From my old MummyandTummy website…
What was your best maternity buy? What would you do again differently regarding your maternity wardrobe? Have you got any great maternity stores or websites you would reccomend? Comment below!!
THIS PAGE -what to buy, going green, mummytips and where to buy it
What to Buy
How many maternity clothes do you need? What do you need? The answer is… it depends. It depends on your budget and your lifestyle. Are you a working professional, who needs to look dressy? You may need to invest in some maternity dresses to keep your wardrobe looking smart. Are you working from home or caring for other babes? You may be able to extend your current wardrobe with a few extras, which will help you keep the cost down! We reccomend investing in a decent pair of jeans and a nice skirt – many mums reccomend Egg maternity jeans. Then, mix and match with cheaper tops from some of the suppliers below. If you are planning more than one pregnancy, consider buying a couple of nice label tops. Then use aaccesories and some of the cheaper maternity outlets to boost your wardrobe. You will find that buying the more expensive but quality gear will see you through more than one pregnancy. And you can replace the cheaper clothes each time to give your limited wardrobe a boost and still feel fashionable! You will find great clothes like wrap dresses and tops from non-maternity outlets, such as Ezibuy and Farmers – bargains that will extend your wardrobe cheaply! However investing in some maternity tops will come in handy when you breastfeed as most are designed to take you post-pregnancy with easy access to your breasts. Often good maternity wear will have a decent selling value in a second-hand store or on Trade Me. You can also find bargains, especially on Egg wear, from these places too – www.trademe.co.nz! Finally, grab some belly tubes – they’re fabulous for covering your growing belly, and after birth, covering that same (but smaller!) tummy when you are breastfeeding. You can get plain ones or patterned ones and they’re often on Trade Me, or on some of the websites below.
Checklist:
A decent pair of jeans
Another pair of pants casual dress or 3/4 pants (depending on season)
two or three long singlets for layering
three casual tops
one dressy top (at least)
A wrap dress
Going Green
Now that you have someone else in your body to think of, you may be starting to reconsider what you use, wear, eat and breathe. Going natural or organic where possible is common in pregnancy and with a new baby because you have this overwhelming urge to protect this innocent new life! Clothing is a major issue when it comes to going green. Cheap, mass-produced items can be high in chemicals, have traveled many miles to get to you, use cheap labour and other issues. If you’re on a budget but want to start getting green for the sake of yourself and your new babe, consider stocking up on a second-hand maternity wardrobe. You’ll be saving money and the planet! (Try www.trademe.co.nz or http://www.bloomingbeautiful.co.nz for some FAB bargains on top brands!). If you want to take your maternity wear to the next level, you can consider ORGANIC fabrics. Look for items made in NZ for even better eco-cred!
Organic Maternity Wear
www.eggmaternity.co.nz
www.womama.co.nz
MummyTips
Here are some reccomendations for your maternity wardrobe from our fabulous MummyandTummy members:
“Buy from Trade Me – you can get some lovely maternity clothes at a fraction of the cost – and then resell them once you’re done too!”
“JayJays have these long, lacy-edged singlets which are perfect for growing tummies. You can layer under clothes or wear on their own. A definite essential, I had four in different colours and I wore them under my usual tops so I didnt have to spend more money.”
“A decent pair of maternity jeans and a dressy pair of black pants or a black skirt should cover your bases. Wear trackies at home. Mix and match with different (cheaper!) tops for a complete wardrobe.”
“I am so glad I bought some belly tubes – stretchy fabric cloth that goes over your bump. It meant I could wear my usual clothes over top. Great for breastfeeding too because you can cover your flabby tum!”
“I used a hairtie to extend the button on my hipster non-maternity jeans for several months”
“My Mummy tip for buying maternity gear is buy yourself at least one good quality item. The Pumpkin Patch and JK stuff is fine for everyday, but the 2 EGG tops I brought were worth every cent. I wore them so much, and they still look in great condition, and it was nice to have somthing really stylish to wear (nicer than my regular non pregnancy clothes even!) And plus with the second preg, they were still in great shape, unlike the other stuff.” -Jody
Where to Shop
ONLINE STOCKISTS OF MATERNIY WEAR IN NZ: (remember we dont have affiliation with any of these suppliers, this is just a general directory for New Zealand. If you know of a business we dont have, let us know! We’d also love to hear your reviews and experiences with these businesses!)
http://www.mamalove.co.nz/
https://www.mama2b.co.nz
http://www.maternitydirect.co.nz/
http://www.newlifematernity.co.nz/
http://www.mobea.co.nz/
www.pregnancypitstop.co.nz
http://www.bobmaternity.co.nz/
http://www.jk.co.nz
http://www.pumpkinpatch.co.nz/
www.eggmaternity.co.nz
www.womama.co.nz
