Maternity Shopping Tips

I just pulled my last pair of maternity pants out of my closet to stow, and I have to say I'm a little sad to see them go. I LOVED wearing maternity pants! The first time I tried them on I squealed with excitement from the fitting room. Shopping for maternity clothes is no easy business, and there's a lot of poor advice online. Think about it; you're shopping with an expanding waistline for 3 seasons. Pregnant women also have less shops to choose from, so it can be difficult to get started if you're not familiar with the territory. The hardest part is that you are about to have a baby, which is a huge expense in itself, so you need to curb every expense that you can.

Here are my tips to build a fantastic, fashionable wardrobe that will accentuate your beautiful bump!

Pre-pregnancy Shopping:

Don't wait until you are pregnant to plan your maternity shopping! When you're TTC, keep your belly in mind. Purchase knit dresses, long knit shirts or sweaters, and anything with an empire waist. If it doesn't fit into one of those categories... don't buy it! Save your money for baby clothes :) The benefit here is that you won't have to sub in new wardrobe items right away- which can be a giveaway that you are pregnant. Keep comfort in mind, especially with shoe purchases and don't be afraid to go a size up if you are between sizes.

Useful tools:

Black Goody Hairband- Purchase this in the beauty aisle to expand pant waistlines. Simply loop it through your buttonhole and around the button and leave your pants unzipped a little. This is where the long pre-pregnancy shirts come in handy! These are handy post pregnancy when you're on the way back into pre-preggo jeans. You can also slap one on your wrist to recall which side to use for nursing.

BellyBand- Purchase this at Target in your pre-pregnancy size and wear it over your unbuttoned bottoms. It comes in tan, white, or black. The benefit of tan is that you won't see it through a top layer. If you get black or white and they peek out below your shirt it just looks like a tank top underneath.

What to buy, when to buy, and where to shop... after the jump!