This is the eighteenth post in my 31 Days of Living on Less Series. If you’d like to read all the posts in order, go to Day 1.
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I first heard of “mama cloth,” or cloth menstrual pads, when I was expecting my second baby (over 13 years ago). I had decided to use cloth diapers, and while I was researching the diapers, I came across many catalogs that sold cloth for mom as well as for baby.
I have to admit that at first I was kind of grossed out by the idea. I’d never even considered such a thing. But as I was exposed to it more and more, it didn’t seem as strange, and it started making a lot of sense. However, it took me about 5 more years before I was actually willing to try them for myself!
I used cloth pads for several years when we were trying to live with the Amish-Mennonites in our area. It was hard to get used to at first, but then it became routine for me.
I stopped using cloth pads several years ago, and went back to disposable products. We had left the “Amish” way of life, and I kind of liked the idea of just disposing of everything without having to wash them. Also, I’m often able to find natural disposable products at our local Amish discount grocery store.
A couple of years ago, my parents gave me some money for my birthday. I was thinking about preparedness and what I would do if I had to take care of things without visiting a store. I used my birthday money to buy new cloth pads! And a wooden drying rack (using some money my parents gave me for Christmas)! I still kind of can’t believe I did that, but now I have a supply of pretty new cloth pads to use.
Here are some of the places I purchased cloth pads and other products (like the wet bag, pictured above):
- Talulah Bean (The wet bag and the extra-large pads above came from here.)
- The Essence of Eve (The colorful pads at the top came from here.)
- Domino Pads (The pads at the bottom, which are hand-dyed bamboo, were from here.)
- Trojacek Farms Etsy Shop (The pads second photo from the top are from here.)
I think the handmade pads are actually pretty, and I love supporting small home businesses! From what I have read, cloth is much better for the environment and also for our bodies. I have to admit that right now I still use my disposables, but I may be switching back to cloth soon!
Would you ever consider using cloth, especially if it saved money?
Would love it if you re-published your experience living like/with the Amish. I greatly admire them and their way of life. Thanks also for this wonderful series. Will pray for your husband's employment situation.
Thank you for praying for us! 🙂
I've used cloth for years after having bad reactions to the disposable ones for years I decided I must switch! I'll never go back now! It does safe a lot of money too which is a huge plus! <3
Lots of positives to using cloth pads–thanks so much for sharing your experience! 🙂
I think this is a great idea, just not sure I could do it. Maybe if I lived by myself? I would love to hear about your experience with the Amish, were you trying to convert? I am so fascinated with how they live, such a simple life, and would love to heart anything you have to say about this topic. By the way I am loving this series, it is great.
Yes, it's a bit different if you're not used to the idea! 🙂
We just thought the Amish were fascinating, and we were intrigued by their way of life. Most of the plain people near us were Amish-Mennonites, and we were often mistaken for one of them. We learned a lot from that time in our lives, mostly that we didn't fit in with them (and never would, completely, no matter how hard we tried). I used to have a post on my blog about that time–maybe someday I'll republish it.
Thank you so much for the positive feedback about my series!