Cloth pads - how many do you own?

Ok, I just got to try out my Twinkle Lily cloth pads I bought recently and I'm HOOKED!!! :dance: I bought two. I am using a Moon Cup also. I have quickly come to realise I need more! Sometimes it's nice just to wear a pad. hehe (good excuse to buy) so I have just ordered 3 more cloth pads and this time I thought I'd try the Bohemian Rainbow pads as I've heard good reviews about them and the fabrics are pretty :lol: :lol: haha!

So, how many pads do you own and what brands?? :D I wish I'd used cloth pads years ago!!!

I have 4 Twinkle lilys, a Noonee Wilga and a freebie one from Go with the Flo that I got with a Twinkle lily pad but I dont' use that one because it's only a regular one and not long enough for my liking.

I also have a moon cup, a Lunette.. I have 2 cloth pads, I am a total blank at where I got them... wait! Obsidian Star, I think is what it's called.

Both mine are only small, to be used at the heaviest part of AF, coz in general I cant' stand wearing pads, cloth or not... but they're great!

yeah I think I like the pads longer than shorter too, especially when it's a heavy flow.

Obsidian Star Pads look great too!!

I only ever wore maternity pads and the goodnights pads before I went cloth because they were the only ones long enough to make me feel protected. The shorter pads feel like they are going to go up my bum LOL

Twinkle Lily are the only ones I like LOL!

I need the double snaps to feel secure :)

I like the biggsies, and on the lighter days smiddsies

I have a few others too in case i run out

Shanti - I have quite a few of the Bohemian Rainbow ones - the overnight pad I have is great but the pantyliners don't do it for me unfortunately. Stupid me got a whole heap of them without checking whether they suited first. So I would definitely recommend trying one first, as it seems that unlike cloth nappies, there is much less of a market for second hand cloth pads. (I've wondered why that is? Is it because cloth pads are cheaper per unit so people are more inclined to buy new, or is there more of a grossness factor associated with pads compared to nappies?)

I have:
Overnight Pads: Ambrosia Designs (1), Bohemian Rainbow (1)
Daytime Pads: Outrageous (4)
Pantyliners: Obsidian Star (3), Ambrosia Designs (1), Bohemian Rainbow (4)

I want to try some Happy Pads & Twinkle Lily next. My favourites would have to be Outrageous, Ambrosia Designs & Obsidian Star.

All up I'll probably get another three or four overnight/PP pads (mostly for this next bub), two more daytime pads, and about four more panty liners to replace the Bohemian Rainbows. I have a very heavy flow on the first day then can get away with light pads and panty liners after that. I did use a moon cup but I get irritations from it (size issues) so I've been using cotton tampons on the first day, then pads only after that.

Although I probably won't see another period for another eighteen months after this bub is born if it's anything like after DS. I've had about four periods in the last three years.


ETA: I just bought more stuff. Two Outrageous hemp liners, one Big Pad, 1 Easy Pad, 1 Twinkle Lily Smiddsie and a PP Pad. That should do me nicely for a while LOL.

were do you all get them? i am interested in trying them..
seems to em like the twinkle lillys are popular

google clothpadshop and you will get all the smaller stores - noonee wilga, obsidian star and bohemian rainbow etc and twinkly lily have their own store now, if you google twinklelily you will find them

thank you.. will do

CLoth pads are my new addiction :redface:

I have
6- noonee wilga (my favs)
5 obsidian star and bucket load bohemian rainbow plus some I made myself

I prefer the longer ones to...their easier to retreave ;) and love winged ones as they wrap around your knickers and dont fall in the loo by accident :doh:

I also prefer velour topped pads for the softness and the coolness. No owies if they rub. I used them post partum aswell...friggen awesome. The nurses were fasinated and they were so easy to use. I just washed them under the shower and sent them home with J when he visited me every day.



Ive got panty liners for Oing time and love them. Im actually using them atm to soak up my op stuff :D.

OH and I dont soak my pads in water either, I dry pail them aswell

i bought some from diaperco i got the happy heiny ones and the broccade ones and mommys touch, havnt used them yet to review them but the more you buy the cheaper it is at this website :)

MUST get around to trying this!!! Keep the posts coming :)

Bath, once you try them you wont go back!

