5 Tips for Building a Postpartum Wardrobe on a Budget

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Today we’re giving tips for building a postpartum wardrobe on a budget.

Now some of you may be shaking your head and thinking: “Why is she even suggesting that someone would have to buy a new wardrobe after having a baby? If you eat right, exercise and maintain a healthy pregnancy, you should be able to get back into your pre-pregnancy clothes in no time. At least I did!”

Not to sound harsh, but pride goes before the fall.

And I can say that because I’ve been there. Two weeks after having my first, I was back into a size 2–barely holding at 115 lbs. and no sign of the diastasis* or stretch marks I have now–after 3 kids (that I had in barely a 4-year span). I was also in my 20s, got plenty of sleep (remember, I had one kid!) and was active.

And I didn’t even try to lose the weight. Breastfeeding was “good” to me. She just sucked all that fat out of me! And I thought “baby weight” was a myth!

Ha!

The second and third time? Not so much. I was humbled all right–and now I know what it’s like to be on the other end. To really struggle to lose weight. To spend hours wading through my closet to find just one article of clothing I could fit.

And I know some of you have been there your entire lives. (And you’re beautiful!)

Image by …love Maegan

All that said, I’ve now realized that very few women can just bounce back from pregnancy and fit into their “skinny” jeans two weeks later: age, activity level, family stress, work, metabolism, underlying health problems, responsibilities, and even income can all play a big part into how the postpartum body looks.

But how in the world can one afford an entire postpartum wardrobe on a budget?

Here are 5 tips for affording new clothes after baby is born:

1. Shop consignment shops/sales.

Purchasing new clothing on consignment will save lots of money–and, most of the time, consignment stores will only accept gently-used clothing. This way, you are landing a deal and scoring high-quality clothing that will get you through that in-between stage when you are still losing weight.

2. Shop yard/garage sales.

This will probably be your cheapest bet. You may have to visit a few more sales than you would if you were visiting a consignment store–and the clothing may not be as high of a quality, but you are sure to find some steals of deals for that postpartum period.

3. Ask for new clothing–or gift cards–for your birthday, Christmas or for other special occasions.

My birthday wasn’t until 3 months after my my recent baby’s birth, but after wearing maternity clothes for over two months after her birth, I asked my mom if she would mind buying me some new clothes as an early birthday present. She was delighted, and I finally was able to fit into some non-maternity clothes–and just in time for me to attend the Allume Social Christian blogging conference!

4. Trade clothes with friends.

This is another way in which I’ve been able to “afford” new clothes after baby. I have a dear friend here who has dropped 5 sizes in the past year and a half! I actually gave her some of my old skinny clothes a while back, and she recently gave me some of her bigger clothes.

5. Work with what you have.

As we talked about in last week’s post, sometimes you just have to work with what you already have, and there’s no way around it. Pull out whatever stretchy/elastic waistband clothing you have. Gaucho and yoga pants and flowy skirts and blouses are so helpful during those months after baby is born!

And remember–you will hopefully fit back into your pre-pregnancy clothing at some point! So as tempting as it may be to get rid of it all, hang on to your favorites (or all of it). Before you know it, you (and I) will be back in those skinny jeans!

What are your tips for building a postpartum wardrobe on a budget?

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