So, you’ve gotten a belly band to support your growing baby bump. Or maybe you got one to use after you had your baby. Either way, you’ll want this thing to last.
True that you do not need to wear it 24/7, but you will wear it a lot. And even if you’re only using it for your postpartum care, you may want to hold onto it if you plan to expand your family.
Plus, it does take a while for your abdominals to regain strength after having a baby.
In short, you’ll need your apron belly support band to last, but if you don’t take care of it, you’ll have to replace it before its useful life is up. But I’ve got you covered with some handy tips!
What to Know About Caring for Your Belly Support Band?
For starters, there are tons of apron belly support bands out there. I’ve written about some of them, and you can see there are many more than that too. Each brand will have a recommendation for how to care for it properly.
First, look at what the care tag says for your belly support band.
Remember, you want to wash it because you’re wearing it for exercise or walking. And even if you’re not, you may spill breast milk or formula onto it. And that smells, and you do not want bad smells.
Furthermore, dead skin cells, sweat, dirt, and more can get on the belly band. This can get into your healing c-section incision. Or cause bacteria to flourish in your apron belly, leading to an infection.
Some mamas have 2 belly bands they can use while one is in the wash, which is a good idea actually!
Washing Your Belly Support Band
Again, each brand is different, so you should follow the care instructions listed on its tag. Some will say you can wash it in the washing machine, usually with like colors. It’s always best to use a mild detergent for these bands.
You will likely want to line dry your apron belly band. While many tags say you can tumble dry on low heat, this can degrade the elastic and make it less effective. You shouldn’t use bleach or fabric softeners on them either. This can also impact the material.
Others say you should hand wash your belly support band. Even when the tag says it’s ok to machine wash and dry, your best bet for making it last is through hand washing and air drying.
To hand wash, you should use cold water with mild detergent. Then you can rinse it well, though do not wring it or twist it dry. Doing so can impact the elasticity and its ability to provide proper compression.
While some say line drying is fine, laying it flat to air dry in a well-ventilated place is best. Like your favorite sweater, it will stretch out if you hang it up to dry after hand-washing.
You do not want your belly support band to be stretched out. The more it gets stretched out like that, the less effective it will be.
Other No-No’s for Belly Support Band Care
I’ll leave you with another quick list of things you should never do when cleaning or caring for your apron belly support band. This way, yours should last for this pregnancy and your next one too!
Leslie Berry lives with her husband and two young daughters in Los Altos, California, where she loves helping other moms get comfortable with motherhood and embracing the insanity with facts peppered with laughs.
