Nuuly Maternity and Postpartum Clothing Rental Review – My Complete Honest Opinion!
I’m not going to lie—dressing your growing baby bump and postpartum body can be a struggle. Many of us don’t want to spend a lot of money on expensive maternity clothing, only to use it for a limited time.
And let’s not forget postpartum, when you are still contending with weight gain and a changing figure. Like pregnancy, though, this phase is also temporary, so you may not want to spend a lot of money buying new clothes that won’t fit in a few months.
Renting clothing is a great solution that lets you gain access to stylish and trendy maternity and postpartum-friendly clothes without having to purchase them. And it’s not just about saving money or avoiding waste—new rented clothes can also boost your confidence during those challenging pregnancy and postpartum months. As our bodies change, we can struggle with our self-confidence and mental health, so anything we can do to boost our mental wellbeing is a good thing!
Which Maternity Clothes Should You Buy vs. Rent?
While there’s no shortage of maternity clothing available to rent, there are still some key pieces that make more sense to buy. Here’s how I’d recommend planning what type of maternity clothing to buy vs. rent.
Invest in Purchasing Everyday Clothes that Allow You to Be Comfortable and Functional in Your Everyday Life
A good rule of thumb is to purchase everyday maternity clothes that will allow you to be comfortable and functional in your everyday life. The below list of clothes are what I’d consider must-buys for pregnancy:
- Maternity tank tops
- Maternity leggings
- Comfortable bras that have stretchy fabric and room to grow
- Oversized t-shirts that can fit a growing belly
- Oversized style dresses for hot summer days
- Clothing that can be worn beyond pregnancy into postpartum
The Best Maternity Clothing for Renting
When it comes to the maternity clothing that you should rent, it’s helpful to consider those pieces that you might not get as much use out of, especially the types of items you only wear a few times or for special occasions. This includes:
- Clothing that will only last a few months before you grow out of it
- Special event outfits
- Seasonal clothing that is only needed for a few months
- Clothing for special photo sessions
- New clothing brands you want to try out without having to make a purchase
- When you need a wardrobe refresh but you don’t want to spend a lot of money
Renting Maternity Clothing By Trimester
Each trimester of pregnancy is distinct in terms of what changes your body is experiencing and which type of clothing you’re more likely to need. Here’s a quick overview.
First Trimester
In your first trimester, you’ll likely need minimal maternity-specific clothing, as most women can still wear regular clothes, especially those with stretchy or loose fabrics.
Second Trimester
In your second trimester, your baby bump becomes more prominent, which means you’ll probably start to need more maternity-specific clothing.
Third Trimester
In your third trimester, comfort is key as your belly reaches its largest size. The struggle of getting dressed gets real after 25 weeks, and having more clothing options can really make it easier.
Clothing Sizes During Pregnancy and Postpartum
You probably already know that weight gain is natural during pregnancy, but it’s important to note that not just your belly will be growing. Most of us also have weight gain in all areas of our bodies, which means that we will have to size up clothing.
How do you know which size to order? It’s better to err on the side of caution and order clothing on the bigger side. This will make your clothes last longer in your pregnancy and you’re less likely to experience the disappointment of buying something that doesn’t fit. One of the things that’s great about clothing rental services is that they allow you to order the same item in multiple sizes, so you can always go that route if you’re unsure what size will fit. And remember that even during postpartum, it takes up to a year to lose the weight, so be prepared to still be ordering larger sizes for a while.
Renting Maternity Clothing for Changing Seasons
Another great reason for renting maternity clothing is to make sure you have the right items to dress for the changing seasons. As I’ve mentioned, you’re likely to experience postpartum body changes for up to a year. Renting allows you to stay comfortable and stylish year-round, with weather-appropriate pieces like cozy layers for winter or breathable fabrics for summer—without the need for a permanent wardrobe investment.
Renting Dresses for a Maternity Photoshoot
If you’re planning to document your pregnancy in a maternity photoshoot, this is the perfect opportunity to rent something special. Renting maternity clothing for maternity photos lets you showcase your unique style with statement pieces specifically designed to highlight your baby bump. These generally tend to not be everyday type dresses, and you probably won’t have a lot of use for them afterwards, so renting them is ideal.
Pregnancy Clothing for Special Events and Holidays
Because you’ll be experiencing your pregnancy and postpartum body for about a year or two, there’s a good chance you’ll be invited to holiday parties or other special events during that time.
