Talk to me about reusable sanitary towels

[HolidaysQueen]

I use washable nappies with DS, and I really don't have an issue with bodily fluids. So I've started to think about using reusable sanitary protection rather than disposable, as there doesn't really seem a good reason to stick with disposable if the absorbency and comfort is similar with reusable.

Any suggestions for which to go for? How would i go about washing them (high temp or is a 40C okay)?

Anyone tried them and hated them?

[belgo]

I'd be interested in this too.

[belcantwait]

i have tried them as like you i used washable nappies with dd and thought there wasnt much difference BUT the ones i had were really reallt rubbish and were supposed to be kept in place by poppers underneath but it kept on sliding out of place and therefore offered no protection at all! i may have just been unlucky though- there may be better ones out there, try googling and see. i think most offer a trial one at a cheap price so you dont need to buy in bulk straight away

what about a mooncup? doesnt appeal to me but they have a great MN following!

[HolidaysQueen]

Funnily enough I'm not so keen on the mooncup, which is partic bizarre considering I use a diaphragm!

[TheDevilWearsPrimark]

I've never liked the idea, surely you would have to wash them immediately to avoid staining /smells?

[PinkTulips]

i've been wondering about them for a while too... not least because i can't stand the horrible plastic sensation of disposable pads.

[TheDevilWearsPrimark]

Pinktulips I converted to a mooncup last year after I got 'nappy rash' from pads in the brief heatwave we had last year. Yucks.

[PinkTulips]

see... i'm tempted by the mooncup but not sure my poor destroyed fanjo would tolerate it... tried tampons a few times before getting preg with ds2 and they were really uncomfortable and didn't really stay put properly and now i've had ds2 i doubt matters have improved

got a while to think about it anyway, my periods didn't comeback til ds1 was 12 months old so seeing as ds2 is only 7 weeks i've got ages yet!

[mrsmaidamess]

Pink I used to have terriblre problems with tampons not staying put and leaking...I had it investigated and after a little gynae tidy up (by my very dishy gynaecologist, but thats's another story) its all good as gold now.

Is it worth going to the docs and saying you are having problems?

[PinkTulips]

eeek. i'm not the best at going to the docs full stop but to walk in and ask them to poke around up there fills me with dread... but yes i know i have to do it sooner or later there are definite issues since ds1's birth.

[BeehiveBaby]

I use Peeweez, they are brill but I fancy trying the pocket nappy stlye ones like Imse Vimse too.

[Takver]

I've used them for years, find them much less 'ick' than disposable pads, now have a mooncup too but still use the pads sometimes as well (mostly I use the mooncup when I'm cycling as pads can be a bit lumpy.).
I've only had two different types in I think 20 years, the first ones were Swedish & I don't think they make any more, when they finally fell apart I got a 'bargain pack' from moonrabbits which have been really good, and not too expensive.

[BeehiveBaby]

Imse Vimse are Swedish I think?

[HolidaysQueen]

I just found this thread Didn't realise it was about this topic as I didn't know what lunapads or fairy hammocks were!

[girlandboy]

I usually use a Mooncup, but I have a few pads for when I fancy a change, or for when my period has nearly stopped.

I've got some from Luna Wolf which are lovely. Really well made and comfy.

Also got one from Wee Notions which is a minkee one and is lovely.....just like velvet.

In answer to TheDevilWearsPrimark, no they don't seem to stain and they certainly don't smell. It's the combination of chemicals and plastic in the disposable pads that smell. Ordinary cloth doesn't smell.

[nannyL]

I have a selection of moonrabbits and minki and a mooncup

my favourites are definitely the minki ones and i think the fleece ones are better and dont stain at all where as the cotton ones do seem to stain a tiny bit (though it doesnt matter_

I chose moonrabbits without the waterproof layer and with hindsight i wish i had opted for a waterproof layer.

[CherryChoc]

I used cloth for my post birth bleeding (actually used prefolds! I was just so fed up of disposable ones, they made me sweaty and uncomfortable and they stank and I tried the prefolds out of desparation) and found them soo much more comfortable than the disposable pads. I soaked them in cold water in a nappy bucket (but could easily use a discreet tub behind the toilet/sink in bathroom) until I washed them and they didn't stain or smell at all.

In fact since doing that I have decided I would never use disposable sanitary wear again by choice and am going to order both a mooncup and some cloth pads before my period comes back!

[gothicmama]

so am condsidering, how many would you need and how long do they take to dry

[chipmonkey]

I did use them until I got my mooncup.

I would recommend fleece-toppped as opposed to flannel-topped as they don't stain as easily

They do have to be soaked for at least an hour in cold water before washing which I found to be a slight pain but otherwise they were great!

[HaventSleptForAYear]

I had some before I got my mooncup.

Now I don't know what to do with them

They were great but I would say NOT flannel topped - too sweaty.

Get a couple and try them, it's hard to know what you will prefer.

I think I liked the peeweez best (memory gone)

[HaventSleptForAYear]

oh and I read that it was good to have an old ice-cream tub to soak them in pre-washing.

Non transparent if you are leaving it lying round the bathroom

[DSMaryMagdalene]

What do you do with it when you change it? Keep it in your bag until you can get home to wash it?

Also, with mooncups.. what do you actually do with them? I mean, do you empty them and out them back in? Or use a new one? And if you do empty it, how do you wash it if you aren't at home? Or do you just pour it out and put it back in?

[BeehiveBaby]

They tend to be designed so that the popper attachment to keep them in pleace also folds them up and keeps the mess inside.

Mooncups tend to only need changing morning noon and night, or before and after you go out. If out and about and desperate to change and no loo with basin available, you can wipe it clean enough to be seen under the tap in the communal area then go back in maybe? I never have had to.

[CherryChoc]

Yeah basically (on mooncups). People usually wipe them clean and wash them properly when they get home I think. They also get boiled at the end of the cycle to sterilise it. I felt a bit like that at first, but then thought about it for a while and it's not as disgusting as the thought of all those used tampons sitting around in landfill.

[DSMaryMagdalene]

Oh, I agree I would rather not have to use tampons for the environmental aspect.

I am just confused, as I would have to change my tampon 2 or 3 times a day, probably, though my 'days' tend to be fairly long (as in, not 9-5) and I would always be in communal toilets so not really up for taking it out to the sinks and washing it.

I don't use sanitary towels anyway, but would you really have to fold it up and keep it until you got home? This would mean always having to take your handbag to the toilet.

[girlandboyWantsMoreEasterEggs]

Mooncups hold alot of fluid, more than a tampon.

On my heaviest day/s I put it in at breakfast for instance, empty it at 3pm and then once again at bedtime.

Once the first couple of days are over then it's only once at breakfast, then again at bedtime.

As for the cloth pads - they just fold up on themselves and I would put it in a small makeup bag (specially for that purpose of course). So yes, I suppose I would have to take a bag to the loo, but I did that with a tampon or disposable pad anyway. But you don't have to with a mooncup of course.