If you cloth diaper for health reasons, then why only care about the health of your child and not your own as well? If you cloth diaper for environmental reasons, then I’m sure you’ve thought about the huge number of disposable pads that go into the landfills. If you cloth diaper for financial reasons, then using cloth will save you money in the long run.

Wool-backed cloth pads made by me

I’ve started using cloth pads part-time about 3 years ago. I made my first pads myself, and because I didn’t really know what I was doing, they weren’t amazing.  Later, I made more pads which were definitely an improvement. Before I became pregnant with our second child, I was using cloth pads 80% of the time.

When I was pregnant with my second child, I came across information about Homestead Emporium pads. The look and design of the Homestead Emporium pads captured my interest. I really wanted to try pads made by someone else, and I thought these would be great to try. So, I decided to get some custom post partum and medium/heavy flow pads made by Pietra, the owner of Homestead Emporium.

Homestead Emporium Cloth Pads, http://homesteademporium.com

One of the concerns I had initially when looking into cloth pads, was the thickness. I thought cloth pads had to be thick in order to work well. I was very wrong. The simple bamboo and PUL pads are approximately twice as thick in the middle as ultra thin disposable pads. Of course if you have a very heavy flow, you have to use thicker pads, but you probably have to use bigger/thicker disposable pads as well.

If you’ve been wanting to switch to cloth pads, go ahead! If I, someone obsessed with thickness, can do it, so can you. Cloth pads are comfortable, very absorbent, and fun. I would highly recommend trying them.  Please keep in mind though, that if you don’t like one brand of cloth pads, doesn’t mean you won’t like them all. If you can, try at least a couple of different brands/styles to see which one you like best.  And if you have any questions, ask the cloth pad maker or me.

Homestead Emporium Cloth Pads, http://homesteademporium.com

Wool interlock backed cloth pads. These are made with bamboo fleece and organic bamboo velour. Two of the pads have a layer of cotton interlock print.