How to Create a Fake Pregnancy Belly

Last Updated: December 26, 2022

A fake pregnancy belly can be useful for role play, acting on stage or just to give a friend a surprise for a prank. Whatever your reason for faking a pregnancy belly, there are a few easy solutions using either a helmet, some blankets or a ball, to produce a realistic look for a short time. Choose the one that's easiest for you, given the props you have to hand. Just take care to ensure whatever you use stays in place!

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Using a Helmet

1
Choose a helmet that will serve as your baby bump.^{[1]
X
Research source} Don’t use any helmets that have a facemask that will make your belly look bumpy and strange. A bicycle helmet will probably work best for this. They come in many different shapes, any of which should work just fine as a fake belly — but try out a few different shapes, if you have options, to see which one makes the most convincing baby bump in your opinion.
2
Apply masking tape over the top of your helmet to hide the ridges. You don’t want your belly to look bumpy, so make sure to apply as many layers of tape as necessary to render the helmet completely smooth. By the time you’re finished, there should be no evidence of ridges left.

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3
Secure or remove any hanging straps on the helmet. If you’re not planning on using the helmet for anything else, you can just cut the straps off carefully with a pair of sharp scissors. That might be a waste of a good helmet, though! You can also just tuck the straps inside the helmet, then use a little bit of the masking tape to tape it to the dome, making sure they stay put and don’t hang out the bottom of the fake belly, or you could keep the straps on and use them to secure the belly to your torso.
4
Attach the helmet to your torso. There are a few different ways you can try to keep your helmet in place, and you might even try a combination of a couple of these ideas. You don’t want your belly sliding around or falling off!
- Tightly wrap an elastic athletic bandage (like an Ace bandage) several times around the helmet and your back. Use as many layers as you need to secure the helmet and make the bump look smooth when a shirt is pulled down over it.
- Secure the helmet with some of the masking tape from step 2.
- Layer a few tight bandeaus over the helmet to keep it in place.
5
Wear a shirt that complements your fake pregnancy belly. If your shirt is too tight, it might be obvious that the belly is shaped a little strangely. It’s better to choose a looser, flowier shirt.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Using Two Blankets

1
Choose two blankets that are medium thickness and size. They should be about the size and weight of a throw blanket — not as large as a bed sheet, not as thin as a bed sheet, and not as thick as a comforter or quilt. These two blankets will make up the bulk of your baby belly.
- Avoid throw blankets that have a long fringe on them, as it might make your belly look weird.
2
Fold Blanket 1 into a diamond. This will be the outer layer of your belly, and you’ll use it to smooth out and add dimension.
- Lay the blanket flat on the ground or on a wide surface like a bed or tabletop.
- Carefully fold each of the four corners toward the center of the blanket until all four corners touch. Remember making origami fortune tellers as a child? Imagine you’re doing the first folding step with this blanket.
- The result should be an uneven diamond or a square, depending on what shape your original blanket was. Don’t worry if it’s not a perfect square — that doesn’t matter.
3
Ball up Blanket 2 to create the bulk of your fake belly. It shouldn’t be a perfect circle, but a little wide, to better imitate the shape of a pregnancy. When you ball it up, make sure one side remains flat and smooth while the other side hides all the edges. You’ll want to face the smooth side out so people can’t tell your belly is really blankets!
4
Fold Blanket 1 around Blanket 2. By combining both blankets, you’re adding dimension to your belly, but you want to make sure it’s believable. Do this step carefully so that your belly won’t start coming undone after a few minutes of wearing it.
- Place Blanket 2 in the center of Blanket 1.
- Take the four external corners of Blanket 1 (not the four that are already touching in the center) and fold them over the bulk of Blanket 2, creating a little cover around it.
- Secure the ends together with masking tape, using enough tape to guarantee that the ends won’t come loose.
5
Attach the blankets to your torso. You can follow the same basic procedure as attaching the helmet to your torso in the previous method.
- Tightly wrap an elastic athletic bandage (like an Ace bandage) several times around the blankets and your back, using as many layers as you need to secure the belly and make it look smooth.
- Secure the blankets with some of the masking tape.
- Layer a few tight bandeaus over the blankets to keep them in place.
6
Put a shirt on over the fake belly, and you're done. Although the blanket won't have the hard ridge that a helmet might, it might still look a little lumpy if you weren't able to get it as smooth as you would have liked, so it's probably still best to wear a looser shirt.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Using A Beach Ball

1
Choose a beach ball that’s appropriately sized. These balls come in all sizes, so you want to choose one that’s not too small or too enormous. The “standard” beach ball size will likely work best for this project.
2
Inflate the beach ball about half-way. Blow into the air spigot, making sure not to let any air escape, until the ball is about half to three-quarters of the way inflated. You can adjust this to how big you want your belly to be.
- If you want a huge belly, then go ahead and inflate the ball all the way. It will look cartoonishly large for a pregnancy, but that might be what you’re going for with your costume.
3
Secure the beach ball to your torso. Again, you can use ace bandages, bandeaus, or tank tops to do this. Because a beach ball doesn’t have nearly as much weight as a helmet or two blankets, you won’t have to work so hard to keep it in place — a single tight bandeau or tank top should do the trick.
- Make sure to point the air nozzle down toward the ground. If it points out or up, it will be noticeable through your shirt, and if it points back toward you, it will irritate your skin and start hurting after a little while.
4
Wear a loose-fitting shirt over top the beach ball, and you’re ready to go. With this method, you might even be able to get away with a tighter shirt! Try out a few different shirts and see which one goes best with your fake belly.

Community Q&A

Question

Can I use a duvet to make the belly really big?

Community Answer

You could, but you don't want it to be so big that it's not believable. It might work if you said you were expecting twins or triplets.
Question

How do I make my baby bump look real even when I lift up my top?

Community Answer

Purchase a silicone belly for the (almost) correct texture and appearance.
Question

How can I make a fake belly with clothes?

Community Answer

Get a pillow case and fold it like a diamond, a pair of pants or a shirt and roll it all up together before stuffing it under a tight tank top. Maybe use a cotton ball for the belly button as well.