How to Save Money on Diapers and Pads That Are SensoryFriendly *Giveaway*

For a person who does not normally even talk about herself this is an interesting subject, but I am going to jump right in and see how things go. I am all for talking about autism, my son and things that have made our life easier. Autism can be expensive at times (ok how about all the time), we all know this. For those who seek therapies money is a big thing. Before Josiah was even diagnosed we had switched him to cloth diapers (originally this post was going to be just about saving money on pads, but I just can't speak about one without the other).

Diapers

*Not just for babies, but many companies make larger sizes for children with special needs as well*
We switch to cloth when he was 11 months old to save money. We started off his life with a stack of disposable diaper cases we received at the baby shower and the ones we had purchased starting at newborn. When he was born early and we suddenly needed to buy preemie diapers. The price for the amount of diapers was outrageous and after he was almost out of preemie size (almost 3 months) that Luvs NB diapers were the exact same size as Huggies preemie and much cheaper. After we ran out of size 2,  My mom recommended cloth diapers like she did and told me about safety pins, prefolds, bars of soap (to stick the pins in to keep them sharp), wet buckets and it was all just not as I wanted to picture something I had to deal with daily.

We bought a few cases and quickly realized that diapers were really expensive, even when getting them from diapers.com and using their brand diapers. From being in natural parenting mom groups I had quickly erased the stereotypical view of cloth diapers from my mind (seen above). I learned that cloth could look like this, but it could also look like a disposable diaper if you got AIO or pockets and you could also get a cute cover to cover the prefold if you didn't want it to show. There are also things called snappies to fasten prefolds, so no need for safety pins and pocking babies.

Look at them, they are so colorful and cute. We finally decided to get diapers and when going through Alva and using a co-op on Facebook we paid about 4.00 a diaper and got 26 diapers, so our "stash" was about 120 with coop fees and shipping. If you want to learn more about the types of diapers this has easy to follow pictures and also info on the "I don't want to deal with poop" part of it all here. 

Pads

Pads have been a complete sensory nightmare for me since I was 11 years old. Never knowing there was any other option I have been using them since then, besides the 30 months that I did not have a period between pregnancy and breastfeeding. When getting cloth diapers and joining cloth diaper chats I soon learned there were cloth pads. Not having been so sure about cloth diapers and not having my period when I started cloth diapers, I did not give them much thought. Time passes and I just deal with the sensory nightmare that the pads are and that my period was to me. Sandpaper is what pads felt like for me, Always Infinity being the closest thing to bearable (absorbs the liquid really thoroughly and quickly). 

If you can't stand things like tags, how on earth are you able to stand a pad? Especially since most are so rough, cut weird, sit weird, and are just annoying all around. I absolutely can not stand the wet, bloody feeling at all and am often anxious and irritated during my period not because of hormonal issues, but because all the sensory issues with the feeling of the blood. Otherwise, most of the time the emotional side of aunt flow just does not affect me, but the physical side does. We move on to Aug 1st at 1:15A, after finally getting Josiah to sleep I was still awake. Why? Because the stupid annoying night pad had me so anxious and uncomfortable and boy does it feel like sandpaper (to think that baby diapers are the same texture makes me so happy my son does not have to deal with diaper sensory issues anymore). I was searching online as always infinity was not my night choice due to the size. Then I got to thinking about cloth pads and found some buy, sell, trade pages on FB and got to asking some questions. I found places that did reviews along with people reviewing on YouTube and decided first on overnight pads through treehuggerclothpads.com which are 12in long made of minky and sell for $14 a pad. I discovered that since minky can get hot during the summer. Through asking questions and my sensory aversions that sued cloth could be the answer to my wishes for daytime.

9.5in Cotton cloth pad compared to tampon, liner and always infinity folded up.

