With regard to lending out or borrowing maternity clothes, I have been on both sides – I’ve been lent to and I have also lent out my used maternity clothes, and so I thought to share some best practice tips about this business of lending/borrowing maternity clothes. The tips are gathered from my own experiences and those of a few moms I talked to.
If you have been lent to previously used maternity clothes by a fellow mom,
– Try as much as possible to keep the clothes in the best condition possible for the owner, or someone else might need them once you’re done with them.
– Return the borrowed clothes as soon as you’re done with them, because sometimes these sisterly gestures can be problematic. I’m talking about situations where the person who lent you the clothes needs them back, but somehow the person she lent them to doesn’t seem to realize the urgency of the matter (even way after they’re done with them). The lender may be pregnant again and is not showing yet, but she just needs to have them all together beforehand so that she can plan herself well. Days go fast you know. And the belly grows interestingly. One day you go to sleep flat, and the next day you have a huge bump as your belly grew overnight! So just wash them, press them, pack them nicely and make them look all so pristine, then return them to the owner within a reasonable time frame (which is not too long after you’ve delivered).
– Make sure you return everything that was given to you. Don’t souve yourself an item because it looked so good on you and you don’t think it will fit the owner anyway (because she has since gained lots of weight following the birth). You better return it first then present your case to her if you really want to keep it. But just don’t souve yourself please!
– Don’t loan someone else’s stuff to a friend of yours. If a friend or sister of yours is waiting in line for maternity wear, you better give her YOUR clothes, but not the clothes that were lent to you.
– Don’t demand maternity clothes from a sister or a friend – even if she’s not using them when you need them. While you wouldn’t have a problem lending out yours, we are all different and not all are willing to share their clothes even if they are not using them then. Lending maternity clothes requires a generous heart and it’s not for everyone.
– Don’t alter the clothes that have been lent to you – don’t cut or trim them or customize them so that they can be more fashionable or fit you better.
If you have lent out clothes:
– Remember that we are all different, and while you will do your best to keep borrowed clothes in tip-top shape and that you’ll return them in good time when you’re done, and that you will return ALL of them back, it doesn’t mean that the sister you lend yours to will do the same.
– If you have a favorite piece or a really special clothing item that you might even be attached to emotionally, you may consider holding on to it coz when it’s been worn and washed many other times, you might not like how it gets back to you.
– You have a good heart. Lending out clothes is not for all people.
Feel free to share any more additional tips.
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