't have any Goodwill stores around here.... actually I just googled it, looks like there is one about an hour away but it's in a not so nice area, not sure I want to drive all the way there.

I've been checking out Kohl's, ours only has about 2 racks of maternity but I keep browsing anyway.

I'm going to look at Target next time I'm there (again, it's almost an hour away). I may have to resort to buying some things online. I'm really short and things never seem to fit right, I tend to return more than I keep when I shop online

 

[trinchick]

I made out pretty well at the Gap. I got some good capris. Also, they had a ruched top that just really worked for me, so I got it in a few different colors.

Also, the outlet mall near me has a maternity outlet that combines the three tiers of Motherhood (Motherhood, Mimi, and Pea in a Pod). I did GREAT there shopping their mark-down racks.

What I tried to remember for my last pregnancy is that no one expects you to have 20 different maternity outfits. As long as you're clean and ironed, you will look fine and professional. I just had 7 or 8 outfits that I rotated and was fine. With this philosophy, it was worth it to splurge on a really nice pair of black trousers that I wore twice a week.

Oh, and while the cost may seem high, Nordstrom.com has some nice pieces that will get you through (like good trousers and jeans and nice dresses).

ETA: Strike the Nordstrom suggestion. I just went to their site to see what's new, and there only seems to be one maternity top. When I was pregnant last year, they had oodles of nice things...

 

[AnjieNet]

I got most of my maternity clothes at Kohls or JCPenney. Most shirts I didn't pay more than $5-$10 for with sales and/or coupons. I bought a couple nice pairs of Motherhood Maternity jeans and slacks at Gordman's for a half the price I would have at their store/online. Like PP said, I rotated the tops and jeans/slacks, still looked nice but didn't spend a fortune.

 

[MrsPete]

First, I suggest you get two pairs of regular-sized elastic waist pants. These'll see you through the "is she pregnant, or just gaining weight?" months, and then they'll still be useful in the first couple months after the baby's born. I had summer babies, so I wore these things with bulky sweaters during the winter, and spring weather arrived just as I was unable to wear them any longer. Cardigans are a good choice too. Obviously, you should choose very basic colors.

But you'll reach the point that you'll need real maternity clothes. I'll echo what others have said: You don't need a whole wardrobe. Just a few items right for the season'll see you through. Do choose things that'll make you feel good about how you look!

Definitely try ebay and consignment shops. I had great success finding things used.

Stay away from Target. Their quality is always questionable, and when I was expecting the ONE item I bought new was from Target -- a tee-shirt that I needed to match a pair of maternity shorts I really liked. After one wearing, the shirt shrank and "twisted" as things'll do when they're not cut properly along the selvege. I haven't bought an item of clothing from Target since then, and the child'll turn 18 in a few months.

Also, if you're planning to nurse your baby, look into nightgowns (other items, too, but the nightgowns are the nicest items) with nursing slits. So convenient.

 

[Sarah_Rose]

Stay away from Target. Their quality is always questionable, and when I was expecting the ONE item I bought new was from Target -- a tee-shirt that I needed to match a pair of maternity shorts I really liked. After one wearing, the shirt shrank and "twisted" as things'll do when they're not cut properly along the selvege. I haven't bought an item of clothing from Target since then, and the child'll turn 18 in a few months.

No offense, but if you haven't purchased Target clothing in 18 years, do you really have any idea what the quality is like, now?

The Liz Lange maternity clothing from Target isn't bad quality and the tops seem to hold up better than the Motherhood ones - however the material is kind of thin on some items, so I often layer them over a tank top. I find that their maternity jeans fit bigger than other maternity jeans - so be aware if you're between sizes that you may need to size down.

Motherhood Maternity items are really low-cost, but the quality is pretty poor. Tops get all pilled with a few washes, and I had the hems on the "secret belly" panels come out after a few months of wear. Motherhood also has a number of deals like buy one get one 50% off, so I find that I end up buying their stuff, even though I know that it probably won't last very long. Oh, and most of their pants come in a petite size (which is hard to find elsewhere), so that might help with finding "shorter" items that will fit you. I'm 5'2" and I wear their petite jeans.

I had bad luck with finding items in second hand and consignment stores - a lot of companies seem to make their maternity wear "disposable" so there simply isn't a lot of second hand stuff.

 

[Halle]

Nordstroms online has pretty much discontinued their maternity line. DD got a couple of cute tops and capris for summer and was bummed when she went online to get fall clothes.

