Argh! Maternity tights... I am sick of looking like a penguin / MC Hammer... Recommendations desperately needed...

[MockCroc]

Well, the subject probably says it all. I find they either chop into my bump making me look as though I have the world's biggest muffin top (I'm 30 weeks) or they walk down during the day and the crotch ends up around my knees. Has anyone found a brand that stays in situ? I am becoming increasingly concerned that I will stand up in a meeting one day and my colleagues will actually be able to see the gusset below my hemline... And don't get me started on my Nora Batty ankles. DH finds it hilarious. Me? Less so...

Mock Croc, After much experimenting I have found that M&S and Tu at Sainsbury's are the best.

I found Topshop to be the best although they were about £8 a pair.

I buy ordinary Falke tights in extra large, and pull them over the bump. I could never get maternity tights to stay up, so totally feel your pain! Hopefully we won't need tights soon. (p.s. I got the extra large Falke tip from Claudia Schiffer - indirectly I hasten to add - but apparently it was her solution to maternity tights ....)

H&m mama. They don't cost the earth either

It's not so much a recommendation as a suggestion. I found moisturising my bump with a nice thick body butter type thing a few minutes before I put my tights on, created enough friction to hold them up a bit better. It particularly worked with M&S tights. I am not promising it will work for you but it may be worth a try.

I tried all of the Emma Jane tights from JoJo, and they all ended up wrinked round my ankles and the crotch around my knees. And then I was recommended the H&M opaque mama ones by a MNer. They are fantastic.

H&M Mama work for me.

Brilliant! Thanks everyone. I shall take myself to H&M and M&S this afternoon. I have a family wedding tomorrow and would really really like to feel more comfortable. Fingers crossed!! x

I have a pair of Mothercare maternity tights. Plain black, but do the job perfectly. Stay up over the bump without issue (a large 29 wks here!)

Maybe try hold ups? The silicone topped ones work well, but you do want your skirt to be a certain length in order to pull it off! No creams or oils before use either. I just run a wet finger around the top to help the silicone stick...

That said, I'm definiteyl going to try H&M and M&S as it's still a little cool for hold ups perhaps!

You'll need a large m&s store only a few stock them. Unless you happen to love near an m&s outlet I picked mine up there for £1.50!!! Althought I found h&'m better and lots of styles

Live near not love

I'm only 17wks but have had to wear support tights from the start due to family history of poor circulation which I have inherited. I hate tights and hate the fact I'm going to be wearing them in August!!! I feel warm and uncomfortable just thinking about it. Anyway, rant over.

At the moment I'm just wearing the biggest size non-maternity support tights. The trick is (according to my mum) wear them backwards, as they are bigger at the back to accomodate your bum, but once your belly gets biggger they fit much better the wrong way round. Seems to work quite well I've found, so long as the tights don't have 'feet'! Don't know how long it will last but I'm hoping to stay in them as long as possible as I expect they're cheaper than maternity ones.

Beware of m&s tights! They are evil and designed to remove all dignity you may possess.

I wore them loads over the winter and always had trouble with them rolling down. Read on here that a good solution was to wear your knickers on the outside, super man style. Finally got so feed up with tights around my knee I decided to try it.

It worked for about 45 minutes which included my walk to the station and getting on the train. When my train got into its destination I stood up to get off and felt my tights roll down and take my knickers with them. I was of course wearing a reasonably short dress so my arse was bare to the world. Toilets at the station were closed and ended up having to make the necessary adjustments tucked into a corner of the station shielded by a sympathetic fellow commuter.
I switched to leggings very shortly afterwards. :-)

Another vote for H&M here!

pmsl at your train story lyn - absolutely hilarious!

Well, I discovered on Saturday, on the way to the wedding, that baba is right and the enormous M&S we went into didn't stock maternity tights. Nor did House of Fraser. The looks of complete astonishment on the faces of the sales ladies at the very suggestion they might made me feel like a bit of a pariah TBH.

Tracked down H&M and it came up trumps with one remaining packet in my size. Follow duvet's advice of moisturising the bump, much to DH's amusement.

Verdict: they stayed up MUCH better than the seraphine and mothercare ones I had tried before so thank you ladies for the advice. The distance from the gusset to the top was a bit short for me so I still had the muffin top problem, but I am quite happy to live with that in exchange for avoiding the penguin / Nora Batty problem. I have come to the conclusion that one cannot hope for perfection in the field of maternity tights, but maintaining common decency is a realistic aim and H&M covers that (in all senses!) .

thanks all! xxxx