Creative Ways To Turn Your Regular Clothes Into Maternity Fashion

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Make way for baby: How to turn your regular clothes into maternity clothes

Fact-checked by Marcella Gates, Director of Content Operations Amy Cassell

Written by Amy Cassell | Sep 19, 2025 Hands working on a sewing project

Photo credit: © Maria Sher / Stocksy UnitedQuick summary

Dresses, tunics and even jeans can be adapted to accommodate your pregnancy, especially in the early weeks. Learn the tricks moms turn to here.

In this article

Make your own pregnancy belly band
Use a hair tie to make a maternity pants extender
Turn your regular jeans into maternity jeans
Buy bra extenders to make your bras last longer
Add leggings to turn a dress into a maternity tunic
Shop your closet for maternity fashion
Borrow clothes from your partner
Turn a maxi skirt into an empire-waist maternity skirt

You'll need maternity clothes – likely as you get into the second trimester – but until then, you can do a lot with what's already in your closet. Two popular maternity fashion hacks involve using an old T-shirt to create a pregnancy belly band, and making a maternity pants extender with an elastic hair tie. You can also turn dresses into maternity tunics (just add maternity leggings!), transform old maxi skirts into empire-waist ones, or borrow some new-to-you clothes from your partner.

“There are ways to make your clothes last longer,” says BabyCenter Community member KourtP.

Photo credit: Thayer Allyson Gowdy for BabyCenter

You're going to need at least some maternity clothes after your pregnancy starts to show, which is between 12 and 18 weeks for most women. And while you probably won't regret buying that cute maternity dress, you don't have to blow your entire budget on a new wardrobe. With some creative thinking and a little DIY ingenuity, there are a lot of easy ways to turn some of the items hanging in your closet into a few stylish maternity outfits.

Read on for eight maternity fashion hacks that moms-to-be love. (And when it's time to go shopping for more looks, here are seven ways to save money on maternity clothes.)

Photo credit: iStock.com / Xsandra

Make your own pregnancy belly band

The pregnancy belly band is a beloved maternity fashion staple – it's a soft, stretchy piece of fabric worn over your waist (and under your shirt) to cover and smooth out the appearance of unbuttoned or unzipped pants. A belly band is a budget-friendly way to hold off on buying maternity pants when you're gaining weight in the first trimester but haven't fully popped yet.

You can buy a belly band – there are plenty of popular ones to choose from – but you can also make your own by cutting off the top of a snug and stretchy T-shirt, camisole, or tank top.

Use a hair tie to make a maternity pants extender

Don't relegate those too-snug pants and shorts to the back of your closet just yet. Try this reliable trick first: Thread a rubber band or elastic hair tie halfway through the buttonhole of your pants and back through its tail. Pull it to tighten, then wrap the loop around the button.

Voila! You've just made your own pregnancy pants extender.

“The hair tie/rubber band trick is great if your pants have buttons,” says BabyCenter Community Member Crazyplantlady.

If the hair tie feels too flimsy or you're nervous about your makeshift loop coming undone in public, consider buying a cheap waistband expander online. They're widely available, and usually for less than $10. The concept is the same as the DIY version, but they're made with a sturdier material.

Photo credit: © Kristen Curette & Daemaine Hines / Stocksy United

Turn your regular jeans into maternity jeans

Feeling crafty? You can DIY maternity jeans by taking a pair of denim, cutting the waistband, and sewing in a tummy panel with knit ribbing (find it at a fabric store) or an old stretchy T-shirt or tank.

If sewing's not your thing (or you've got more pressing items to take care of on your first trimester checklist), a professional tailor can easily add a panel or sew elastic into the side seams of your pants. There's also a lot of affordable and comfortable maternity jeans out there – so you may end up finding it easier and more convenient to add a new pair to your cart and call it a day.

Photo credit: iStock.com / Svitlana Ozirna

Buy bra extenders to make your bras last longer

Your bra size will change several times as your breasts grow throughout pregnancy, and buying new lingerie can add up. One idea for early in your pregnancy: bra extenders, which add a few inches (and some welcome breathing room) to your current inventory of bras. They cost around $5 a pair, come in different color options with varying hook counts, and you can easily find them online or at your local fabric store.