With a quick google search of suedecloth pad I found in a YouTube review that led me to MamaJewelsJems on Etsy I was checking out her awesome prints for the size pad I was looking for and sparked up a conversation in messages. I always like to message buyers before purchasing to see if they check their stuff often and if they can answer questions about their product even if I know the answer. I notice when going to her profile to massage her that she was from MI which is awesome since I live in MI and also that she was a stay at home mom of 4 boys. Through the back and forth conversations I soon found out that one of her boys who is 7 has autism and her youngest is 3, same age as Josiah. I figured why not support another autism mommy while trying out something new. I bought two sued cloth pads and one cotton 9.5in pads from her for $8.25 for the sued and $7.50 for the cotton. She shipped out the items right away.

When I got the items there were three pads, a cloth wipe, a tea and her business car all wrapped up in tissue paper. What an exciting gift to unwrap! I quickly threw them in a hot wash, then a hot, dry to get them prepped for use. They came out really fluffy from the dry and were stuck to the side of my dryer as we didn't use any dry sheets with them (something we are used to from cloth diapers). I decided to try the cotton one out first. When I put it on it was thicker than what I was used to with the always infinity, but after a while I didn't seem to notice it at all, it was really comfortable. The pad has two snap choices which are great for getting them in the right position, so they fit nicely in your underwear. I am on the tail end of my period, so this review of these pads is actually going to be sitting and waiting a month. 

Tampon in front of cotton cloth pad, panty liner to left and always infinity to the right.

I however did get to try one of each out for the tail end of my period for comfort level. The suede cloth seems to be far less noticeable to me than the cotton. The sued cloth does as promised and absorbs liquid much quicker even the thicker end of period stuff gets absorbed up. The cotton it did not get absorbed as quickly. I am going to try both during the full swing of my period, but I am going to bet that the suede cloth will be my favorite fabric between the two. I will also have spinning class that I will get to try these out in.... Wait a minute, am I actually excited for my period to come even though I just got done with it... Yup! That's because as I am sitting here typing this I do not feel like I am sitting on barbed wire and razor blades. I feel comfortable! That is a start and I will take it....

While waiting for my cycle to return I decided to also order a 12in suede cloth from her and got a friend a 10in in the super. 

One Cycle Later... (All pads listed are through MamaJewl's Handmade Jems unless otherwise stated)

Another cycle begins and like always it does not matter what else is going on. I am just getting over a kidney infection that has been kicking my butt the past week. I am also starting all of my classes this week, so guess I get to test out the suede cloth pads out with spinning class right away! Start of my cycle since I do not have that many cloth pads (plan on washing partially through cycle, so I can test them more).

*The next few areas are written as a daily thoughts on the pads sometimes written at the end of the day and sometimes throughout the day adding comments and feelings about the pads. There are going to be some mention of blood since they are pads*

Day one

I am wearing a disposable and it is already irritating me. I tried putting on the always infinity on the silky (polyester blend) underwear I was wearing and it refused to stick to it, so one went into the trash without wear. Then the next one stayed on a little later before it came unstuck. I really did not want to switch to cotton yet, I normally do with my period even though blood washes out better from the others, because at the time I was feeling extra sensitive to things and cotton can seem like sandpaper to me during those times, especially on the more sensitive areas of the body. I ended up switching to a wingless liner since the wing issues continued and I was only spotting anyways. I would compromise some comfort for the wings to stop sticking to me and not sticking to my underwear.

 

Day two

I started out with an always infinity so I could compare to the suede cloth later. I wanted to save them for my classes as I had spinning and other active class. It was the first day so we did nothing, so real test Thursday. The always infinity. No the suede cloth absorbs liquid just as quickly as the always infinity. Just the cloth pad is more comfortable and it doesn't have sticking issues since the pad snaps into place. I also did not even realize I was bleeding very heavy with the suede cloth at first until. I used the bathroom and there was one clot that did not get absorbed and a lot came out when on the toilet. I started to see blood on the side of the suede cloth and took it as a sign it was starting to get full. That night I decided I was bleeding heavy enough to give the treehugger cloth pad a test. It is a minky 12in cloth pad. When I first put I to it was really awkward, but IDK what night pad isn't I couldn't get enough in the back and there was too much upfront. I was too tired to hassle with it. I put it on around 9p and got up at 8:30 with no leaking issues. It was really full on the top of not absorbed blood when I woke up. It was really soft, but not sure if I like the absorbency rate so much of the minky.

