5 Places to Save on Maternity Clothes

Lisa Koivu

When my husband and I found out we are expecting a baby this winter, one of the first things I did was think about building some semblance of a maternity wardrobe. Luckily, most of my pregnancy will be spent during the fall and winter, which means that I can get away with wearing leggings and tunics a lot of the time, but I will still need to pick up a few pieces to fit my ever-expanding belly.

I have spent quite a bit of time these past few weeks researching the stores that offer maternity apparel options, and I've come up with a list of stores that not only offer cute outfits, but affordable ones as well.

1. Destination Maternity

Most pregnant women know about Destination Maternity, as it is one of the very few stores that exclusively sells maternity apparel and much of it is quite cute! The reason this store earns the top spot on our list today is because along with traditionally-sized maternity clothing, Destination Maternity is one of the few stores that carries a full line of plus-size maternity clothing, too.

While the prices at Destination Maternity are quite good, they offer frequent sales and discounts. Every few weeks or so, the clearance section is marked down even lower, with most styles offered in a "buy one, get one free" promotion.

2. Old Navy

While Gap and Old Navy both offer maternity selections, I think Old Navy is the better option because their selection is larger and the prices are a bit more affordable. Plus, Old Navy offers a new coupon on a near-daily basis, and those coupons can be applied to the maternity selections.

The only downside to shopping Old Navy maternity is that most stores do not carry these selections in-store, which means shoppers will need to shop online and that can be tough to do when you are not quite sure what size your belly is at the moment!

3. ThredUp

ThredUp is an online consignment store, but if you do not mind purchasing pre-worn items, then this can be an excellent destination for finding affordable maternity apparel. ThredUp is actually the first place I purchased a couple of maternity items from because I could not resist the low prices. They currently have more than 3,000 maternity items listed for sale, and all are a fraction of their original retail prices.

ThredUp is also an excellent option for women who are done having babies and are no longer in need of their maternity wardrobes. By consigning with ThredUp, women can receive credit for the items they sell (which can be used to purchase anything on the site), and make their unneeded items available to future moms.

4. ASOS

Moms-to-be who wish to remain as stylish as possible while also maintaining their budgets may want to check out the maternity section at ASOS. It offers more than 1,000 chic maternity styles, including dresses, tops, pants and outerwear.

The prices for some items at ASOS are going to be a little higher than at the other stores on this list, but I highly recommend checking out the sale section where it is possible to find things marked down as much as 70 percent.

5. JCPenney

Out of all of the big stores, I was surprised to find that JCPenney actually offers one of the best maternity sections. I am not positive whether all styles are available in stores or not, but the online selection is fairly extensive. JCPenney also offers a fairly good selection of plus-size maternity clothing options.

The prices at JCPenney are lower than most of the other stores on this list, which makes them incredibly budget friendly to begin, and the retailer also offers frequent sales, as well as a near-constant stream of coupons that will take an additional 15 to 20 percent off your entire purchase.

While shopping for a maternity wardrobe might not be the best part of pregnancy, investing in a few key pieces will ensure that moms-to-be look great over the course of the nine months and, luckily, the shopping trip need not be too expensive or time consuming, as long as you visit the stores listed above!

Lisa Koivu is the founder of ShopGirlDaily.com, a budget fashion and shopping blog for women who want to have the best for less.