“I bought the bra extenders to make the band on my everyday favorite bras bigger,” says BabyCenter Community Member Firsttimebabymomma24. “It's made a huge difference in regards to comfort.”

Eventually, your cup size will grow as well as your body starts to make breast milk. At that point, it's a good idea to invest in a great maternity or nursing bra.

Advertisement | page continues belowPhoto credit: © Samantha Gehrmann / Stocksy United

Add leggings to turn a dress into a maternity tunic

You may find that you're able to wear some of your pre-pregnancy maxi dresses or other looser-fitting styles throughout your entire pregnancy – score! But as your belly grows, shorter dresses will inch up and veer into potentially-too-revealing territory. There's an easy – and budget-friendly solution: Throw on a pair of maternity leggings.

Maternity leggings are just like regular leggings, except with over-the-bump panels and added support. They're a maternity wardrobe must-have – not only because they'll help you turn dresses into tunics – but they're great for lounging, exercising, and generally feeling comfortable. (You'll be thankful for that comfort come third trimester time.)

Photo credit: © Tiarra Sorte / Stocksy United

Shop your closet for maternity fashion

There are probably more "maternity clothes" hanging in your closet or tucked away in your dresser drawers than you think. Have a mini shopping spree in your bedroom and look for looser pieces, such as peasant tops, tunics, maxis, and anything with an empire waist. Not only will those fall nicely over a burgeoning bump, they'll help hide your news until you're ready to make a pregnancy announcement.

Wrap dresses and tops with ties are easy to adjust around and over your growing belly and help provide definition between your breasts and belly. Oversized cardigans and blazers layer nicely over stretchy shirts and tank tops.

Photo credit: © Jose Coello / Stocksy United

Borrow clothes from your partner

If you're looking for cheap maternity clothes, you can visit secondhand stores, check out local parent groups on social media, and ask your mom friends if they've got anything you can borrow or have. You might also have some luck peeking in your partner's closet, especially if their clothing is a bigger size than yours.

“You start to steal your husband's clothes,” says BabyCenter Community Member AHope03.

Take an oversized button-down shirt, for example: Roll up the sleeves and wear it open with a maternity tank top underneath; or button it up, belt it just below the bust to add definition, and add a pair of maternity leggings for a cute menswear-inspired outfit.

Stylish maternity lingerie can definitely be worth a splurge, but you may also find that your partner's pajamas – think oversized T-shirts, sweatpants, boxer shorts – are perfect too.

Photo credit: © Léa Jones / Stocksy United

Turn a maxi skirt into an empire-waist maternity skirt

This maternity clothes hack is seriously as simple as it sounds: Take your elastic-waist and jersey knit maxi skirts and turn them into empire-waist ones by pulling them up.

“I opt for stretchy maxi dresses… that can go over the bump because I could never find maternity pants,” says BabyCenter Community member KeKe5332.

As your belly grows, a maxi skirt may start to look weird resting under your bump or directly on top of it, but when pulled up higher and paired with a tucked-in maternity T-shirt, tank top, or bodysuit, it's a totally new (and cute!) outfit.

Throw on a sweater and a pair of comfortable boots or sneakers and you've got a perfect holiday look. See some of the best shoes for pregnancy.

From fashion hacks to health advice, the BabyCenter appOpens a new window helps you navigate every stage of pregnancy with expert tips and support from other moms.

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Sources

BabyCenter's editorial team is committed to providing the most helpful and trustworthy pregnancy and parenting information in the world. When creating and updating content, we rely on credible sources: respected health organizations, professional groups of doctors and other experts, and published studies in peer-reviewed journals. We believe you should always know the source of the information you're seeing. Learn more about our editorial and medical review policies.

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Weight gain during pregnancyOpens a new window, 2023.

Amy CassellAmy Cassell was a senior editor at BabyCenter, the world's number one digital parenting resource, where she wrote and edited wellness and lifestyle content about pregnancy and parenting. She lives in Seattle with her husband and daughter – and when she's not writing, you’ll likely find her exploring with her family, at a brewery with friends, or on the couch with a book. Opens a new window Opens a new window Opens a new windowAdvertisement | page continues below

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