 

[englishteacha]

I got some pants on eBay, some at Goodwill, and a pair at JCP.com. I'm still seeking cute tops. I bought some secondhand clothes from a coworker, but they're not my style. They'll do, but I'd like a few things that are more "me". Lands End has some items, and it's 25% off everything right now.

 

[RachaelA]

Motherhood Maternity items are really low-cost, but the quality is pretty poor. Tops get all pilled with a few washes, and I had the hems on the "secret belly" panels come out after a few months of wear. Motherhood also has a number of deals like buy one get one 50% off, so I find that I end up buying their stuff, even though I know that it probably won't last very long. Oh, and most of their pants come in a petite size (which is hard to find elsewhere), so that might help with finding "shorter" items that will fit you. I'm 5'2" and I wear their petite jeans.

Weird. None of my tops from MM (bought at Macy's) pilled at all. I wore the heck out of the tanks all summer. My jeans are still in great shape as well (they were my only pair of maternity jeans). Maybe it depends on the article of clothing?

 

[MrsPete]

No offense, but if you haven't purchased Target clothing in 18 years, do you really have any idea what the quality is like, now? . . . I had bad luck with finding items in second hand and consignment stores - a lot of companies seem to make their maternity wear "disposable" so there simply isn't a lot of second hand stuff.

I used to buy from them when I was much younger, and their stuff was kind of 50-50 -- sometimes it was okay, sometimes it was complete garbage. It was never top-quality. That maternity tee, however, was the last straw. Why would I give them more opportunities to disappoint me?

In contrast, if something's sold second-hand, it's usually been washed a couple times; thus, you can see how it'll hold up for you.

In all honesty, I'm easy to fit: I'm a common size, and I'm short. I might need to hem something, but I can always find things that fit.

 

[malibuconlee]

We don't have any Goodwill stores around here.... actually I just googled it, looks like there is one about an hour away but it's in a not so nice area, not sure I want to drive all the way there.

I've been checking out Kohl's, ours only has about 2 racks of maternity but I keep browsing anyway.

I'm going to look at Target next time I'm there (again, it's almost an hour away). I may have to resort to buying some things online. I'm really short and things never seem to fit right, I tend to return more than I keep when I shop online

I'm really short too an Motherhood Maternity had short length pants. I bought a lot of my maternity clothes there. Jeans, dress pants to wear to church, cute tops. Got some things at Kohls' too. Ask around with women you know if anyone has any you can borrow. My SIL sent me home with a tub when I was pregnant and I mailed her a box back when she got pregnant again.

 

[AprilRenee]

I am also in the maternity buying stage. When are you due? I'm due April 7th. We get our gender scan on Monday!!

My favorite jeans are my pair of Motherhood Maternity jeans. They were the cheapest ones in the store but they fit well! Although, they aren't the best quality..they're comfortable and I don't have to keep hiking them up like the other maternity jeans I got. I HATE my JCP jeans (I work there and got a great discount but totally hate the jeans).

Otherwise, check Craigslist. Lots of people have maternity lots for sale for like $50. They usually just say "I wore a ___ size prepregnancy" and you can kinda figure out by that and the sizes of what they have if it will work for you. I haven't done this yet, but I'm realizing that I don't have enough shirts to make it thru the winter. Jeans I'm ok on, but tops not so much.

Hope that helps!

 

[cancer_survivor_06]

Not sure if you would be interested in this option a friend of mine used this during both of her pregnancies.
http://www.target.com/p/Be-Maternity-BeBand-Assorted-Colors/-/A-13742281

I am a plus size gal who is almost 19wks and my pants are just a little snug right now but I am not ready to invest in maternity clothes just yet. I did as one pp mentioned I picked up a few pairs of stretch/yoga pants to wear around (I don't work but have two older dd's that have several after school appointments/activities that we go to) and for now I will be picking up one of these to try w/ my jeans and dress pants. If I can get away w/ this at least till the end of december I will be doing good. It will at least save me on some pants and I can just pick up an extra shirt or two. Target can have decent maternity clothes but I find them to have a very limited selection at least in my area and the old navy store near me has a decent selection of maternity clothes. You may want to check out target, old navy, jcp, and any other stores in your area to see what style you like for the look and comfort and go from there.

 

[Happiest mommy]

I bought from Motherhood Maternity online clearance section good stuff Target Liz Lange I liked better was very good quality loved it! also clearance and Walmart online has cute things too, only bought a few pieces mostly tops and 2 jeans u really dont need much for work bought black pants/navy added different tops Congratulations on your baby!