Frugal Ideas on Cloth for Mom

Catherine McDiarmid-Watt | Thursday, September 12, 2019 | 2 comments
Rate this post:

Image: Sanitary towels, Sunny Days, by Yanasha Itch on Wikimedia.org

Image: Gerber Prefold Gauze Cloth Diapers | feature soft 100% cotton fabric | feels soft on baby's delicate skin
Gerber Prefold Gauze Cloth Diapers
I use cloth menstrual pads (or did before I got pregnant, anyway!).

I use my old cheapie cloth diapers - Gerber prefold diapers - the kind you can buy at Amazon, Target or K-Mart.

Those things are worthless in my opinion as baby diapers, but GREAT as menstrual pads!

I just fold them into the right size (shorter for daytime, longer for night-time), and place inside a snug-fitting cotton panty.

I almost NEVER have leaks or slippage - in fact, less than I did with disposable pads. Yeast infections are history, and washing is no big deal.

I just keep an extra diaper pail in the bathroom and toss in the used pad (and often a washcloth - much nicer to cleanse oneself with at that time of the month than toilet paper!). It is a dry pail.

The first time I did this, I soaked, and the smell was HORRID!

Took FIVE washes to get them clean again.

With the dry pail, there is no odor problem.

Image: Simfamily 7 Pieces Set Including 1 Piece Mini Wet Bag +6 Pieces 8 Inch Charcoal Bamboo Panty Liner Mama Cloth Menstrual Pads Reusable Sanitary Pads
Charcoal Bamboo Panty Liner
When my cycle is done (about 4-5 days), I just toss everything in the washer and run a cold cycle to rinse them.

Then I add detergent (my homemade stuff!), baking soda, and fabric-safe bleach or whitener.

Sometimes vinegar, if I think of it. Hot cycle, and then they go into the dryer.

Stains are minimal, and I don't care if they're stained anyway - no one sees these but me!

Best of all - the cost to me was essentially nothing, as I'd purchased the diapers years ago for my babies (and used them quite unsuccessfully - just not absorbent enough!).

Thanks to Amy for this Frugal Baby Tip!

MORE IDEAS:
Make Your Own Cloth Menstrual Pads Pattern

Make-Your-Own Frugal Cloth Menstrual Pads

Reusable Menstrual Products







Category:

Catherine

About Catherine: I have been writing my Frugal Baby Tips since 1982, when I was a young divorced mom of two - for my baby product company, Born to Love. I am now mom to three grown up sons, and a grandma - and happily married to a wonderful man. We have rescued two little dogs, Denny and Dexter - and a rescue cat, Bella.

Taking care of baby and mom needs naturally, does not have to cost a whole lot of money! Money-saving tips on diapering, diaper washing, safety, sling and baby carriers, toys, clothing, nursing, menstrual needs, traveling with kids, and more!

If you have Frugal Baby Tips to share, we want to hear them! It might even get published!

Find Catherine on Google+ - Join us on Facebook - Follow us on Pinterest

2 comments

  1. How do you keep them from slipping off or dislodging? Do you wear them out of the house too?

  2. They stay in place surprisingly well. Yes, you can wear them outside of the house, but if you are concerned, you could tasten with a safety pin at each end.

Catherine encourages positive comments and suggestions that are helpful to other blog readers. Help keep this a fun place to visit and help all of us save money and get more frugal baby tips!

NOTE: Comments are moderated - just to stop the spambots - and so may take up to a few hours to be approved.

Catherine reserves the right to review, edit, refuse or delete any comment.

Popular Posts