Cloth menstrual pads

[babycrazy1706]

Does anyone use these? Any recommendations? Thanks xx

 

[Jem_x3]

Helloooo. I'm shocked no one has commented on this but hey ho here I go.. yes I do! I got in to it courtesy of a lady who used to be a member of this forum. Who now has her own business making them and custom kids clothes I can take you through lots of recommendations of people I know that make them. I even admin on a group on Facebook to do with them I can take you through different kinds of materials/absorbency and shape if you like. Just PM me. It can be quite daunting and can take a while to find what works for you but I'll tell you this.. all the women I know that use them (and its hundreds!) have said it makes their periods a million percent better. Not only is it better for the environment, it's better for your body. It can help eliminate and decrease debilitating cramps because it doesn't draw blood out unlike disposables. Happy to answer any questions x

 

[HopefulEm]

I'm quite interested in this topic as well. Before getting pregnant again I was trying to justify buying some but DH and I were a bit daunted by the initial setup cost. Jem, any recommendations for a supplier who is particularly good on price?

Perhaps I'll end up making my own at some point, but no time yet with LOs running around!

 

[babycrazy1706]

Thanks for the replies ladies. I took the plunge and bought some off precious stars website. I've already put them to use. Was a bit disappointed on the first day as I found the pad moved about in my usual underwear even with the popper fastened on the tightest one but the second day I used 'shorts' underwear and it stayed in place fine so I've bought some extra shorts too for when on my period. I find them really comfortable and there's none of the awkward ripping the pad off your underwear sound and all that yuk plastic wrapping. I really wasn't aware of the fact disposables draw blood out??!! Might go and do some research. I spent around £50 on my stash. Which included 2 night pads and 7 day pads and 2 panty liners. Also a wet bag. I do a lot of washing tho so I can wash every 2 days and that should be sufficient. I find that with cloth pads there is no smell of blood like with disposables which is great. Xx

 

[babycrazy1706]

Jem thanks for all your info! What's your Facebook group called? 😊

 

[babycrazy1706]

Omg! Just done a tiny bit of reading and I did not know sposies have chemicals that draw out blood!! I'm shocked! I'm gona bag up all my sposies and tampons and throw them out. That's disgusting!

 

[lau86]

I'm quite interested in this but just wondering what you do when out and about? Do you have a bag to put them in? Do they smell?

 

[babycrazy1706]

I personally haven't had this issue yet as I only work 4 hours at a time and I live close to home so I just pop home. From what I've noticed cloth pads don't give off a smell. You can get wet bags to pop them in when out and about or just use a normal bag. The wings wrap around the pad so u can just close it up and wrap the wings around with the poppers so there is no mess atall. I used to think they were gross but I now think disposables are disgusting and very unhygienic xx

 

[babycrazy1706]

Example of folded up pad for when out and about xx

 

[Jem_x3]

One is CSP cloth pads dip group.. basically companies will put their pads up for "dips" which is kind of like a raffle.. you buy a ticket and can win it. It's a very popular way of obtaining CSP as they can be expensive! And we have a sister page which is "All things CSP chat, sell, advertise!" Which you can buy direct from companies. You will find out the ladies who make them and can have a look at all the different businesses.

Disposables are extremely bad for your body. The forceful drawing out of blood is what causes horrible cramps and cloth pads can help eliminate that. They don't have a smell and yes you do need to wear snug underwear so they don't slip about! Alot of the women sell home made pants. I have loads of pairs haha! They are the best

You can buy wet bags or pouches to keep dirty and clean CSP. They are PUL lined so they're waterproof. They don't smell and all you have to do is pop it in there when you're done, put a new one on and then wash the used one when you get home. They are various methods to do this wet/dry pailing that I can explain if you're interested.

 

[Jem_x3]

I'm quite interested in this topic as well. Before getting pregnant again I was trying to justify buying some but DH and I were a bit daunted by the initial setup cost. Jem, any recommendations for a supplier who is particularly good on price?

Perhaps I'll end up making my own at some point, but no time yet with LOs running around!

Precious Stars as mentioned below, Boobalou - they sell some of my favourite makers, honouryourflow.. There's loads of companies out there. The initial cost can be quite daunting, but they last for years and will actually save you money! It will also have less of an impact on the environment and on your body. Disposables take more than our lifetime to degrade. Don't they look lovely and white too? They use bleach in them Do some research and it'll convince you it's definitely worth the switch xx

 

[HopefulEm]

I'm quite interested in this topic as well. Before getting pregnant again I was trying to justify buying some but DH and I were a bit daunted by the initial setup cost. Jem, any recommendations for a supplier who is particularly good on price?

Perhaps I'll end up making my own at some point, but no time yet with LOs running around!

Precious Stars as mentioned below, Boobalou - they sell some of my favourite makers, honouryourflow.. There's loads of companies out there. The initial cost can be quite daunting, but they last for years and will actually save you money! It will also have less of an impact on the environment and on your body. Disposables take more than our lifetime to degrade. Don't they look lovely and white too? They use bleach in them Do some research and it'll convince you it's definitely worth the switch xx

Ok, I'll have to look into those companies, thanks!

Yes, I know they do quite nasty things with pads these days, that's why while we debated if I should go cloth or not I switched to Natracare pads (chlorine free, organic cotton, biodegradable, etc.). Quite good for disposables!

 

[MindUtopia]

Yes, cloth pads are great. I've been using them for maybe 6 months now and I just think they're so much more comfortable than disposable and just nicer too. There are lots of different styles, so I'd recommend finding a few different ones you like the look of and buying one of each to see how you get on with them. When you hit on some you really like, you can stock up on more. Earthwise Girls is a lovely site as is Boobalou. And I just bought some from Tree Hugger, which is in Canada, but they were happy to ship here.

When you're out and about, if you want to only use cloth, you can get wet bags, like with cloth nappies. If you can rinse them out in a sink there and then, and put in the wet bag, that's great (rinse in cold water, hot water makes blood stains set). Some disabled toilets have a sink in the cubicle. Otherwise, just chuck in a wet bag and rinse in cold water at home. There is a soap for cloth pads called Ruby's Red Wash, but I've not used it. So far I've found that rinsing in water and then washing in the washing machine has been sufficient. I mostly use minky pads though, which are pretty good for resisting stains. I work from home, so I only have a couple days a week when I'm out of the house for any length of time. On those days, I usually wear a moon cup with a cloth liner and empty at home.

 

[pinkpassion]

Just looking into all this as I already cloth diaper /cloth wipes. Does anyone also recommend the diva cups or similar? Or would those not be as good as cloth pads. I don't particularly like wearing pads in general but I know the cloth will be different than the disposable!

 

[babycrazy1706]

I've never tried diva cups cos my Periods are quite light anyway so I make do with pads or very rarely a tampon if swimming which is practically never lol xx

 

[lau86]

Just looking into all this as I already cloth diaper /cloth wipes. Does anyone also recommend the diva cups or similar? Or would those not be as good as cloth pads. I don't particularly like wearing pads in general but I know the cloth will be different than the disposable!

I use a mooncup and really recommend it, I wouldn't go back to tampons now.