Comprehensive Mama- Cloth Reviews...

[todzwife]

I bought several brands (I don't really have time to sew for myself- how sad huh!)and wanted to give a little insight, JIC some of you were looking to try other brands. Please feel free to add your reviews here too, so it can all be in one place. Please include the URL of the site. ;D These are all based on first impressions. I'll add more when I get a chance to test-drive them in the next few days.

*Pandora Pads- http://www.pandorapads.com/ $10.25 for the regular
I got the Regular - 9½"x 3" in unbleached organic cotton flannel (I think its flannel, doesn't feel like the OC I work with) . This is SO soft, and very well made. Turned instead of serged. It's a POCKET style and kinda of weird to stuff, BUT it works well and since there is no waterproof lining, breathes perfectly. Of course you can add extra inserts if you want to wear it longer, but it does make it bulkier. Passed the 2 hour test w/ flying colors- I think this is my favorite of the ones I've purchased.

*GladRag- http://www.gladrags.com/ "Trial Package" Only $7 SHIPPED!!
I got the colored organic cotton in teal- hides stains nicely. :) Not as soft as the pandora, but still nice- I'm sure it will get softer w/ more washes too. POCKET style, easier to stuff than the pandora. Serged. OK, and not as abosrbant as the pandora. BARELY passed the 2 hour test.

*My Perfect Pads http://www.gigglebuns.com/Midwiferypads.html
13 Inch Overnight/ PP is VERY long and a little wider than I prefer, BUT provides excellent overnight protection. I got mine topped in velour-YUM! Hidden waterproof layer, no slippage. Very affordable $8.95 for the overnight- AIO style.
I also got a 9" AIO style for $7. This is NOT my favrite pad because it is a good 1/2-3/4 inch wider than the rest of my pads. and feels weird between my legs. LOL! Drove me NUTS- not comfy, but really well made...if they were narrower I'd probably get more.

Preemie Prefolds www.naturalbabies.com Ok, these aren't intended to be used as pas, and are a little bulkier than most WAHM pads, BUT for $1 you can't find anything as affordable!

MOE- I hated this pad. The quality was poor, the fit was bad and it slipped somehing terrible! I tossed it after 1 cycle.

Rhythm and Blues www.naturalbabies.com Very interesting trifold AIO design w. PUL on the last layer- I got the overnight and it works great, not as wide as the perfect pad.

Thats it for now!

[calebsmama03]

Good Idea Shandelle!

Mama moo liners ;) http://www.funnyfarmcreations.fourlittleducks.com/
I got a bakers dozen velour/flannel liners. These are awesome and SO comfy!! I love the velour tops and now want ALL my stash to be velour :) Let's see, serged edge, adjustable snapped width. I've been using them daily and they feel like I have nothing on. Great mama to work with too and very affordable ;)

Lunapads www.lunapads.com
These are a body and liner design. The liners are serged, bodies T/T. There is an extra set of wings on the body aside from the ones that snap around, so they are pretty bulky feeling IMO. I got the regular size maxi (9"), Body is flannel with hidden PUL, liners are cotton fleece. Liners held in place by ricrac, which is iritating and rubs all the wrong spots! I kept this one in rotation but only b/c I had so few pads. It will go once I have a full stash. I tested the new slender design which is better (no additional wings, no PUL, serged edges) but still has the ricrac. Lunapanties - AIO cotton panties with a cotton fleece "liner" sewn directly into the panty. These were my fave "liners" till I found Shandelle's liners.

Kristens CLoth (no longer being produced but pattern available for purchase), purchased at www.diaperware.com
Liner T/T chamois flannel with pocket for "stuffing" if you wanted. OK but not the comfiest liner. Tends to wad up a bit. 9" regular pad - same design as liner but with flannel trifold soaker. I returned this as I could tell from using the liner it would be too bulky for my taste.

Goddess moons http://www.goddessmoons.com/ purchased at diaperware
AWFUL!!! Don't bother. The fabric (assorted cotton woven prints - says it's flannel but is NOT soft like normal flannel) shrinks terribly - the one I washed was literally 2 inches shorter and 1 inch narrower than the unwashed one!! Night pads are AIO, day are holder with interchangable liners. They are quilted and filled with polyfill so not very absorbant but ultra bulky. After they shrink the snaps aren't spaced far enough so the thing is like a rolled up newspaper when you snap it around your underwear :( The owner is rude and awful to work with - does not stand behind her product at all.

Freshies Fresh moon pads www.freshies.ca, purchased at All natural mamas
These are a 2 piece style - body with snap on soaker. I have not yet used for AF as I just purchased but will post my impressions, and I know more will review these. I have wool bodies with cotton and hemp soakers. The desgin is very trim and the wool is nice and soft. I love the snap on design and breathability factor of the wool. The wool is not machine washable though, so they will (I assume) require a little more TLC than my other pads since they must be handwashed, and I'm not sure how wool does with staining? Looking forward to trying these.


