A Little OT RE: Breast Pads

meltoine

I keep seeing poor reviews for reusable cotton breast pads, saying that they don't absorb anything. Since they're cotton, like prefolds or fitteds, do they need to be prepped before they'll work properly? Or are they really just no good?

yodasmistress

I have the "organic cotton ones from BRU.  If I knew then what Iknow now I wouldn't have bought them.  At $10 for 3 pair they weren't too pricey BUT they start out small and shrink to REALLY small.  I don't leak all that much and even I can leak through them.  They are super bulky and noticable unless you wear a very padded bra. 

You need to buy these.  Worth every penny.

papagena

Well, I personally didn't try to prep them, but the ones I used (granted, they were gerber) were terrible.  There are other options, though.  AFFF Milk Maids get rave reviews - she makes hemp and OBV nursing pads. www.hyenacart.com/econest (she stocks weekly... or is it biweekly... on Wednesdays and they go quickly!  I have mine mostly from resales).  I have local friends who have used Bosom Bliss nursing pads and liked them, and they are a bamboo/cotton mix. those you can get at www.littleneetchers.com 

I'd personally try something that is hemp/bamboo before I went with cotton.  I'd always look for something backed with PUL, too - the silly gerber ones would have leaked right through, had they absorbed enough in the first place...

kissntell

I used the Gerber ones and organic cotton ones from BRU without problems.  Maybe I didn't leak much?  Both of those really showed through my shirt, though. 

tokenhoser

I bought some off etsy that are bamboo/zorb with a waterproof layer. I can't try them yet (as I'm not leaking), but I think they'll benefit from being washed as I do think the bamboo repels at the moment.

Most mass market cotton pads seem thin, usually don't have a waterproof backing, and aren't going to absorb much.

SarahC720

I have some babykicks hemp nursing pads that work horribly for me.  I don't think I leak a lot, but this is also my first so who knows.  Anywho, I can use them during the day but the one time I wore them at night I woke up a mess.

The pair I got for free from UdderCovers actually work decent for me.

I try to use washable during the day, but have to use Johnson and Johnson disposables at night.

lexismom1008

I'm in the process of making some right now. I have scraps from fitteds that I am making. I'm using 2 layers of bamboo/hemp fleece and a layer of OBV. We will see how they turn out, but they aren't too hard to make.

julygal

I had a horrible experience with the Gerber ones.  First off they were so small they barely covered to begin with.  Then they drifted all over my bra, so it was a gamble if and when I leaked if it would be in proper position to catch/absorb.  They showed through my shirts with a huge ring.  Last they did not hold/absorb a lot on the occasions they were properly placed.  I have always resorted to the disposable pads.

I have also heard good things about the AFFF ones that a PP mentioned, but unfortunately I heard about them when I was past the point of leaking with DS.  I plan on giving them a try this go around.