Renting pregnancy clothing for special events and holidays ensures you look and feel your best in chic, bump-friendly outfits tailored for formal occasions, festive gatherings, or seasonal celebrations—all without the need for making a long-term purchase.
Renting a Maternity Bridesmaid Dress
If you’ve been invited to participate in a wedding party during your pregnancy or postpartum, renting a maternity bridesmaid dress provides a stylish, comfortable, and cost-effective solution for taking professional photos with a wedding party. And as a bonus, you don’t have to keep a dress you never would have worn again anyway!
How Does Nuuly Work?
Nuuly is a subscription-based clothing rental service that offers a convenient and sustainable way to refresh your wardrobe. Designed for individuals who love variety without committing to purchasing new clothes, Nuuly provides access to a curated collection of high-quality brands and trendy styles. With a flexible subscription model, you can choose multiple items each month to suit your lifestyle, whether for casual wear, work attire, special occasions, and of course maternity and postpartum needs. The service emphasizes sustainability by extending the life of garments, making it a popular choice for those looking to reduce fashion waste while staying stylish.
How Much Does Nuuly Cost? Is It Expensive?
You get to rent any six styles every month for $98, which includes shipping and returns. You really do have full control over which pieces you get—whether you want to order the same dress in two sizes and four tops or six pairs of jeans, anything goes!
Select Clothing in Your Favorite Brands and Styles on Nuuly
Once you’ve selected the pieces you want and they get shipped to you in a reusable bag. You can wear them as many times as you want. If you decide you love something and want to keep it, you can buy it. Otherwise, you pack everything up into the Nuuly bag (you don’t have to wash or repair any damage—Nuuly takes care of that!), slip the prepaid return label into the outside pocket, and drop it off at UPS.
You’re allowed to keep the items for as long as you want, but Nuuly recommends getting them received and processed at their distribution center after your subscription billing date so you’re eligible to select the six items for your next month’s order.
Nuuly also has the “My closet” feature that allows you to save items you like. This doesn’t actually reserve the items, but it gives you inspiration and ideas for your future orders.
Nuuly’s Clothing Options for Pregnant and Postpartum Women
You have the option to “Rent by Fit” to quickly browse Nuuly’s maternity options. They offer curated collections of “Barely Bumping,” “Belly to the Max,” and “Baby’s Here” so you can search according to your pregnancy or postpartum stage as well. You can also search maternity + whatever item of clothing you’re looking for, though these results won’t exclusively show you maternity clothing, so it’s not always as effective as going directly to the maternity section of the site.
What type of maternity clothing can you find on Nuuly? Here’s a quick overview.
Maternity Jeans and Pants
Whether you’re looking for leggings, joggers, cargo pants, or skinny jeans, you’ll find pants in a range of fabrics, styles, and fits—all designed for maternity and postpartum—on Nuuly.
Maternity Tops and Sweaters
You’ll find everything from nursing tops and sweaters, flowy tunics, cute floral blouses, and cozy sweatshirts in Nuuly’s maternity top collection.
Maternity Dresses
The maternity dress selection on Nuuly includes loose maxi dresses, bodycon stretchy dresses, and everything in between. There are cozy, casual dresses for everyday wear as well as more polished and formal looks (think sequins and silk) for special occasions.
Maternity Jackets
If you’re going to be transitioning into a colder season, you can rent blazers, sweater coats, bomber jackets, puffer jackets, and long coats on Nuuly.
Maternity Activewear
Going to prenatal yoga or any other type of workout? Or maybe you’re just the type who lives in leggings no matter what you’re doing (hey, no judgment here!). Either way, Nuuly has everything you might need for maternity activewear, including leggings, biker shorts, tennis skorts, and active tops from brands like Beyond Yoga and Ingrid + Isabel.
Maternity Rompers and Jumpsuits
Simplify your get-ready routine with your favorite one-piece style like a maternity romper or jumpsuit. You’ll find unitards for your workouts, jumpsuits to keep you feeling cozy and looking stylish, and rompers in a range of fabrics and patterns.
Maternity Overalls
You can choose from a range of maternity overalls and coveralls in fabrics like denim, cotton, and spandex from brands like Storq and DL1961.
Nursing Tops and Dresses
If you’re breastfeeding, clothing designed specifically for this purpose can be a lifesaver. On Nuuly, you’ll find nursing cardigans, knit sweaters, and muslin tops, as well as plenty of loose-fitting and easy-open dresses that make breastfeeding a breeze.
