Maternity clothes rant

[NewMummy5July2011]

Just a rant - it irritates me SO much that even the biggest shops have a teeny tiny rail of maternity clothes - half of which they only seem to have in teeny tiny sizes. I'm especially irritated by Next - I've been into 5, yes 5 branches and NONE of them stock any maternity clothes.

When I ask the salespeople if they have them, they rudely tell me I can order them online. Yah, and then have to pay the delivery charge for them, and faff around with returns (and losing said delivery charge) if they don't fit.

In my hometown there are only 3 shops that even stock clothes - with the amount of pregnant women I see around you'd think there be more choice!

Sorry, rant over... pregnancy rage is seriously kicking in. :-)

Being on a tight budget when you're shopping for maternity clothes is also difficult, when there are so few shops that stock any.

I'm 26wks pg now and I've bought 99% of my maternity clothes on ebay. I've bought some lovely stuff, all in fantastic condition and it hasn't cost me a fortune. I've stuck to my normal size when not pregnant, which is a 12, and have had no problem with sizes.

Give it a go, there is so much choice on there, it really is worth it.

I went into my local Next and she told me no next store stock any maternity wear. i cant believe they didnt say in the first one!

I do agree, the selection is rubbish

There are a few nice clothes shops in my town. And not a single one stocks maternity wear. I have to catch a train or hitch a lift with someone if I want to go shopping for clothes. Come to think of it, we don't even have any baby shops in town! How pathetic is that!?!

Can I join in the ranting too?

I made a special trip to the only H&M in my area that has maternity stuff and tried to buy some trousers. I am usually a size 12, so I tried on a 10, 12, 14 in a number of styles. Not one pair fitted!!! Even the 16 was tight. Couldn't find a single pair to fit me in the whole shop.

I have 3 pairs of size 12 H&M trousers from my 1st pregnancy that fit me fine (but are very tatty) so they have definitely changed their sizes.

On the other hand, the Mothercare trousers are enormous. I bought a pair of size 10 work trousers in there and they're still a bit large.

The last thing I can be arsed doing at the moment is struggling in & out of clothes in a hot changing room with a toddler in tow. Grrrrr.....

Tight budgets and maternity clothes don't fit easily in the same sentence do they... I have one dress from Mothercare in the sale, and one pair of over-the-bump trousers from George at Asda which are comfortable but tend to slide downwards... so I just have to wash them frequently. There is a Next near me that sells maternity wear, so Nicky you've been advised wrongly, however the choice is VERY limited. Hmm. I'm not keen on ordering online either as I like to try things on before I buy them. Luckily only 14 weeks to go...

Some massive Nexts have maternity clothes in stock. Very recently saw a fairly large selection at the Meadowhall branch in Sheffield.

Order from m&s online to your store, no delivery charge. Try on. Return what you don't want.

In my town, none of the major retailers like M&S, John Lewis, Debenhams, stock any maternity wear - and the selection in the ones that do (Dorothy Perkins, Next) is extremely limited. I agree it's really appalling!

New Look has been my saviour - I never ever used to shop there, but bought quite a lot of my maternity stuff from them.

Resorted to online shopping, fortunately, I've been lucky and did not have to return anything (yet).

I'm off down the charity shops to look for tracksuit bottoms !

I'm joining this rant

Next in the Birmingham Bullring have a small selection, but in someones wisdom they've put it right next to the Petite section - Genius

Mothercare does have some bargains to be had

Mamas & Papas aren't as expensive as i thought - a nice range and often on 3 for 2

ASOS online have a nice range often in the sale too and have free delivery and returns. But do check their sizing chart as they can be big.

Crave Maternity is okay not as nice as ASOS though to return

But all in all - i can appreciate you want to try stuff on, but don't have the strength mentally or physically to be shopping all day and going into changing rooms. But i have to say Mamas & Papas were the nicest and believe it or not, cheapest experience i had, cos they had 3 for 2 and 30% off the same time a couple of weeks ago.

But ladies don't settle for any old tent. Strive to still look lovely and comfortable too.

NEXT Westfield also have maternity clothes - next to petite section

Phew - I'm glad I'm not the only one with this problem! Have found it really hard to find nice flattering clothes - looks like online shopping may be the forward!

ooooh... will take a drive out to Mama's and Papas - bit of a trek for me but may be worth it. Am dreading trying to find a dress to wear to my sister in law's wedding in two months time!

My Mum bought me two pairs of new maternity jeans from ebay, one pair of Debenham Red Herring and a Marks and Sparks pair. Both pairs look great and I've also bought from ebay a selection of maternity tops, ranging from 99p to £4.00 plus P&P which has only been a few quid. The jeans were £12 and £15 respectively.

Love all of the bits I have bought and still have a browse through, although I have plenty to keep me going. I have also bought a couple of maternity skirts for when Spring comes and again, gorgeous, good quality and best of all CHEAP!!

