why are maternity tights so rubbish

[emmatrev]

I know there was a thread about this earlier this year but just wanted to rant/see if anyone had come up with anything better in the meantime. I am wear dresses and tights to work all the time, last pregnancy was in summer but due now New Years Day - I have spent what seems a fortune on different maternity rights and all but one are just rubbish. Being short probably doesn't help but still. I have tried: M&S opaque, £6, sagged within 10 mins; Seraphine opaque, £12 at least, saggy and floppy; John Lewis, £2.50, both pairs laddered in one day; Noppies, £12, made for giantesses..The only ones that are work at all are the Mama Spanx which of course are £25 and only come in sheer (they are $28 in the US which is a frustrating mark up to have to pay here). I suppose I shall have to treat my Mama Spanx very carefully and/or go for the leggings/boots option that others mention. But if anyone knows of the elusive affordable wonder brand....

I suppose the market isn't big enough for anyone to develop anything good at less than £25 but it is frustrating, Wolford have all these fab tights in lovely colours but nothing for the pregnant. I wonder if they are missing a gap.

Spread the word and let's starve the manufacturers of inadequate maternity tights of profit

I've been wearing support tights, very glamorous I know but I've had rotten varicose veins and the tights have been great - soft and comfy. Called Mama Model by Solidea. Got them from Pebble.co.uk

Another vote for Mama Spanx here, but price is . I picked up a pair on ebay for half price iirc, so that's worth a look.

I just got big ordinary tights from Evans. No mark up, lots of choice, plenty of room.

My top tip from last pregnancy was just to buy normal opaque tights, but in - at least - one size bigger than normal, then wear them back to front. So I am usually size M-L and I would buy size XL.
Best brand I found was Falke - from mytights.com. Expensive but they really lasted - am still wearing them ( right way round again now!) 6 months after giving birth...Found this far far better than any so-called maternity tights.

I used the Mothercare ones too and they were fine. In fact, I wore my brown ones yesterday, but back to front so the panel was by my bum, lol

Oh and with preg no1&2 I wore normal ones, but a size bigger, only I found that made them to long in the leg, which is fine when I was a SAHM, but not with last pregnancy when I worked.

topshop used to do hipster tights which might be ok if you can handle under the bump stuff,

So glad to read this..thought it was just me ! This is my 2nd pregnancy, my dd was born 3 years ago end of July so a completely different season.

I'm a normal sized 5 ft 5 (10 to 12 on top, 12 to 14 on bottom) but struggling to find comfortable maternity tights or leggings. I'm not small but I'm by no means fat either and although i like my food I work out 5 or 6 times a week, but I am finding everything I try too small / tight / uncomfortable and stuff just not lasting.

Spanx i have to say were utter rubbish. Have been through TWO pairs!!!!! Got a TopShop card for my 40th bday with lots of money on it (thanks mum) so thought I'd use some for maternity and save the rest for after. First pair lasted 2 weeks, then the tummy panel laddered like any old pair of tights.

So swallowed my pride and bought another pair in size XL and same happened after about 2 weeks again. Load of old PANTS!

Have also tried Emma Jane from Jojo M B. £8 a pair, but even Large are on the very small side and they keep rolling down my bump.

So far the best i've tried are the Seraphine leggings, usually £19 a pair but a bit cheaper on line at the moment and no postage. They are far from perfect (only 1 size which is quite big on me) but soft, comfy, good support and they go right over the bump and don't roll down. Am planning on wearing them with socks when it gets colder and forgetting the tights from now on!!

Tried out Topshop maternity tights last night - they were great. I'm 5ft 7 and a 10 normally but bought the small-medium size so the waist was just right to grip my hips under my bump and stay up without the longer length legs going all Nora Batty on me. It was an experiment and it worked....

I bought some off ebay and the make was 'Elle' - they gave me 3 pairs for £5 and they were brilliant, really comfortable and 30 denier. They get my vote.

I am five foot 10 inches and two babies later I never found any tights that were not a huge effort to get on on the first place.

However, Evans, you know that shop for lovely ladies in larger sizes do jolly big tights that are fab for pregnant ladies, well they did 5 years ago!

Good luck!

At nearly 6 foot tall, I just gave up and wore oh-so-sexy maternity trousers under a cleavage-revealing dress . Good luck to you all.

Hold ups are definitely the way forward. I think I had some Mothercare maternity tights too and maybe a Topshop pair and they were fine but not as good as hold ups or maternity leggings.

I wear large Tescos cheepy ones wuith a pair of pants on the outside (suprman style) to keep them up.

I have one old M&S black opaque pair from last time that I like a lot. They have a square sheer panel over the bump, so they don't feel heavy there. Unlike any others I tried, they are long enough for my long legs too.

However I would really love thick warm tights for winter, especially in nice colours, and my bump's going to be at its biggest then. Can't size up as I already get XL. I'll try those noppies "giantess" ones

I never did find any sheer maternity tights that worked - I got some for a couple of weddings and ended up taking them off and going bare-legged as they were falling down and driving me demented in the process.

For all other purposes I went for normal opaque tights in a slightly larger size, eventually augmented with superman-style pants over the top for safety. Or trousers .

I wore my old dancing tights - danskins - they were fantastic and lasted right up to 9 months despite having had them to dance in pre pregnancy so were a small size. they are very high waisted so fitted comfortably over my bump and great support for my weary legs.

I didn't plan on wearing them as maternity tights but put on as the only pair of skin toned tights I could find in my hurry to go out for the evening, they were great.

get them in good dance shops - bit pricey - £22 or there abouts but worth every penny. wash up great too.

I wore mothercare and I'm 5'2" - no sagging, laddering issues, infact they're so comfy I think I will be digging them out again this winter x

I bought Mothercare ones and they were fab, I wore them all through a winter pregnancy.Thick black ones. They were a bit more than I would normally pay for tights, about £6 a pair, but worth every penny. I had previously tried bigger normal tights, and cutting the waistband of normal ones, both of which was a disaster, so for me Mothercare maternity ones are the way to go!

Don't know if anyone has already mentioned these - but I used Maternty tights from H & M. They were above the bump ones, but lovely and comfy.

I got Mammas and Pappas 60 denier ones that seem to be ok so far. If you order a catalogue from them you get a £5 voucher, so the tights only cost me £3 :0)

I sympathise. I am not yet showing so still in normal clothes, but wore a pair of tights on Friday which drooped so far that they fell under my bum cheeks! I was walking home alone with a couple directly behind me. I crossed one road, then another - they were still there!! NO opportunities for a quick 'heave ho!' in private! I had to stick it out for 10 minutes, and in the end I got all the way home (they walked past me as I shot indoors) then flashed me cheeks at DH (who nearly wet himself laughing) before hoisting them up again.

i have just seen some great ones on mytights.com which generally only sells really good tights, adn the delivery service is excellent. am going to give it a go now!