To be astounded that women use reusable cloth pads when on their period

[jeremytampaxman]

I had no idea that people did this - found out courtesy of a thread on another forum.

Okay, I gather that it's supposed to be more environmentally friendly than using tampons or sanitary towels (although surely there is energy involved in washing them)...but using & washing out pieces of rag in 2013? Seriously?!

I know it's an individual's choice, I get that. But AIBU to be just astounded by that choice?

[cantspel]

Chaz you dont need to buy into the fancy packaging and individually wrapped san pro in little twee bags tied with ribbon.
Supermarkets own do me fine and cost me less than a pound a month.

[Ragwort]

Why do people use the expression 'on your period' - gross, about as bad as 'falling pregnant' - which I never understood anyway .

Millions of women around the world have no choice about what sanitary protection to use, and another point about expensive sanpro - it is something to think about donating to foodbanks/womens' refuges etc. Many women don't have the 'luxury' of choosing what (if any) sanpro they can buy. .

[ChazsBrilliantAttitude]

cantspel
So the supermarket own don't come in a plastic bag then?

[RoooneyMara]

Menstrual blood is NOTHING like excrement, you weirdo troll ignoramus.

I use re-useable pads, in fact I'm going to have to buy some more when I stop breastfeeding. I bloody love them.

Why would you use a sticky, sweaty, shiny bit of plastic crap that attaches to your pubes and costs far more money, when these cotton, thin, beautifully made items are available.

I just don't get it.

and this:

'But I understand with nappies that there are other motivations other than just the environment - wanting your baby to look cute; wanting to fit into a certain style of parenting'

is just so pathetic I don't know where to begin. Are they seriously the only reasons you can think of?

[RoooneyMara]

Oh and don't think that we don't KNOW this is a ridiculous goady thread that will feed the Fail tomorrow, or the Jeremy Vine or Wright stuff etc etc

[MyHumpsMyLovelyBabyBumps]

I think people who do free-bleeding must just have very light periods, it would be too much work cleaning sheets etc otherwise? And would- always be a concern about ruining someone's couch..

[Whothefuckfarted]

YABU

[cantspel]

yes but one bag rather than one for each pad. Using the minim packaging needed and i assume when you send off for your reusables they come in some sort of packaging as well.

[SquinkiesRule]

I used them when I had little babies, regular pads made my eczema flare up in places I didn't need to scratch I used to soak them in a bucket and throw them in with a load of cloth nappies as needed.
Now I'm back to tampons as usual. Tried the mooncup with some success, but not when I was out an about, too many overflow problems for me.

[ToysRLuv]

I would go with re-usables if I wasn't so lazy and disorganised. And I would definitely go with David Mitchell, as well (I love the fact that, should he google himself right now, he would find a MN thread about reusable towels! ).

[IneedAsockamnesty]

Mainly cardboard or brown paper

[jeremytampaxman]

MummytoMog I have a toddler and heavy periods myself, but seem to avoid getting my clothes covered in poo, wee and blood.

Maybe that's because I use disposable nappies and tampons

[RoooneyMara]

Ooh (just reading the thread now) I left one to fester once, by mistake.

I had a visitor and had to be very quick so I rolled it up and shoved it in a bag i keep in the bathroom, and forgot it was there.

Do you know what happened? It went brown, dried out and waited there perfectly inert till I found it a month or so later.

Really - there's not much of an ick factor with sanitary pads. They are far less icky than nappies, and I use reuseable ones of those without a problem as well.

[RememberingMyPFEs]

£1 per month over 35 years is still £420. My mooncup cost me £20. I expect to replace it twice, maximum. I don't know the detail if carbon footprint comparison but imagine its pretty significant. I'd imagine similar for reusable towels.

Cloth nappies cost c.£500 incl washing costs vs disposables at £2500-£3500 and have c25% of the carbon footprint if line dried and 50-60% if tumbled.

I've ordered my reusable breast pads too, LO due in 2 weeks...

But ALL of that aside. Why do you care how other women deal with their menstrual blood? On every level I can fathom, YABVU

[Mintyy]

Interesting first post and interesting username.

I don't know why people are bothering to respond to you after your comment about cloth nappy users wanting to appear to be a certain type of parent.

You just come across as unfeasibly stupid, tbh.

[RoooneyMara]

Jeremy, for the first time this year as a mother of three, I used disposable nappies for my baby. They were awful. Nearly every single one of them leaked. I was changing him all the blooming time.

I bought some reuseables to replace our old ones about a month ago, and have had ONE tiny leak of wee since then. ONE.

This is a 6 month old breastfed baby. ONE leak. The disposable ones leaked CONSTANTLY. And were blooming expensive as well.

[jeremytampaxman]

Oh and don't think that we don't KNOW this is a ridiculous goady thread that will feed the Fail tomorrow, or the Jeremy Vine or Wright stuff etc etc

I wasn't trying to be ridiculously goady. As I said in my OP, this is something I read about on another forum and I was just shocked by it. Perhaps I am leading a sheltered life but I had no idea people did this. I was merely interested as to whether anybody else shared my surprise.

[jeremytampaxman]

Not first post, have NC-d. Pombears, Yoni, etc.

[RoooneyMara]

Yeah

[ChazsBrilliantAttitude]

cantspel
Quite often they don't add extra packaging to reusables, just put them in an envelope. Additionally, packaging once v 60+ lots of packaging over a 5 year timescale.

I really don't understand why you are arguing against the obvious, a reusable product that lasts for years is going to use up less materials that the use of disposable products over the same timescale.

If you don't want to use them for whatever reason then that's fine - its entirely your choice but I don't understand why you are trying to run down the environmental benefits of reusable products.

[twistyfeet]

I used washeable pads for years. Comfortable and eco. Whats not to like. Sadly they vanished during a house move. I still have no idea how and I cant afford to pay out again.

[Notcontent]

"On your period" sounds really grim and (dare I say it...) common.

[MummytoMog]

Wow Jeremy, do you have like totes amazing babies that don't wee in your face when you change them? And are immune to vomiting and diarrhoea bugs? This weekend my two year old wee'd on me twice while I was changing him, my four year old managed to poo on my arm while being helped to use a strange toilet and my period started unexpectedly while I was driving across country. So yes, blood, wee and poo. I have however washed all of those clothes and intend to reuse them. What a freak. You must be ASTOUNDED.

[kelda]

Someone further up wondered why so many people were ready to be convinced that washable nappies etc were not eco friendly.

There is huge industry relient on convincing women (and even with nappies, it is mostly women who make the decisions) that there is no ecological benenfit to using washable nappies/washable sanpro.

Most of the arguement against washable nappies/san pro, seems to stem from 'urgh, that's yuck'.

Well there are many yucky things in life. Even if you use disposible nappies, you will still be cleaning up poo/wee/vomit etc. If you or a loved one are ill/old , then you will probably be dealing with lots of things many people consider disgusting.

[MyHumpsMyLovelyBabyBumps]

ds got the poo out of his disposable nappy and ate and wiped himself and entire crib in it while he was supposed to be sleeping. I dare say I got the odd bit on me while cleaning it up