I do love a bargain

I have also found it really hard to find maternity wear in town - most shops have stopped stocking items in store and refer you to their website - very annoying! Also agree that many shops only do small sizes or long leg lengths - I am short and stubby unfortunately.

Having said that my 2 great exceptions to the rule have been Matalan and Peacocks
www.peacocks.co.uk/family/index.jsp?size=35&sort=&categoryId=3889122
www.matalan.co.uk/fcp/categorylist/dept/womens_womens-maternity

• again not huge selection in either but have been able to buy jeans, work trousers and a few tops in decent sizes and at cheap prices too. Would recommemnd both (sitting in my snuggly £16 size 18 short length maternity jeans as I type :))

meant to add - was able to buy these in store so able to try on etc.

I didn't buy maternity wear apart from underwear and the one dress I found in a charity shop.

Instead, I saved money by buying from charity shops/discount shops/in sales: baggy shirts and blouses, front-tie cardigans, larger-size skirts, sweat pants and a wrap dress. The latter was especially good because I could go on wearing it post-birth and it was excellent for breastfeeding.

Retailers often unfairly mark up maternity stuff if you ask me - so it's worth seeing what would work in the "normal" ranges.

I think my maternity tights and bras were the most expensive item I bought for my pregnancy!

Can I join in please?!

I am struggling massivley too, too make it more difficult I need trousers in at least 34.5" inside legs - i struggled enough finding trousers/jeans/leggings before I was pg, now it is impossible. What is up with retailers?!
Shocking choice, bizare sizing and unfairly expensive.
humph.

Biggem, it might be worth looking at Seraphine for longer length trousers. I'm pretty average height, but I've seen their long length trousers and they seem very very long, so at 34.5" inside leg you might find them OK. Actually I've just checked their website and it says 33" for their long length, but if you can't find anything any longer then you might as well try them especially if you wear them with flats..?

They're not the cheapest shop but also not outrageously expensive, and I've found their "roll-over" black trousers (in standard length for me) to be good quality and well worth the money - think they're £39 looking at the website now.

Also, the leggings I got from H&M are also slightly on the long side, but not sure if they'd be quite long enough for you - maybe.

Hope this helps and you manage to find something!

Dorothy Perkins offer free returns and free delivery till 4pm today online. I've had the most success with their clothes. Even if you order after today and pay for delivery, its still cheaper than it would cost in petrol, and parking to get to the shops.

Gap have a maternity section in the southampton branch, and so do next, check in their baby clothes section or look online for your local branch. The one in next is in their home store which has a seperate baby and maternity section. Its still tiny so still better to order online.

I do know what you're saying though, I just got back from a trip to NYC. They have a shop called Destination Maternity there which was amazing. 2 floors packed full of beautiful maternity clothes and lingerie for all budgets. I was offered complimentary mineral water and apple juice on arrival, the shop assistant ferried the clothes i picked off the rails to the changing room for me and they had a kiddies play area, comfy sofas and loos! Why can't someone do thins in the UK!

DomestiGoddess31 - I live in the US, and I think that's possibly the ONLY store in the US that has such a service or selection!! You were very lucky! I have struggled from the beginning to find maternity clothing that isn't cheaply made, minging or plain bloody ugly. The high end stores are super over-priced and only on a handful of trips have I found something that isn't ghastly looking. I am pregnant, not blind. Ironically, the better clothing I found was in London on a trip back at xmas! Other than that, I have bought clothing that I'd normally wear but in 2 sizes bigger to stretch over my bump - skirts, tops...but not with trousers (god, that's a whole different trauma for me).

I totally agree. The selection and quality of maternity clothes here is quite poor. I ordered all of my maternity stuff online from Destination Maternity in the USA and DP brought it from NYC. They have trendy high quality items which cost a fraction of price similar stuff is sold for in central London... A pair of jeans should not cost GBP285 (same jeans in the USA cost USD149 or GBP90 -- pricey, but they don't roll down and don't make you feel like a whale when you wear them and will last for more than one pregnancy)...

I have found New Look (where I don't normally shop) and Dorothy Perkins best for High Street maternity wear.

Online, I have found Seraphine really good. The quality is decent and it's not too expensive. You might find a nice dress for a wedding there too. If not, Crave and Isabella Oliver have some nice ones and you can re-sell on Ebay afterwards.

I have bought some lovely maternity stuff from JoJo Maman et Bebe (they have some shops but online too - and standard second class delivery is free). They aren't cheap but no more expensive than Next. I have bought a pair of black trousers, two ballet style tops and a pencil skirt. Crucially, the trousers and skirt have big wide jersey bands which pull up over the bump rather than being under-the-bump style (which I find like a torniquet).

I've spent the whole of my pregnancy in non maternity leggings and floaty empire-line dresses from places like new look and debenhams because I couldn't find any maternity clothes I liked - am now 37 weeks pregnant and still very happy with all of this, just bought 1 or 2 sizes bigger than I normally would. Have found generally with leggings that I have to roll the waistband down under my bump but this (for me anyway) is far more comfy than maternity over-bump styles!