Lynne
Mommy to Caleb 3/3/03
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif[/img][/url]
And the stubborn "purple" baby due 5/25/05

[daisymommy]

Here's What I've Tried:

Happy Heiny Pads: 1 layer fleece + 2 layers hemp + 1 layer PUL. Absorbent, very soft & comfortable, no leaks. I also like the contoured shape. I am not crazy about the fact that they have a PUL bottom. This makes them slip back and forth at times (only with the regular size, not the Super size), and they don't breathe as well as pads without PUL on the bottom. BUT I really like these for heavy days when you are going out and don't want any risk of leaks. www.lilbunz.com

Mother-of-Eden Pads: Hated these. They are very soft, and made with microfiber--good for those avoiding hemp. But I don't like how there is only a snap in the front and the back of the pad to hold it into the shell. The middle is floppy-loose, and I felt it shifted around too much. www.diaperware.com

LunaPads: These are okay for lighter days or cycles, but NOT for heavy periods. I didn't really like them. There is a strip of rick-rack trim in front and back that holds the pad in place in the shell/holder, and it was irritating to me. www.diaperware.com

Rhythm and Blues: Soft, folds out to come nice and clean. Pretty absorbent for heavy days, made with flannel, fleece, and PUL backing. Way too bulky though. I used it once and it sits in the bottom of my drawer unused. www.diaperware.com

Cloth Wear Pads at Lilbunz.com: These like are a HH knock-off. They work and feel like the HH pads, but are a bit cheaper. The only bad thing is they run a bit irregular (as far as the pattern being cut and sewn crooked). www.lilbunz.com

Mama Pads at Lilbunz.com: I've tried the mini-size pad as a pantyliner, and they were soft as well as super thin. They are kind of wide though. Trisha highly recommends the Overnight pad for heavy days, overnight & postpartum; haven't tried one yet though. www.lilbunz.com

GoddessMoon Pads: HATED these! They shrunk up so bad it was rediculious! And the absorbent layer is nothing but poly-fiber fill--what a joke! www.diaperware.com

Daisygirldesigns Moon Pads: Extremely absorbent, soft, I like the contour design, no leaks even without a PUL backing (polarfleece instead, which also keeps the pad securely in place so it doesn't slip around). I buy mine in the Maxi size, with microfleece on the top, so it wicks away all wetness. These may very very be my favorite pads. www.daisygirldesigns.com

Freshie Pads: Absorbent, soft, trim, high quality sewing job, super design. I like that you can save money by buying only a few bodies/holders and many more snap in pads. The only downside is that they are so hard to get ahold of! www.allnaturalmamas.com

Mother's Nature Cloth Wear Pantyliners:
These are very trim, beautiful designs and patterns such as tye-dyes velour, soft, and just absorbent enough for a pantyliner one layer velour or flannel, one layer hemp. Higly recommend them. www.mothersnatureclothwear.com

[ColorBlue]

I'm totally a newbie when it comes to cloth so bear with me please. I don't think I'm interested in these for my period (just can't do it) BUT I would be interested in getting something for the occasional bladder protection needs that have occurred since my girls were born. I hate wearing a panty liner because they are so scratchy.

What would you all recommend for bladder protection? Occasional and not much just coughing fits etc. (Don't you just love what having babies does to our bodies!!)

ETA. Can you wash in just cold water? Belive it or not my machine doesn't have hot water. (long story about frozen and broken pipes!).
Tracy

Grace...my big three year old girl.
Ellie and Maddie...my little three month old girls.

[essnce629]

Here's my copy and pasted review on the Happy Heiny pads I tried:

This was my first AF using all cloth pads and I can now say that I will never go back to disposables again. Before I had my son, I was on the pill and had super light periods (only needed to wear light tampons and panty liners), but since having my son my periods have been super heavy. I've also always had cramps, back pain, leg pain, etc with each AF both pre- and postbaby. Since I had my son I've just been using pads since I soak through a super tampon in one hour and an overnight pad can at least last me 2 hours (sorry TMI).

So after all the posts with rave reviews for cloth pads I was excited to try them out. This month, however, I didn't realize that my AF was due until 2 days beforehand and I still hadn't ordered my pads yet, so I jumped online and placed an order for the HH pads at http://www.lilbunz.com/. I ordered a set of 3 super/overnight pads and a set of 3 regular pads. I didn't think they would get to me in time, but I literally received my package 2 hours before AF started! The pads are super soft and a lot thinner than I had expected. I had expected them to be thick like those disposable Kotex ones they sell in public bathrooms, and was so excited when I saw they were practically the same thickness as the disposable Ultra Thin pads (the overnight ones are slightly thicker than the regular). The regular ones are the perfect length and absorbancy for most of my AF and they feel like I'm just wearing a slightly thicker pair of underwear. And I love the wings that snap-- in the disposables with wings the wings wouldn't always stick to my underwear and would end up rubbing against my thigh-- so annoying and uncomfortable. I loved the fleece and I always felt dry. The overnight pads are about 2 inches longer and worked great for my first heavy day.

The side benefits of using cloth this AF was that I had less cramping and a shorter period. I normally overdose on Ibuprofen the first 2 days of my period (about 2400mg a day!) to control my cramps, but this time I took 800mg at once at the start of my period and that was it! On day two I had very mild cramps at the beginning of the day but nothing strong enough to need to take anything. Also, I only had one day of heavy bleeding instead two. My period from beginning to end is usually 7 days (until I can go without a panty liner) but today is day 4 and it's pretty much done! I'm so glad I found out about cloth pads here, they're wonderful.

***Latia
Conner 8/19/03
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/a/aug2003angel
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_gold_12m.gif 17 months & counting! http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/9870.gif

[todzwife]

Um, I'd do a pantiliner w/ an extra "soaker" layer or a "light" type pad. Email me if you want to try one and I can send you something.