I have about 20 that I made myself. So gooooood! Can't wait to make more!

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Bath, once you try them you wont go back!

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im in total aggreeance. yep they seem a bit YUCKO when you havent tried them but there is no way im going back to sposies :sick:

Squid - youd be better of trying one or 2 of them before forking out money on a lot. Cloth pads are alot like cloth nappies, there's one for every body shape and you dont want to be lumped with some that just dont work for you. EG I prefer long ones, and especially long in the front as my flow is frontwards ;)

you can actually buy a pattern from the wee wuns that has all the different shapes of pads ect. might be cheaper to do that (I should look for mine)

I could probably make some myself too but I remember checking out that site that was mentioned and saw so many gorgeous fabrics and clever designs... i might buy a few and then copy the ones I like the best... :think: ETA: good points Maz... I have weird anatomy... I think my flow is forward too. I don't mind short ones... there is always so much clean pad at the back that a long one is only needed at night for when i roll onto my back.

I tinkered with the idea of making some, but I just don't have the time now to do it. I would much rather see the money go to a WAHM and save myself the hassle if they don't turn out right LOL

So true! Well have to do the school run but as soon as I get back i'm going to place an order!!!! :dance:

okay so i will be honest here and admit that im one of the ones that think they sound a bit yucky! but i am also curious - what makes them so good? how are they any different to the ones u buy at the shop? do they not stain? do they soak thru you your undies? how do they stay in place?

What makes them so good is that they are AWESOME hehe. They are flexible, soft and gorgeous! Plus I was coming up in rashes from the disposable ones, not sure if it was the glue or the plastic, but it happened from when Jazz was born so I switched to cloth. Shel was sceptical but mine aer topped with green microfleece so the blood doesn't look red, which stops her sqeamish stomach LOL.
I don't have one stain and they're 7 months old now. Mine are backed with PUL, so they are waterproof, and I personally prefer the ones with wings for that added peace of mind ;)

I can't go back to disposable, compared to cloth they feel like you're wearing cardboard between your legs.

Hmmm off to google and check em out!

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okay so i will be honest here and admit that im one of the ones that think they sound a bit yucky! but i am also curious - what makes them so good? how are they any different to the ones u buy at the shop? do they not stain? do they soak thru you your undies? how do they stay in place?

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:yeahthat:

and how do you clean them??

I'm interested now!

Heaven, I soak mine in a bucket of water and before I do I give them a real good rinse out to get any excess blood off them. I have not had a single stain on mine and 3 of them have pale pink velour and you couldn't even tell what they were used for. You treat them like a cloth nappy and don't use fab softener either and I dry them in the sun, which also fades any marks that may be there

HJ - they don't soak through because they all have inner PUL which prevents that and the fabric grips the fabric and most of them will have wings as well They also don't bunch like disposable pads either and I've not had a single leak and I have a pretty heavy flow. Not to mention how nice the velour feels against your delicate bits ;)

Oh yeah, I don't even leak at night anymore!!!!

Just soak them in a bucket of water, and then wash in the washing machine. Just like cloth nappies.

Thanks for answering those questions ladies cause I must admit I have always been a bit "err yuk!"
DD2 went to preschool with the noonee wilga lady's DD and i can remember my GF and i being absolutely horrified when we found out what she did LOL (it was 7 years ago too so I was a lot less enlightened)
I may just venture into this brave new world LOL Especially when I know where the Noonee wilga lady lives!

Thanks Leasha and Trillian - another question - how do they stay in place? with normal pads they stick on, so wouldn't these ones shift as you move? and sorry to ask - but do they smell after awhile? do u need to change them more regularly?

I asked this ages ago before I started and someone said that it does smell different, but its an 'honest' smell which I think is the best way to describe it.

I don't notice them shifting. They're cloth so they sit against my skin which I guess stops them from shifting too much. I also do wear more fitting undies when I use cloth.

I change them when I feel like they need changing, it depends on my cycle but generally yes I change more often.

H you might like this thread: Cloth Pads - Convert me

I use winged pads which have snaps and snap around the crutch of your knickers.

