Mama cloth pads

I am sure the title of this post alone is a little uncomfortable, especially for my male readers (all 2 of you, one being my husband). It was probably inevitable, since I don’t like disposable diapers, that the products I use for my lady needs bother me just as much from an environmental standpoint.

At BlogHer 2010, I received a good supply of Lunapads from the Lunapads ladies, but I failed to adopt using them regularly because I only had enough for 1-2 days. While I wash my diaper laundry every-other-day, I do not wash my own laundry that often. Maybe once a week? I bought more, but after investing almost $50 I still didn’t have enough to go between washes. I slipped back into using disposable liners, but I did have the decency to feel bad about it.

This year at BlogHer 2011, I received more “mama cloth”, as cloth menstrual pads are often called (although you don’t have to be a mother to use it, so I feel like that is discriminatory and I don’t use that phrase much), and I decided to give it another try. The Charlie Banana and The Willow Store liners that I got this year are significantly easier to use because they don’t have multiple pieces like the Lunapads.

I ended up with about 8 extra Lunapads inserts and decided to buy some flannel myself and make backings and some very light liners. I don’t have a serger so I just had to do a good zigzag and allow the edges to fray on their own somewhat.
Homemade cloth liners
The hardest part was attaching the snaps with a hammer and this little blue tool thingy I got from the fabric store…
Homemade cloth liners
But I did finally get it figured out.
Homemade cloth liners
So, I’m going to give it a try on a day-to-day basis and see how it goes…

How about you? Have you made the switch or are you thinking about it? Any advice or questions?

9 thoughts on “Mama cloth pads

  1. Elizabeth Wickland says:

    I have used a Diva Cup for the last couple years and it’s been great. Haven’t switched over to cloth liners, but my liner/pad use is pretty minimal, so the cup has been fine for me. Plus, I can go for longer intervals between changes, so that’s been nice. 

  2. Maja Ruble says:

    I’ve flirted with the idea many times, hate the fact that disposable is toxic waste and what it means to the landfills AND to my health. The diva cup I tried was not for me, so pads were my next step. Thanks for the advice that Willow Pads and Charlie Banana are easier than Luna. I ordered a sample from both and can’t wait to see how I fare! Good timing, I needed a ‘review’.

  3. Merritt | LiveSimplyLove says:

    I’ve used the Diva Cup for about a year. It took some time getting used to how to put it in (in fact, it was very frustrating at first)…but I finally got the hang of it after about 3-4 cycles. I also bought two pantyliners from Luna and really like them for protection on those heavy days when I forget to empty the cup often enough (and that usually means two is enough for a cycle). I was thrilled to find out that these were options and haven’t gone back to disposable ever since. Glad you wrote about this!

  4. Jenny Bradford says:

    I am definitely going to try Divacup next, whenever I start ovulating again! I haven’t heard of anyone having issues with it so far so it sounds great. How often do you get a new one? Once a year?

  5. Jenny Bradford says:

    I can’t wait to try DivaCup next as soon as I start ovulating again! I used Instead years ago (now called SoftCup) so I am hoping DivaCup will fit about the same!

  6. Jamie U. says:

    I switched last year, I use Domino Pads.  I had tried the MoonCup a few years ago, but it didn’t work well for me.  I’m a little abnormal, and it just didn’t fit right and was uncomfortable.  I’m glad I found cloth pads, as the disposables also gave me issues.  As for washing, I rinse after use, put them in a wet bag, and wash them with DD’s diapers.

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