Guest Post by Heather Lucas
Note from Erin: Mama Cloth is one subject that I’ve promised my husband I will never write about, so I was thrilled when one of my readers, Heather, e-mailed and asked if she could do a mega mama cloth review! She was about to have her second baby, and she knew it would be the ideal time to give mama cloth a try! I hope you enjoy her review–and one very blessed reader will win a ton of mama cloth! Be sure to check out the discount codes to the various stores as well! If you’ve been holding out on making the switch to mama cloth, now may be the time!
Once you’ve been in the world of cloth diapering for a little while and become a total addict, there is a term that keeps coming up and intriguing you: Mama Cloth.
You may have guessed where I’m going with this. It is washable, cloth menstrual pads.
If this totally freaks you out, hear me out first. I have seen countless mamas/women online talk about how awesome it is and that there are so many benefits. Some of these include shortened cycles, not so heavy cycles, less cramps, super comfy, etc.
I was curious about mama cloth when I was pregnant because I kept seeing postpartum mama cloth, and if you’ve had a baby you know you want something comfy down there, especially once you see how HUGE and uncomfy the hospital disposable pads are.
So there are tons of brands, types, materials, sizes for mama cloth–much like the world of cloth diapering. I received many different popular brands to try out for you during my postpartum time and put together a video reviewing the different brands.
(If you cannot view the video below, click here.)
I would recommend trying out like 1 or 2 pads from each company/wahm (work at home mom) that you choose and see what style, size, and materials you like best.
If you try a certain brand and decide it is not for you then you can sell it on www.diaperswappers.com under the personal care items. I’m not one for buying used mama cloth (although I do buy used diapers) but to each her own. 🙂 You can find new ones on there as well that someone bought a few and then decided after trying one of them that they didn’t like that brand.
My routine was pretty simple; when I went to the bathroom I had my wetbag hanging on the toilet paper holder and I would take a used one off, throw it in the bag and zip it up. I would then reach behind me on the toilet lid where I had my cute bin and pick another pad to wear, snap it on, and go.
When it came time to wash (either when you run out or every other day or so), I would take my bag off the toilet paper holder and unzip and dump into the washer. I wash my mama cloth with my cloth diapers so my wash consists of cold rinse, warm wash with soap nuts or another cloth diaper safe detergent.
I wash diapers and mama cloth every other day. I put all the mama cloth in the dryer except ones that have PUL or Nylon. But you can put these on no heat fluff to soften them after they have air dried so they aren’t crunchy.
Something that I have found to be true with mama cloth for me is my cycle isn’t as heavy as I thought it was. So when trying out different brands and such; try different levels of absorption. You may not need heavy/overnight all the time because you think your flow is heavy. Try out some light/moderate also.
And don’t forget panty liners; they are awesome for the last couple days of spotting near the end of the cycle.
Now is the time for giveaways and discount codes (yay!)! Go like these shops on Facebook and sign up for their newsletters because lots of them have spontaneous sales throughout the week, so it’s an awesome way to beef up your stash without breaking the bank. 🙂 (Note: Some of these sites have an etsy account and a hyena cart.)
One very blessed Humbled Homemaker reader will WIN ALL of the following mama cloth supplies:
- 1 Postpartum Kit(includes 3 Long Feminine Pads with 2 inserts each, 4 pairs WillowSprouts Hemp Nursing Pads, 1 Trial Size Soap Nuts & 1 Reusable Gift Bag) from Willow Pads
- $25 Gift Code from Party in my Pants
- 1 Pantyliner from Orgo Pads (formerly Infinity)
- $10 Gift Certificate from Homestead Emporium
- 1 Pantyliner Kit (3 Pantyliners and Wetbag) from Charlie Banana
- 1 Heavy & 1 Light Pad from GEM
- 1 Big Wetbag & 1 OnGo Wetbag from SMJAE
- 1 Stain Stick from Buncha Farmers
And check out all these DISCOUNT CODES! You could build your stash just off of all these special sales!
- Use code GIVEAWAY for 10% off $10 or more at Pink Lemonade
- Use code HUMBLEDHOMEMAKER for 15% off at Eco Alternative
- Use code MAMACLOTH10 for 10% off at Moon Pads
- Use code BLOG15 for 15% off $35 or more at LunaPads
- Use code “special” for 10% any in-stock items at Homestead Emporium
And some FREEBIES for EVERYONE (Just pay shipping & handling)!
And a Special Announcement!
If you love mama cloth, then you will for sure love cloth diapering! I wrote an introductory series on cloth diapering a few months back, and, behind the scenes, I’ve been working hard on writing an entire cloth diapering eBook! This book will be more than 150 pages and will teach you everything you need to know about cloth diapering! The book will be out this spring! If you don’t want to miss our special launch party, be sure to subscribe to receive all my email updates below:
Gina
I’ve been wanting to try these!!!! Thanks!
Rose C
Thank you for the chance to try different brands. Good luck to all who enter.
Deanna
Thanks so much for the post and giveaway! Baby number 2 is coming in June, so this would be perfect!
ANGIE Hill
Love cloth pads !! My daughter , and I both use them , and we have converted others to them !! We never have enough ! I would live to win all those !
Beth
I love cloth menstral pads! I used some for my post partem bleeding and it was fantastic!
Melissa J
Yay! I was just looking into buying some of these this past weekend. Thanks for sharing! (and for all the discount codes) 🙂
[email protected]
OK, I entered with every single available entry 🙂 Fingers and toes crossed 😉
PS. There’s no link to the GEM store in the rafflecopter. I had to google it 🙂
Jenn
I guess I got bored with no cloth diapers to wash…venturing into mama and family cloth….we’ll see how it goes!
Heather
There is also 10% off of Orgo using code GIVE10 (http://www.etsy.com/shop/Orgopads)! I can’t wait to see who wins! Good luck Ladies. If you have any additional questions you can ask. 🙂
Vicki Arnold
AWESOME! Thank you for this!
April G.
Wow! I learned about all sorts of new companies I had never heard of before! Thanks!
I am inspired to try mama cloth once my baby is born. We’re cloth diapering, so why not? 🙂
Krissa
I so want to win this!!!
Melanie
If you want to try LINEN topped pads, check out www.pleasantpads.com. Linen is antibacterial, and a healing fabric! You can read more about it on that website.
Ashley
Cloth diapers were a gateway reusable for me- now I want everything to be reusable!
barbie
I did all but twitter cause i dont have a twitter acct (altho this makes me wanna sign up! Lol)
I wanna win this sooo bad! I just started using mama cloth and LOVE it. I also need to start gearing up for my daughter to have her first period!
Jelli
I love using mama cloth, and actually 1st tried it out way before I ever thought about babies. Strangely enough, some ladies at a craft show were selling mama cloth. I gave it a go, and haven’t looked back since. I renewed my measly stash when I was pregnant last year, adding a few post-partum and a few pantyliners. Sure would’ve gotten more liners had I known the leaks that spring up after having babies–especially when I’m workout out. Would LOVE to win this stash.
Faith Storms
I am wondering how many postpartum pads you ladies recommend purchasing? I am planning on washing diapers/pads every other day.
Erin
Hi Faith! I think it really depends on your flow. I would think about how many pads you use normally and then add a few to that to be safe–and get two day’s worth since you plan on washing every other day.