A guide for parents
Maternity clothes: what you actually need
The four things genuinely worth buying, the ones that are a bit of a con, and how to not spend £700 on clothes you'll wear for seven months.
What's in here
- The four things genuinely worth buying
- And the ones that are a bit of a racket
- Sizing, which trips everyone up
- This is the perfect thing to buy secondhand
- What you will wear after the birth
- Plus size maternity, and the honest gap
- What to do with maternity clothes afterwards
Mums-to-be in the UK spend around £700 on maternity clothes. About 21 items, worn from roughly 16 weeks until a month or so after the baby arrives.
That's seven months. For £700. And then most of it sits in a bag doing nothing, which if you've read anything else on this site will sound extremely familiar.
You need much less than the shops would like you to think.
The four things genuinely worth buying
| What | Why it's actually worth it |
|---|---|
| Maternity jeans or trousers | The one thing you can't fake. Over-bump or under-bump is personal, so try both. |
| Two pairs of leggings | You will live in these, and then live in them again afterwards. |
| Properly fitted bras | Your size will change more than once. Get measured, don't guess. |
| A coat that actually does up | Only if you're due in winter. Otherwise a big cardigan does the job. |
That's genuinely the list. Four things. Everything else you can probably manage without, or find in your own wardrobe.
And the ones that are a bit of a racket
Sorry, but somebody has to say it.
Maternity jumpers. A jumper is already a loose thing that hangs off your shoulders. A maternity one costs twice as much to be slightly longer at the front. Buy a normal jumper a size up, or borrow one off your other half.
Maternity t-shirts. Same story. Longer, stretchier, and about triple the price of a plain one from anywhere.
Maternity nightwear. A big t-shirt and some stretchy shorts will see you through, and you'll actually keep wearing them.
The special occasion dress. This one's on nearly every list, and if you've got a wedding then fine. But an awful lot of people buy one for a photoshoot that never happens and wear it once.
Shop your own wardrobe first
Before you buy anything at all, go and look at what you've already got. Anything stretchy, anything oversized, anything with a wrap or an empire line, any cardigan or open jacket. Loads of it will see you well into the second trimester.
And a hair bobble looped through the buttonhole of your normal jeans buys you a few more weeks at the start. It's not elegant. Nobody can see it.
Sizing, which trips everyone up
Buy your usual size. Maternity clothes are already cut to make room for the bump, so a size 12 buys maternity 12. Going up a size just gets you something enormous everywhere except where you need it.
That said, brands vary as much as they do in normal clothes, so try things on before the tags come off if you possibly can.
This is the perfect thing to buy secondhand
Honestly, if there was ever a category made for it, this is the one.
Maternity clothes get worn for a few months by someone who then never needs them again. They're barely used. There's no wear on them at all, in a way that's rarely true of normal clothes.
Vinted and eBay are full of them, often in bundles by size, and they go for a fraction of new.
Local parent groups are even better, because someone nearby has a bag of it in their spare room and would love it gone.
And ask around. Anyone you know who's had a baby in the last two years almost certainly still has theirs, and almost certainly hasn't got round to doing anything with it.
What you will wear after the birth
You'll still be wearing maternity clothes for a good few weeks after the baby comes, and nobody warns you about that.
Your body doesn't go back overnight, and the leggings and the stretchy tops are exactly what you'll want when you're too tired to think about it. So don't hand it all on the second you get home.
If you're planning to breastfeed, a couple of nursing tops or a nursing bra are worth having ready before the baby comes, because you won't be shopping in that first fortnight.
Plus size maternity, and the honest gap
If you're above a size 20, maternity ranges get thin very fast and it isn't your imagination. The choice is genuinely poor and what exists is often years behind everything else.
Normal clothes sized up, stretchy fabrics and wrap styles do more of the work here, and a bump band or belly extender on your own jeans goes a long way.
What to do with maternity clothes afterwards
Pass it on. Don't store it for a maybe-second-baby three years away, because it'll be out of shape and out of season by then.
Somebody in your local group is about twelve weeks pregnant right now and quietly dreading spending £700.
Four things. That is genuinely all I needed, and I wish someone had told me before I ordered half a website.
🌱 And then it happens all over again
Here's the thing about the £700. It's the same problem you're about to have with the baby's clothes, just a few months earlier.
Expensive things, worn for a few weeks, outgrown rather than worn out, and no obvious place for them to go afterwards. Except with a baby it happens six times in the first year rather than once.
That's what we built Swapaboo for. You photograph what they've grown out of, we check and value each piece, and it becomes credits you spend on the next size up from another family. The clothes cost nothing, and the only money that changes hands is the delivery or collection, from £1.99.
We're opening a few families at a time and it's invitation only just now.
Common questions
What maternity clothes do you actually need?
Four things cover most people: a pair of maternity jeans or trousers, two pairs of leggings, properly fitted bras, and a coat that fastens if you are due in winter. Most tops, jumpers and nightwear can come from your existing wardrobe in a larger size, since those items are loose anyway.
How much do maternity clothes cost?
UK research puts the average at around £700 across roughly 21 items, worn from about 16 weeks of pregnancy until several weeks after the birth. Buying only the essentials new and the rest secondhand brings that down substantially, since maternity clothes are worn briefly and are usually in excellent condition.
What size maternity clothes should I buy?
Your usual pre-pregnancy size. Maternity clothing is already cut to allow for a bump, so sizing up generally results in a garment that is too large everywhere except where the room is needed. Brands vary, so try items on before removing tags where possible.
When do you start needing maternity clothes?
Most people find their normal clothes stop working somewhere between 12 and 20 weeks, though it varies a great deal. Stretchy and oversized items from your own wardrobe often last longer than expected, and a hair band looped through a jeans buttonhole buys a few more weeks before that.
Are maternity clothes worth buying secondhand?
They are one of the best categories for it. Maternity clothes are worn for a few months by someone who then no longer needs them, so they are usually in near-new condition. Vinted, eBay and local parent groups all carry them in bundles for a fraction of the new price.
How long do you wear maternity clothes after birth?
Usually several weeks at least. Your body does not return to its previous shape immediately, and maternity leggings and stretchy tops tend to be what you want in the first weeks with a newborn. It is worth keeping some of it rather than passing everything on straight away.