Plus Size Clothing is Also Available
You can also use the “Rent by Fit” feature to browse plus size styles for even more options that could work for your maternity and postpartum style. Search by outfit type like Events + Occasions, Jackets + Coats, and Warm Weather Getaways or look through all the plus size styles—including everything from maxi dresses and jumpsuits to cardigans and wrap blouses—available from 14W to 40W sizes.
Popular Maternity Brands Available on Nuuly
One of the perks of using a clothing rental service like Nuuly is that you get to try popular brands that you might not have purchased or worn before.
Try Premium Brands—Without Having to Buy Them!
Many of the premium brands that are available on Nuuly are expensive to buy new—and again, you might not want to make the investment in something you’re only going to wear for a limited time. But since they’re designed specifically for pregnancy and postpartum, these brands can provide support and physical comfort during your pregnancy.
A Selection of Trendy and Popular Maternity Clothing Brands
Here are a few of the trendy and popular maternity clothing brands (or brands with dedicated maternity collections) you can find on Nuuly:
- HATCH Collection
- Ingrid + Isabel
- BUMPSUIT
- Ripe Maternity
- Year of Ours (whose maternity onesie is a popular item)
- Beyond Yoga
And while they’re not specifically maternity clothing, you can find Anthropologie and Free People Midi and Maxi Dresses that are cut in roomy and flowy styles. Check out the styles here:
- Anthropologie’s Midi dresses
- Anthropologie’s Maxi dresses
- Free People’s Midi dresses
- Free People’s Maxi dresses
Additional Clothing Rental Companies That Offer Maternity Options
Of course Nuuly isn’t the only clothing rental company that offers maternity options. A few other companies offer similar clothing rental services.
Rent the Runway
Rent the Runway offers maternity looks for work, weeknights, dates, and special occasions. Their system is similar to Nuuly—you can choose from a plan that either offers five pieces a month or ten pieces a month, but the plan prices vary depending on the retail value of the items you choose.
La Belle Bump
La Belle Bump specializes in maternity clothing and offers a few options. You can opt for a monthly subscription membership that works in a similar way to Nuuly, or if you just need one look for a single or special occasion, they offer one-week rentals of single items as well.
Armoire
Armoire is another clothing rental subscription service that offers you the option to purchase any items you love. You have the choice of a 4-item plan, 7-item plan, or unlimited plan. Every plan is available for an introductory price of $79 the first month, but goes up to $89 for the 4-item plan, $129 for the 7-item plan, and $249 for the unlimited plan.
Motherhood Closet – Maternity Consignment Clothesline Club
Motherhood Closet allows you to borrow up to 15 items at a time. They offer 1-month, 3-month, 6-month, and 9-month membership options. Unlike many of the other options, Motherhood Closet doesn’t give you the option to return and select new items each month. The membership fee just covers the one-time rental for the amount of time you’d like to keep the items for.
Haverdash
Haverdash is a clothing rental subscription service that follows a similar model to many of the others. You pay $59 for 3 styles. Unlike some of the other services, Haverdash allows you unlimited rotations, so it could be a good option if you know that you’d like to try out a lot of different styles and brands without committing to buying anything. And while Haverdash isn’t maternity specific, they do offer plenty of maternity styles for casual, activewear, and office looks.
Stitch Fix
Stitch Fix is less of a clothing rental service and more of a curated shopping experience. Sign up for this service if you’d like to be paired with a stylist who can help you find maternity and postpartum looks. You start by taking a quiz to share your style, sizes, and budget and a stylist will send you 5 pieces. You pay $20 per Fix order and that payment is applied toward any items you decide to keep.
Motherhood Rental
Similar to many of the other options, Motherhood Rental is a monthly clothing rental service. You can choose up to 3 items at a time and keep them as long as you’d like and swap them out whenever you want. Because they specialize in maternity clothing, you won’t need to worry about filtering or searching for maternity clothing on this site.
In Conclusion – Looking Good Helps You Feel Good!
Pregnancy and postpartum can be a beautiful time of growth and change, but it’s also a time filled with pain points and personal struggles. When it comes to your self-confidence and mental wellbeing, feeling comfortable and cute can do wonders. If you feel like fresh and new clothes might help lift your spirits, I say do it! Choosing a clothing rental service like Nuuly can be a budget-friendly way of supplementing your wardrobe for as long as you need to without making unnecessary purchases. And that will keep you feeling good mentally, physically, and financially!
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