Maternity clothes and the cost per wear formula

We promise this isn't a maths lesson but we’d like to introduce you to a smart way of thinking about the clothes you buy using the cost per wear formula – a really simple way of working out how much value you are going to get from an article of clothing. You spend £100 on a maternity dress to wear to a wedding and wear it twice. That would work out as a pretty high cost per wear of £50. Spending £100 on a pair of jeans you wear three times a week for nine months (108 times) works out at a more reasonably sounding 93p per wear. You get the idea.

Sometimes it grates to spend money on something you’re only going to wear in pregnancy – or even worse only during a particular stage of pregnancy eg. something that only looks good when you have a sizeable bump. So choose wisely and buy clothes that will also work for breastfeeding in and you can get a few more months wear out of them (and avoid having to buy clothes specially to breastfeed in).

So what maternity items can I splurge on then?

Bras – check you’re buying nursing bras and not just maternity bras. Nursing bras have all the features of a maternity bra but with the added feature of easy breastfeeding access so not only can you wear them in pregnancy but you might end up wearing them many months after the birth. Our top tip is to choose a few gorgeous nursing bras in a nude colour (rather than black or white) so you can wear them under anything.
Jeans –wear them round the house or out with the girls. Maternity jeans get a lot of wear so buy a pair that fit well but also have room for your growing bump.
Maternity tops (and dresses) that you will also be able to nurse in so you can get wear out of them in the months following birth.
Maternity pyjamas / nighties - once again choose those designed with easy breastfeeding access. You’ll be wearing these every night – and maybe in the daytime too in the few weeks after birth so get the ones you love.

We'd love to hear your thoughts and tips on cost per wear and maternity / breastfeeding clothes. Is it something you consider?