Whats the Deal with Belly Belts?

[Daydream Believer]

My SIL gave me her Belly Belt that she never used, however she lost the instructions & I have googled it & dont seem to be getting anywhere. Its got the cloth pieces that the belt slides through however I dont understand how to put it on properly, It just looked really stupid when I tried to put it on my jeans.

Any help would be greatly appriciated

[monnie]

Hi Sal

I used a belly belt throughout my pregnancy...but never with the cloth bit.

Basically I just used the belt to hold together my pants (as I couldn't do them up normally)...and then I would either wear a long shirt or skirt over my pants so you couldn't see the gaping hole of my fly being undone.

I think the cloth bit is supposed to cover up the gaping hole, but like you, I thought it looked a bit silly!

Anyway...the belt worked for me...I wore my normal jeans and pants right through to when my DS was born...

[Ozziehoffy]

Hi.. you don't need to use the material if you don't want to. I actually never had to. I only ever used the smallest belt. I think that's a lot to do with the fact that most of my clothes, if not all, are hipster style anyway. You just pop the button or slide on the belly belt through where you would normally on your jeans and then the hole on the belly belt goes onto the button on your jeans. So, it gives you a bit more room. The material is tucked on the inside - that's if you use it. Does that make sense? I do have the instructions if you need more help. I can either photocopy them or scan and email. Let me know how you go My email is achoffmann at bigpond dot com.

[MummyDuck]

Instructions as above..... however - in order to keep wearing the majority of my tops I combine my Belly Belt with a Belly Band. It means those bits that are open are covered, you have support for your belly and any corner pieces on your jeans or pants are securely held in so they dont stick out.

BUT I dont find my belly belt very comfy at all and am looking into at least one pair of maternity pants.
Each to their own though

[Astrid]

This time around I am using my belly belt with a belly band. Gives extra coverage with shorter tops and covers the open fly area nicely. Some how have lost the short belt though, must see if one can be bought separately.

[Daydream Believer]

BUT I dont find my belly belt very comfy at all and am looking into at least one pair of maternity pants.
Each to their own though

Ive been looking for maternity pants however they dont seem to make them small enough for me (size 6-8) or if they do its nearly $200 for a pair of jeans & I just cant afford to spend that much on pants that will only get used for 2 maybe 3 pregnancies.
So at the mo its more a case of having to make do with what Ive got

[Ozziehoffy]

Sal, I've emailed you the instructions.. .not much to them.

Re: maternity jeans etc... I got some from KMart... and Target have quite a large range I've noticed lately (must be cos I want another bub...lol). I did get some off ebay too. I'm usually around an 8 but hmmmm more a 10 now...lol. Anyway, try Target or something cos they have nice stuff and not too exy

[Lulu]

Check out Target for sure - I got 2 great pairs of pants for about $40 each. I loved them to death.
My sis picked up a great pair of black cords, she nearly cried when she put them on and they looked fantastic.

[Daydream Believer]

Thanks guys!
Ill probly have to spend a day trying stuff on, I heard pumpkin patch have XS so I guess Ill start there

[MummyDuck]

I am not quite as small as you but I did pick up a pair of maternity pants yesterday from Target - size 10. They were on special and I got them for $30. They are SOOOOOOOOO comfy.

I know where you are coming from though with the sizes..... I had to literally search and this was the ONLY pair of pants in a size 10 (including other styles & jeans). Everything I could find was in a 14+

if all else fails try Ebay. I'm with you on not spending hundreds of dollars on clothes - I often wonder how they get away with it.

[meow]

I heard pumpkin patch have XS so I guess Ill start there

I got some great pants and jeans at pumpkin patch. I found their sizes to be pretty big though. I'm was a size 10 and quickly jumped to size 12 early pregnancy but still had to buy everything in small. Hopefully the XS are good though.

[sneakysparkle]

Hey skittle,
when I was pg with DD I had the same problem as you - most maternity companies don't make pants smaller than a size 10! It was very annoying, and I didn't end up finding any that fit me! This time I think I will buy online, as some O/S companies make smaller sizes.
I wore my hipster jeans with the belly belt (minus the material!) right till the end and it worked great, just with a belly band or long tops.
All the best! And if you find some small maternity pants let us know!

[AliciaK]

Hi there... I agree with the Target line of the thread. I got two great pairs of work pants and a nice pair of jeans, all were under $40 each. I must admit - I'm not small (12 to 14) but they did have a great range of sizes there.
And this I can't verify as haven't been myself yet, but my neighbour informed me Kmart is having 25% off already reduced clothes, including maternity. She found shorts and pants for $10! Might be worth a look this week.
Also.... pumpkin patch - I have been told try the clothes on but check their on line store before buying as you can generally get them cheaper! I hate to buy clothes without trying them on first so was given this option by other mums.....
Hope this helps.

[Daydream Believer]

Checked Target & Kmart today & both start at a size 10

[Petals]

Skittle, if Collingwood is not out of the way for you then the the Pea in a Pod clearance outlet had some size 8's the other week in work pants. might be worth calling them to see if it is worth the trip.

[Sequoia]

Did anyone use their Belly Belts AFTER giving birth? I really don't want to spend money on a new pair of jeans when I'll still have a bump after having bubs.

[satya]

Did you try Big W for maternity jeans? Not sure what size they go down to as I'm a 14 but they have some for around $30 at the moment. Nothing fancy but they looked OK.

I've just started using the bonds belly bands (not sure if that's the correct name but they come in a two pack, one white one blue). They are a godsend.

Just noticed you are in Pakenham. There's a place in Hallam called Mollies Maternity that has cheap maternity jeans - I think all of them are under $50 from memory - again don't know what sizes they have but it might be worth a phone call. Just google their name. They had heaps of small stuff but might not be size 8.