Day three

I started out with a cotton cloth pad. With this day being a serious gushing day. It was clear that blood was being absorbed and was taking a little longer. The pad had a larger blood spot on it as the blood took longer to sink in past the first layer. I wanted to give the suede cloth a test under the same conditions, so it was my next victim so to speak. I could still feel gushing, but couldn't feel the moist feeling after as much. When I used the bathroom the pad had a much smaller blood spot on it as it was absorbing the liquid in quickly not giving it a chance to spread out across the parade. I again couldn't really tell I was even bleeding much until it was full. I am for sure a fan of the suede cloth so far! I wore an always infinity afterwards and the suede cloth was still a great contender with it. Nighttime I gave the treehugger cloth pad a try again. This time with cotton underwear I had better luck with it. Better fit and not as awkward. It was really hot last night and tonight and I do not seem to notice that it was any hotter then wearing the always infinity at night. I know that is one complaint with the minky material. This morning when I woke up there was less blood sitting on the pad that had not been absorbed. I am not sure if I had a fresh gush the night before just before I got up, but was a way better experience with the minky material from Treehugger cloth pads the second time around.

Day four (The real test day)
Still heavy flow and both of my active classes are today. I always put on an infinity before hand as I do not have that many cloth pads. Before leaving for Josiah's therapy and the start of our long day I changed into a suede cloth one at 9A I didn't return home until almost 1p and changed into a cotton cloth pad. The whole time it absorbed well and did not feel the wetness. I had my elementary class and we hopped like bunnies, threw  and caught balls, getting up and down all the time and walked three laps around the track (10 is a mile). It stayed in place the whole time. With the cotton one was the same way as yesterday where it is absorbing just not as quick as the suede cloth or always infinity and since I have sensory issues with the wet feeling cotton pads do not seem to be the thing for me. I can stand to wear them, just figure if they are the same price I might as well get suede cloth instead. Putting on another suede cloth again for spinning class and this time we are getting on the bikes and going to work up a sweat. Lets see how things go... So forgot to change before leaving, so I took off the cotton one and put it in my handy dandy pad wrapper made by Harmony Hill Cloth then put on a disposable I had in my backpack.

Day five-Seven 
Was more of the same

Afterwards:
I will for sure be ordering some more suede cloth. If you are getting pads for incontinence issues than a cotton one might not be as noticeable since urine is not as thick as blood and it does absorb pretty quickly just not as quick as the suede cloth ones. From TreeHuger Cloth Pads I will order a couple of bamboo ones for night/postpartum to try. I like the minky enough to order some more as well after trying the bamboo to see which I like better.
I decided to order some more suede cloth pads and to wait another cycle of testing before officially publishing this post.

My new regular pads!

Another cycle came and past and I got to use these wonderful pads pictured above, along with the ones that I used in the past month. I did not get a chance to wright a day to day and did not feel it was necessary. I can tell you that these hold up to 12 miles plus in a spinning class, they hold up to running around chasing a three year old and that they hold up to running around like a preschooler/grade student as part of one of my physical classes (elementary PE class).  

The Specs on MamaJewel's Handmade Jems

Hi, My name is Julie and I'm the mama to 4 boys. When I was pregnant with my youngest, I decided I wanted to cloth diaper him. Which led me to start thinking of using reusable menstrual pads, as well.

I started sewing in 2011. I started by making cloth wipes, then cloth diapers, then I started making reusable menstrual pads, which I enjoyed making so much, that's what I decided I wanted to stick with. It's kind of a passion of mine! I also enjoy doing giveaways and have been known to do them out of the blue and for no reason. Sometimes it's one and a couple times it was several!

On each of her pads she has this information listed:

Why choose cloth pads?
Cloth pads are an excellent alternative to disposables for many reasons. They are much more comfortable. No plastic stickiness! No chemicals in cloth, either. Just soft comfort! They are better for the environment. While they are an investment at first, in the long run you will save money. With proper care, they will last you years! You'll never run out of pads, when you can just wash and re-use them.

