Cloth Pads

[sweetcheeks36]

Hello,

I was searching for help and came across this group. I am allergic to commercial pads and I'm about at the end of my rope. I have never tried a cloth pad before....I actually had never heard of them before. Last month I got so tired of dealing with the itchy, annoying reaction to store bought pads that I began to wonder what women did BEFORE

Comments

[faerieflings]

Try making one with that fabric combo and see how it does. Bamboo is very absorbent so I would think two layers of the fleece plus the velour with a PUL back should work very well. I also found I bleed less onto the pads when I am using cloth as compared to disposable pads which suck all the moisture out of your skin as well as sucking in all the blood.

I prefer a wider pad than any of the disposable brands, I am a size 18/20 and like my pads to be between 2.5 and 3 inches across plus wings.

I machine dry my pads low, and some of them are 3+ years old and going strong.

[jamiethetiger]

I would not use PUL as the very bottom layer because the polyester side won't stick to underwear as well. I would use a flannel or velour, then PUL, then fleece, then velour as the top. Velour on top = massively yummy. I'm slowly moving my stash to being all velour topped, I love it so much.

But what I would do is make a few and see what layers work for you. During the day, I don't like a thick pad because it feels diaperish, KWIM? I'd rather change more often. But everyone is different!

Yes, you can dry them, I just use a regular or perm press cycle. Low would be too low, I think, to get the layers dry.

[luna__wolf]

That sounds like a great fabric combo to me. Bamboo velour makes a wonderful top layer. I have some pads very similar to that, and they are very comfy and absorbent. I personally have not had any problems with the PUL as a backing; I just wear snug fitting underwear and it stays in place just fine.

I second faerieflings' suggestion about only making one pad to start with, just to make sure you like the style. Those are pricey fabrics, and it would be awful to make 15 pads in one style only to find out it doesn't work well for you.

In addition to tracing disposable night pads, you can also find lots of free patterns over at Cloth Pad Wiki.

[indigo_dawn]

I'd use two layers of bamboo fleece in the centre for a medium pad, and then three layers for a heavy pad. Bamboo is very absorbent and PUL is completely waterproof so I think it sounds like a great combination. Putting your pads into the dryer on low sounds fine. :)

[ljoa]

I just wanted to throw in on the whole don't make all those pads until you've tried them. I made that mistake and my whole first batch of pads was a bust, the style wasn't right for me. I think I would have cried if I had used bamboo fleece and velour.