Maternity Stores Review

Back in the day, oh about 20 years ago or so, being pregnant meant enduring nine months of frumpiness. For the first three or four months you likely felt exhausted and sick and then, just when you started to feel better, you were confronted with tent-shaped dresses, ill-fitting jeans, muumuus and dowdy, ruffled, bow-bedecked tops to cover (read: hide) your bulging midsection. Bleah! Designers finally took notice of the poor mother-to-be who was suffering through a fashion twilight zone of sorts. Soon trendy clothes that were figure flattering and chic began to appear and as the trend picks up momentum, more products are being offered for what is truly a uniquely special time in a woman’s life. Nowadays, with a virtual mall at our fingertips via the worldwide web, it’s a simple thing to shop online maternity stores for a variety of great fashion finds that flatter and accentuate your curvy, new shape.

What to Look for in Online Maternity Stores

Since shopping online doesn’t allow you to try on the clothing or handle the products that the sites offer, there are several important elements that you should expect to find in the best online maternity stores. As we reviewed the various sites, we held each store up to these requirements to see which ones were the best maternity stores on the web.

At TopTenREVIEWS We Do the Research So You Don’t Have To.™ This site contains side-by-side comparisons and helpful articles to help you choose the online maternity stores that will give you the best selection and shopping experience as you enjoy this important time in your life.

Product Selection
The best maternity stores online offer a wide range of products for the expectant mother and not just clothes although those are the primary offerings. Books, nutrition, nursing paraphernalia, baby items (including clothes, furniture, accessories, gadgets and bedding); gifts for mom, baby, siblings, dad and grandparents are standard fare in the best sites. Some stores even offer sentimental jewelry for mother, baby and even fathers.

The clothes that are featured on these sites range from generic jeans and t-shirts to designer names such as Diane Von Furstenberg, Ed Hardy, Isabella Oliver, Juicy Couture, Lucky Brand and True Religion. The type of clothing should include tops, bottoms (of all lengths), skirts, dresses, sleepwear, active or exercise clothing, hosiery, underwear and especially, bras. Some sites even have a sexy lingerie section because well, you’re pregnant, not dead. Since we’re not all the same size, the best maternity stores also carry clothes for the petite and plus sizes as well as pants with longer inseams for the statuesque mother.

Community
Being “preggers” as the British call it, means you belong to a select group of women, some of whom have gone through this before while others are experiencing it for the first time. The best online maternity stores provide community and educational elements such as articles, a blog, contests, message boards or user forums, a newsletter and podcasts. They also utilize social networking and sharing through Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and YouTube to connect you with other moms-in-waiting.

Tools
Along with the community elements, a good maternity store will also provide fun, useful tools that help you throughout your pregnancy; things like baby astrology, names, calculators, a countdown clock, eCards and announcements, a gift registry, tips and informational links. Some even provide a clever little widget to add to your computer’s desktop that offers maternal fashion tips or displays a countdown clock so you always know exactly how much time you’ve got to prepare for the little one’s arrival. Our top rated maternity store, Due Maternity, offers a full complement of tools for you to use and enjoy.

Ease of Use
Like most anything we deal with, if the site isn’t easy to use, we’ll likely go somewhere else to shop for maternity clothes. A good maternity store’s site will employ intuitive navigation and sensible organization. The product images should be clear and sharp and the descriptive text should be concise and well written. Placing an order should be simple and straightforward.

Help & Support
Once you’ve decided you want to buy something, the best maternity stores will have extensive help and support for questions concerning sizing, shipping, delivery times and methods and returns if something doesn’t fit quite right. This area also involves the number of ways the site provides you to get in touch with them from phone to email, chat and fax.

This is a very special time and a woman that is expecting should look good as she waits for the arrival of her new little one. Shopping in online maternity stores is an excellent way to design a wardrobe with the basic staples as well as stylish, trendy pieces. Of course, clothes are only one part of the equation. Be sure to check out our reviews of the best digital cameras and camcorders on the market to capture every giggle and step. With all of those images, you’d probably better look into the digital scrapbooking software too.