Sued cloth pad folded up with a liner on the left, tampon in front and an always infinity on the right.

Information on the materials used for all sizes:

Suede cloth is an awesome stay dry material. It pulls the moisture in quickly.
ZORB absorbs 10x it's weight in less than half a second. Care: Wash HOT, dry HOT, Bleach OK, no fabric softeners.
Fleece is a moisture barrier that is also breathable, so less odor than using disposable (plastic/paper) pads. So much more comfortable, too!! It also helps keep the pad in place, along with the kamsnaps. Kamsnaps are applied with a snap press. 

A top view of the sued cloth pad compared to a liner,always infinity, and tampon. 

One thing nice about her pads are that the fleece back color varies with the absorbency so if you have the same size in different absorbency levels you can easily tell the difference. The liners have purple fleece, regular have black fleece on the back, and super and overnight/postpartum ones have red fleece on the back.

Liner

Her liners listed in her store 7.75 in long or 8in long all listed currently in her store are cotton ones and sell for $5.25. Top layer is cotton, inside is a layer of flannel and backed with fleece.

Regular

Her regulars listed in her store 9.5 or 10in long. Currently, she has listed both cotton and sued cloth pads. They are listed at $7.50 or $8.2 for this size. These pads are made with a top layer of suede cloth or cotton, one layer of zorb and a layer of flannel in the middle, another layer of cotton, and backed with fleece.

Super

Her super listed in her store is 10in long and listed at $9. Layout: top layer is suede cloth, 2 layers of zorb a layer of cotton, and the base is a layer of cotton and backed with fleece. She is currently testing one layer of zorb and two layers of flannel to try and make them thinner.

Overnight/postpartum

The overnight pads listed in the store are 13in or 13.5in long and listed for $12. Top layer is suede cloth, inside is two layers of zorb, a layer of flannel and backed with fleece. This pad fans out in the back for added protection at night.

Wrappers and packaging

Wet bag by 529 Baby

One way to carry your pads when out and about is in a wet bag in your purse. Most wet bags have a dry and wet area to store clean and used pads. You can look at a review I did on 529 Baby.

A wrapper under and next to an always infinity(same size) with a 9.5in sued cloth pad on top of the other.

Another option is to get pad wrappers by Harmony Hill Cloth, so if you are like me and do not carry a purse you can just stick a couple in your pocket when you are out and about. This is what I decided to go with.

A couple of the wrappers I ordered $1.50 each

The specs on Harmony Hill Cloth

Hi! I am Caryn Evirs of Harmony Hill Cloth. Proud mother of 5 biological children and in the process of adopting (prayers welcome) a baby from DCF. We began our journey to living a 'cleaner' life when one of my sons was diagnosed with Autism and we were looking for ways to help him naturally through diet and supplements. (Since then my husband was also diagnosed with Aspergers). We have been specialized foster parents of children with special needs and babies born drug addicted, which is how I ventured into the cloth diaper world, and thus became my gateway to all things cloth! I am also a labor and delivery nurse since 1997 and like to open up the conversation with new moms who seem open to the idea of cloth! Two years ago, I bought myself a sewing machine for my birthday and found a new love and pastime! I started making cloth wipes, napkins, unpapertowels, pads, wet bags, and pad wrappers for my family and friends, but recently started a Facebook page (named after our house) Harmony Hill Cloth to offer custom items for others. My computer skills are lacking, but I'd like to think I make up for it with my sewing and communication!

Family Cloth

Ask for price depends on sizes/materials since they are custom.

3 7" light minky topped liners

7", 9", 9" sealif 

7" light Christmas sweater, 9" heavy minky dots

9" and 11"

Pads and Liners:

Price list: SHIPPING $2 (add .25 each pad) 6-7" $4
8" $5
9" $6
10" $7 (take $1 off for light)
11" $8 (take $1 off for light)
12" $9 (take $1 off for light)

Cloth Napkins

Ask for price depends on sizes/materials since they are custom.

Wipes are .85 and
Pad wrappers 1.50
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