When your pregnant, nothing is worse than having to struggle with your pants! Early on I realized I would have to sacrifice the buttoning of many a pair of pants, and thus the need for a belly band was super important! With the need for a belly band came two options, I could pay the $18.99 at Target and buy one, or I could use my noggin and create one for a fraction of the cost. No matter which option I chose, the important part was stretching my pre-baby wardrobe for as long as possible! The other helpful side of this neat little piece of clothing is that it can cover the space between where your pants end and your shirt begins. Trust me, I had my fair share of Winnie the pooh moments as my belly got bigger and my shirts began to slowly rise and I struggled with the added heat of constantly layering onto an already sweaty body. This is great too because instead of layering on tank tops that have the potential to smoosh your already uncomfortable top half, it conveniently only goes about mid belly, relieving the added pressure of any tank tops with built in bras.
Alright so to get started all you need is a pair of scissors, an old tank top, and a ruler (optional depending on your level of perfectionism.)
I used a tank top that was a stretchy material, it’s easier to stick to a tank top or old tee shirt that was snug to the body, preferably a size smaller than you would normally wear, but don’t get too hung up on the size as it is made to cover your every growing belly. For the tutorial below I used a sized medium tank top.
Alright so first step is to pick the shirt of your choosing, and lay it out on a flat surface.
Then take your ruler and measure about ten to twelve inches from the bottom of the shirt, in this case my ruler only went to ten so that’s what I did!
You can also eyeball it if you don’t have a ruler. I’ve done it both ways and the key is to cut right below where your bra would end, giving ample amounts of material to work with.
Next is to make a mark where you plan to cut.
Finally go to town with those scissors and cut away!
Don’t worry about if the cut is super even, I tend to fold the top of mine when I wear it anyway and it fits just fine! The key here is making sure there is enough fabric to cover both the top of your pants and bottom of your belly.
Now that you’re done, throw on your favorite pants or top and take that belly band for a test drive! In the images below I’m wearing a neutral tan but I also have one in navy and maroon that I’ve made for when I want to change it up, and it probably cost me a total of $5 over the span of however many years I’ve had these tank tops.
I hope that this quick little DIY gave you some piece of mind and helped to make your wardrobe more baby bump friendly! Feel free to share your experiences below!
New England Mama 