Again, I dont dry pail because I for one CANT stand the smell of the water :sick: sorry Leesh..honest smell or not its friggen foul in my books. I think only 2 of my pads have stains but they are minor and flannel ones....not velour.

I keep mine in a screw lid jar that when its full gets put into the washing machine and washed on a cold rinse with washing powder. Pads dont have to be super absorbent as nappies do as they arent designed to hold wee ;) so it doesnt really matter if they are washed normally. Ive even nappysanned :o the 2 that had stains successfully.

Ive noticed with some of my older ones...im talking almost 4 yo ones that one of them leak so the PUL has broken down some how.

oh now I wanna go looking for some more...what havent I tried yet????

LOL I get ya! The smell is honest, not nice (but then neith are disposables :sick:). Although is smell different for each person? Shel says she doesnt notice a smell, and trust me shes so sqeamish she'd notice :lol: The smell from mine arent bad, its strong but I don't find it worse then a pooey nappy!

I've always been curious too..what do you do with them when you are at work or out and about?? A wetbag like for nappies??

Oh I started a post on this too ezy LOL. I use a plastic ziplock bag :) Gigi had a good suggestion though on my thread, if you have a look (its in this section :)).

Ta Leesh will have a look!

I find the water in the bucket while they're soaking is pretty gross too Maz :sick: but if I remember I just pour the water out (over the garden ;)) and change it over..... hopefully by that stage i'm ready to throw them in the washing machine with DD's nappies anyway.

I can't wait to get my Bohemian's!!! But now I want more..... :lol: 5 won't be enough hehe

Looks like I've gotten a few of you ladies spending up since I started this thread ;) haha

I find the water in the bucket while they're soaking is pretty gross too Maz :sick: but if I remember I just pour the water out (over the garden ;)) and change it over b4 it gets gross.... hopefully by that stage i'm ready to throw them in the washing machine with DD's nappies anyway.

I can't wait to get my Bohemian's!!! But now I want more..... :lol: 5 won't be enough hehe

Looks like I've gotten a few of you ladies spending up since I started this thread ;) haha

Oh, and I haven't worn my cloth pads out of the house yet but when I do, I'll just make sure I bring extra wet bags with me, the one's i use for DD"s nappies. Easy!!
and that's great for the environment rather than using plastic!!

HJ1981- if you read whats' in disposables ie chemicals etc... you'd want to look at cloth pads too!!!! ;)

They stay in place because they have the wings that wrap right around and have snaps to hold them, but also that the fabric kinda locks onto each other. I'm a pretty restless sleeper and I've not had one move on me yet overnight. I don't notice an odour at all, but naturally you will smell a faint hint of copper because that's what blood smells like and only on a really heavy day do you smell it - nothing different to what you would smell on a disposable pad anyway.

Shanti, the bucket I use was an old 10kg radiant washing powder bucket and they are red, so you don't notice it in the water kwim? Plus it has a lid on it already so no one would be any the wiser waht was in there.

So they snap underneath? Is it uncomfortable to sit on the snaps??

No you can't feel them because they are right over the part of your crotch that you don't sit on, just where the wings on disposable pads go. Depending on the brand some pads will have one snap and others will have two. I prefer the double snap because it holds the pad in place better I think. It will take a day or so to get used to the feel of the snaps when you are wearing jeans/shorts etc because obviously it is a bit bulky but after those first days you don't notice them and if you only wear them at night it wont be an issue. The first two cycles I used them I only used the clothies the entire time so I could get a better *feel* for wearing them and know what they could and couldn't handle but now I just use them at night

Trillian - that's a good idea about having a red bucket. hhmmm mine's a white nappy bucket LOL! but it has a lid.

Heaven - check out the cloth pad shop! You can see different pads on there! They are soooo good! I can bring mine along with me on the 19th if you like.... :lol: (a clean one haha)..... so you can see a cloth pad. Mine are velour topped!

I wore my Twinkle Lily med/heavy pad to bed last night and it was soooo comfy and I woke up and even forgot i had a pad on until i went to the loo!!! it was that comfy! Whereas a disposable pad would have been all scrunched up and i probably would have leaked if it was a heavy flow :sick: yuck.

Lovin' the cloth! Off to find some more to buy hehe