Tips For Finding Maternity Clothes On A Budget (2023)

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You can build a maternity wardrobe on a budget.

When you’re on a budget, finding cute, inexpensive maternity clothes can seem like an impossible task.

However, it doesn’t have to be! I’m here to give you my best tips and tricks for scoring cute clothes that won’t break your budget.

In a hurry? Check out the huge range of maternity clothes that are available on Amazon now!

**Do I really need maternity clothes?**

Before we get into how to score great deals, let’s discuss whether you actually need maternity clothes.

The simple answer is no. You don’t need to buy maternity clothing, but you’ll likely need to change up your wardrobe because you’ll definitely be bigger by the end of your pregnancy.

Some women are able to opt for “normal” clothing, but just in oversized styles or larger sizes. Sometimes, non-maternity and maternity clothing can be mixed and matched for a little variety in your wardrobe. Things like cardigans may still work with a bump!

It is worth noting here that you may be able to use helpful items like belly bands to make your pants fit and stay up with a bump and bra extenders to give your bras a little extra room around the band.

When should I start buying maternity clothes?

While you may not be too big for your “normal” clothing until around month 4 or 5 of your pregnancy, I actually recommend you start shopping around for maternity clothes right away.

Here’s why:

Pregnancy comes with a lot of symptoms and you may not always feel good. So, I think it is best to take advantage of any time that you’re feeling good to prepare for the future months of pregnancy.
You’ll have time to score better deals.
There will be time to shop around and find exactly the pieces that you want.
Finding maternity clothing in brick and mortar stores can be difficult. So, if you wait to the last minute to go shopping (like the day that your pants will no longer button), you’ll have to settle for what you can find in stores or be stuck until your packages arrive.

How can I get cheap maternity clothes?

There are a lot of creative ways to get cute maternity clothes for cheap (or even free):

1. Use online rebates & coupons

Shopping online is super convenient and it can allow you to price shop for your maternity clothes. When shopping, be sure to search for coupons that you can apply to your cart. To get an even better deal, I highly recommend using Rakuten (formerly Ebates) to get a rebate on many of your purchases. If you use my link, you’ll get an extra $10 back after your first purchase of $25 or more! Score!

2. Buy gently used maternity wear

Facebook Marketplace or Ebay (be sure to use Rakuten for cash back) can be excellent places to find maternity clothes that are ready for a new home. Since many of the people selling their clothes on these sites are moms who no longer need them, you can usually find some really great lots of clothes that will save you lots of money!

3. Borrow from friends

If you have friends who wear similar sizes and were recently pregnant, it may be worth borrowing their maternity wear. Since you will inevitably buy your own pieces to supplement, you’ll be able to share them when/if your friend gets pregnant again. Win win!

4. Shop sales & clearance

When I was shopping for maternity clothes during my pregnancy, I always looked to the sale and clearance sections, both online and in brick and mortar stores. You can often find gems for a great deal!

5. Convert pre-pregnancy clothes into maternity wear

While this tip won’t work for all of your maternity clothing needs, belly bands can help make your “normal” pants fit and stay up with a bump and bra extenders can give your bras a little extra room around the band.

6. Buy only what you need (think basics) and pair with non-maternity clothes to add variety

As I mentioned above in regards to whether maternity wear is actually essential, you can sometimes pair non-maternity items with the maternity necessities to make great outfits.

Pre-pregnancy items like cardigans will still work when paired with a maternity top.

In addition, you may be able to find great non-maternity clothing that is oversized or just larger size than you normally wear for cheaper than maternity clothes.

7. Rent maternity clothing

Instead of investing a lot of money in maternity clothing that you may only wear for a short time, you may consider renting a wardrobe!

This is especially a great idea if you’re concerned you’ll get bored wearing the same few items over and over.

Le Tote is a clothing rental subscription service that offers a maternity box. For a monthly charge, you can pick the clothes you want in your box, then you can wear the clothes as much as you want and send them back. Then, they’ll send you a new box. If you like any of the items and want to keep them, you can purchase the items for a reduced price from retail.

What stores carry maternity clothes? What store has the best maternity clothes?

The following stores have maternity clothing lines. While the selection is likely much larger for most (if not all) of these stores online, you may get lucky and find a selection in brick and mortar stores. I’d highly suggest calling ahead before making a special trip!

Remember to check out the tips above to save money on your maternity clothes shopping and be sure to check out Rakuten (formerly Ebates) to get a rebate on many of your purchases. If you use my link, you’ll get an extra $10 back after your first purchase of $25 or more! Score!

Where applicable, I’ve added a few notes about particular maternity clothing items I really enjoyed from these stores below. I wasn’t able to link to the specific items I had several years ago, but I hope this helps!

Old Navy – I absolutely loved their t-shirts!
H&M – I loved their simple black leggings that went over my bump!
PinkBlush – This has been a new find since I was pregnant with my daughter, but I’ve gotten to try out their clothing as a part of a collaboration and loved them!
Motherhood – I wore a pair and their long tank tops constantly. These were must haves!
Loft
Gap – I never found their maternity jeans to fit me quite right, but they were amazing quality!
Macy’s
Target – Target has great staple pieces and many stores have some maternity! Score!
Amazon – Amazon is always a great place to check out if you’re looking for inexpensive options.
A Pea In The Pod
Walmart – I had a few things from Walmart, and in my experience, they didn’t last quite as long as my other maternity clothes. However, the price was always really good.

If you’re anything like I was during my pregnancy, you’ll likely find items from multiple retailers that become your pregnancy favorites. For me, there wasn’t just one store that gave me everything I needed for my maternity wardrobe.

Don’t be afraid to shop online and return what you don’t like. Just be sure to check each retailer’s shipping prices and return policy beforehand.

Where can I buy cheap maternity clothes online?

Out of all of the retailers listed above, the least expensive maternity clothes are likely to be found at H&M, Target, Amazon, Old Navy or Walmart.

However, I definitely recommend checking out all of the retailers and looking specifically at their clearance and sale sections and pairing that with online coupons and rebates (like Rakuten, which I just keep mentioning, I know)!

How much should you budget for maternity clothes?

Maternity clothing can get expensive and quick. An article by Fortune estimated that moms-to-be spend between $450 and $500 on maternity clothing during their pregnancy.

Yikes.

However, using the tips outlined above, I think that you could keep your maternity clothing budget a lot less, it will just take a bit of creativity and doing your deal hunting!

I hope that this article provided you with some helpful tips for finding maternity clothes on a budget! Let me know in the comments below if you have any money-saving tips for maternity wear or pregnancy in general. I’d love to hear them!