Belly belt does exactly what is says it does- it keeps the front of your pants (dress or denim) from coming open. The problems are: 1) the corners of the pants still stick up so if your shirt is the least bit form fitting (which it almost certainly is because you're wearing non-pregnant clothes which are starting to be a wee small) then you can see the corners through the shirt. One woman at work must have told me my pants were unzipped about six times before I showed her the belly belt and said I KNOW they're unzipped! 2) The belly band (even the small one) is too big very early on. My pants started being too tight at 8 weeks, but I didn't need the corners two inches apart. 3) I stuffed the panel onto one of the little ones (you're not supposed to use a panel with the small ones) because my dress pants wouldn't stay and weren't comfortable half zipped. Besides, as an eye doctor, I'm always raising my arms so unless I wear a mumu the shirt would reveal part of the unzipped pants.
Bottom line, maternity pants are way better. The belly belt does hold your pants closed, so if the pants are tight enough around your butt and thighs to stay up mostly by themselves, you're fine. Just don't expect it to look perfect or to be nearly as smooth or comfortable as maternity pants! Belly Bands Combo - The Ultimate Maternity Wear Solution
You know these are okay. They work really well when you just need a little extra room. When I started to get bigger though I got more self consious that my shirt would come up and show off my little belly belt. I do like them though and am still wearing them. :) They work best now with a belly band on top, but worked great by themselves earlier on in pregnancy. These saved me from buying maternity clothes until I was 5 months pregnant (With twins). :)
I bought this after I bought the Bellaband, which I felt was very uncomfortable and just too tight. I wish I'd bought these first! These Belly Belts are perfect. It's just right for me in my 2nd trimester, but there are also larger sizes for later on. I'm excited that I'll be able to wear my clothes and not be limited to expensive maternity clothes.
I am a plus size girl (18-20), newly (currently 4 mos) pregnant, and bought these after reading the reviews instead of the Bella Band. The elastic band works great, not much more than something you could make with a piece of black elastic, a few buttons, and a sewing machine though. The cloth inserts they give you with it to create a belly cover up on the other hand are quite annoying. The job I work is up and down all day dealing with customers in a retail situation. It is very hard to cover up my pants where they are unbuttoned and unzipped unless I wear a huge shirt which is just plain tacky. The cloth is constantly shifting and is either hanging out of my unzipped pants or is hanging like a loincloth from the elastic band with 2 strips of skin showing on either side. I am constantly readjusting and pulling the cloth closed or to one side or the other. I have to be self conscious when helping customers not to reach too far or to make sure my shirt is pulled down tight. My husband tells me all the time 'Your belly is showing.' Word to the wise, they work-but make sure you have either dress length shirts or a BUNCH of safety pins to hold it in place.
Of all the extra, random things I've bought since being pregnant, this is ended up being one of the least useful ones. I bought this at the same time I bought a Bella Band and during the first and second trimesters I got much more use out of the Bella Band (almost daily) than I did out of these things (maybe once a month). The problem is, like one of the other reviewers said, the little elastics and the corners of your pants end up sticking further out on your belly and often showing through your shirt (unless your shirt is really baggy) and it looks weird. The other problem is the sizing. I was too small to use the first size when it would have been most useful, and by the time I got big enough to use the second size, I was tired of fiddling with complicated contraptions on my pants and broke down and went to maternity pants and long elastic waistband skirts. See how much mileage you can get out of a Bella Band and some good old-fashioned rubber bands before you think about buying this product.
I was excited to try these, but was disappointed. I felt exposed when I wore one, and it popped off my pants within 5 minutes! My husband looked at them to make sure I wasn't using them wrong, and he said I wasn't. It really is quite simple, so I'm not sure why they won't stay on my pants. Maybe I'm not big enough yet? I am 20+ weeks pregnant and looking for a way to wear my pre-pregnancy pants without them being buttoned, but this isn't something I can wear out of the house. I ordered a bella band instead, because I'm hoping the greater coverage will make them more secure. This is really just something to connect the button and button hole, with a small amount of fabric to cover your exposed area. If your shirt rode up, it would be clear your pants were undone; I think the band (which looks more like a layer) might be safer in that sense.
I am in initial months of pregnancy and I haven't reached a stage to go out and buy maternity clothes yet. But my own regular pants and jeans are just a little tight. Belly band is so very useful and convenient and I have used it with a large variety of trousers and jeans. Overall, money well spent. Note: Since you will be using them almost everyday, it's worthwhile to put in an extra stich on the buttons.
These are really useful. I am now 4 months pregnant with my 3rd child, and lent all my maternity smalls and mediums to a friend out of state and haven't gotten them back yet. I was so tired of wearing sweatpants every day, but did not want to spend any more money on maternity clothes, seeing as how I already have a full wardrobe--even if it is a couple hundred miles away. These were a great solution... However, I was a size 4 when I got pregnant, but now most of my size 4s are too small in the thighs and bum, but luckily I had recently lost a lot of weight and also had a bunch of size 6's which now fit perfectly with the bands on the smallest setting. I don't even find myself pulling my pants up often with these on, even though they are unbuttoned and mostly unzipped. I think I will be able to wear my "regular" clothes throughout most of my pregnancy with these, and get back into them right after I deliver. I wish I knew about these with my other pregnancies! **Note however that these would not have worked for me if I didn't have the next size up pants!**'
Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information
