Hell is ever closer - part 2

[SistemaAddict]

Following on from the previous thread.

Hell is ever closer-how's your stash looking? http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/eureferendumm2016/3646002-hell-is-ever-closer-how-s-your-stash-looking

Toiletries, I need to do toiletries. Looroll stash is pretty healthy, but need to stock up on tampax etc for dds.

Could I suggest looking at reusable sanitary towels and/or a mooncup?

I'm stocking up on tampons. I don't want to use other methods as they suit me.

My freezer is full of allotment veg. So no meat will be frozen this time.

aint gonna fly with my girls bellini but appreciate the sentiment.

I have considered reuseable san-pro, but I can't use tampons so really don't want to try a mooncup, and I am so irregular that I am not sure I want to lay out on a whole load of pads.

DD1 is 13 but she is yet to start, I will cross that bridge when I get to it I guess.

My dd started a few months ago. I offered her a choice, she only wants reusables. Obviously she has me doing the laundering for now. I've also made a few , customising to the size, thickness and shape she wants. Reused a few cool print T shirts she doesn't fit anymore as toppers. And some old fleece as backers. A range of stuff from old towels to specially bought bamboo fleece for the core bits. Some lovely uk based small businesses make them.

How many layers of cloth and which sort?

Fuck. I never considered tampons! I may be 60 this year, but HRT periods are just as needy of products. Off to stock up tomorrow.

I’ve bought reusable san pro but neither DD or me are planning to use them unless we’re really out of options.

@BlackeyedGruesome start by looking at Precious Stars Pads. I'd post a photo of our handiwork but I think DD's privacy deserves me not doing. Currently making some Halloween themed ones using a pair of Halloween old cotton jersey pyjamas of hers and a some fleece fabric as a base - polar fleece is water resistant so that keeps stuff in the core. In between, a couple of layers of bamboo fleece.
Dead easy to launder.

I can't help being surprised that younger girls aren't interested in cloth sanpro, considering all the current activism on climate change.
It's such an easy thing to do to make a difference. (Sorry I know it's the wrong thread)

My daughter really doesn't like disposables. I've made sure it's all her choice and everything. Sorry if this sounds like virtue signalling and all that . On the rare occasion she's had to use disposables - caught short didn't have a reusable in a little bag with her, I always have a spare disposable- she really noticed the difference.
She doesn't discuss it with her pals(why would you at 13?) . But she just gets on with it. And she goes riding so we have some Modibodis for that.

i think I'm done for food - just replace anything I use from freezer. toiletries are also fine. I need a big box of washing powder , a spare sodastream gas and I've just ordered 12 bottles of wine from Aldi

@bellinisurge are they a homemade thing or can you buy them? What forms the waterproof layer? Do they stay in place? I'm on the fence about them but have recently gone back to towels instead of tampons and find them better. Dd is preferring tampons but I'm trying to discourage her on that one as her dad's gf gave her the super plus and they hurt her.

You can buy them. Loads of sellers on Etsy. Start with Precious Stars Pads (they have their own website) budget range. But there are funkier and indeed swearier options. Cost wise (not the aforementioned budget ones) they are around £10 a pad. Some more some a bit less.
I make a few for dd because I like sewing and it's cheaper - although, like all craft projects, there's an initial outlay. I can customise them how she prefers. There are loads of cool patterns - including some free ones if you join various FB groups set up by different sellers.
There's a thing called PUL, which is medical grade thin waterproof fabric you can have hidden inside. Polar fleece is almost as good. The fleecy bit faces your knickers.
They have wings with sort of snap things to hold them together. No problems with sliding about if you have close fitting pants.
You can even buy period pants- modibodi is a good range but pricey.
Dd puts a used one in what's called a wet bag which hangs on her wardrobe door - pretty PUL fabric zipped bag about the size of A3 paper. At the end of her cycle, muggins here, washes them out under cold water, puts some stain stick on them (I use an Ecover one), I put them back in the bag then cart them down to the washing machine. I wash them in normal wash with a scoop of Oxyclean added. I air dry them on one of those octopus clippy things. When it's nice they go on the line, when it's not I find somewhere inside.
Absolutely no stains. Not one. And some of the topper fabric is light coloured. She's had about 6 periods.
My plan is that eventually she will see that they can be washed easily and do it herself. But as she has just started, I want her to have an easy ride of it for now. She's more into the "excuse for having chocolate " aspect, at the moment.

Or if she prefers tampons, maybe a mooncup would be the thing.

I'm all for the chocolate excuse along with a hwb and comfort viewing! Sounds a lot of faff and outlay but will look into it, thanks

I'd have been utterly disgusted at the thought of washable sanpro. It's a hard enough thing to come to terms with, knowing that you've got to deal with this mess every month for 30 plus years and I totally understand why you'd want to be able to bundle it up and chuck it in the bin. I guess some girls have the short light 3 day affairs, in which case washable pads become an option but after about 4 months mine became painful, lasted at least a week and I used to bleed everywhere. They're not painful anymore but last about 10 days and I have a couple of days where I can need to change a night-time pad after an hour. I'd probably need about 20 washable ones.

I didn't know HRT periods were a thing!

@bellinisurge I personally also use reusable cloth ones I also made myself- as I've had very heavy periods, but I've heard good things from Bloom and Nora if anyone wants to buy premade:

www.bloomandnora.com/

Holland and Barret also have the period underwear.

I'm okay with the washing but it does take getting used to, but I'm glad I've made the swtich.

Obviously it's completely a personal choice thing and a personal circumstances thing.

Blood comes out of knickers if you soak in cold water with bog standard tablet soap rubbed on. Soak for half an hour minimum.

Also gets out dry wipe markers from school shirts if they have not been washed first. And gets the worst of yellow suncream off.

Thanks. We have old fleece tops, the backing from old bibs.and a whole host of scrap fabric, mainly t shirts and old shirts.

Dd is not wanting her younger sister to know she's started yet so keeping reusable secret might be an issue.

If disposables help with discretion and that's important to her , then obviously go with that. Make sure you get a stock of pads in that she likes. Making her feel like she has bodily autonomy is massively important. Have you tried the Clue app?. Helps tracking.

Yes, she's got clue and they are very irregular still. There's a stash in a closed basket in the downstairs loo and another stash in the upstairs bathrooms. She takes some to school too. Am really annoyed about the super plus tampons