A few months ago I did a post on mama cloth and Diva Cups. I had just purchased the cup and a couple of the pads and made some pads.
Well, I wanted to give more thorough info after using them for a few months.
Diva Cup
A Diva Cup is a silicone "cup" that is used as a tampon alternative. Instead of absorbing fluids, it catches them. This eliminates the toxic shock syndrome risk. It is used each month, washed and stored for the next month.
I absolutely LOVE this! If inserted correctly it does not leak (only had one time that I didn't put it in right and knew pretty quickly that it wasn't right). You can leave it in for up to 12 hours, but I've found that the first day or two of my cycle I need to empty it because it was full. After that, I only bother with it once in the morning and once before bed.
One of my favorite features is that I can pee without it being affected. One of the things I hated about tampons was that I couldn't go pee without having to change it, which meant that I either tried to "schedule" going or would waste a tampon by going when it wasn't full. Swimming doesn't affect it either.
I love that I only have to empty it a couple of times a day, which makes bathroom trips much quicker. And I love that I'm not buying supplies every month or that I'm not running out. And, it's WAY more comfortable than a tampon. I can't even feel the cup and sometimes I forget all about it.
Emptying the cup
Yes, it can be a bit messy. There are a few ways in which to pull the cup out, but I prefer the squat. After it's out, I dump it in the toilet and then wash it out in the sink (just a rinse) then reinsert it and wash my hands. In the mornings I take it out in the shower because it's so easy to empty, rinse and reinsert. When my cycle is over I wash it in some mild soap (you can buy special soap for it if you want) and let it air dry, then store it in it's little bag till next time.
Mama Cloth
I have 3 store bought cloth and 5 homemade cloth. My favorite is actually my homemade ones. For me since I use the diva cup I don't really need much more than liners as backup or for the end of my cycle when the flow is really light.
The store bought ones are thicker, like a regular pad and have wings with snaps. I'm not a big fan of the thicker feel (either in disposable or cloth) but these are so comfy compared to the disposable. The snap is nice but I noticed that they tend to slide up and down my panties. So really for me these aren't getting used very much. (although I hope to use them postpartum in the future)
I found some tutorials online for making your own cloth. But I ended up just using some disposable thong liners that I used/liked and made a template with it. Mine do not look beautiful or even symmetrical but since I'm the only one looking at them I'm ok with that. Because I made mine I didn't have the tools to install a snap. My local cloth diaper shop (where I bought the other cloth) will install a button for $.50 and I intended on getting them, but after forgetting to take them up there I realized that I prefer using my safety pin.
It sounds very homemade to use a safety pin to hold it but I really like it best. Since the cloths don't have adhesive on the back like disposables they want to slide. But with a safety pin I can pin each wing together and grab my panties to keep it from moving. So far I've had no issue with the pin opening.
Washing
After my cycle is over I just run a mini load in my washer with my homemade detergent to wash the cloth, then either throw them in the dryer, hang them on the line, or let them air dry. They can be washed with diapers too (we're done with that now), and you might be able to wash them with your towels but I haven't done that so do it at your own risk.
I did buy a wet bag to store all my supplies in. There is a dry pocket that everything is stored in and then a wet pocket that I put used cloth in until I am done and wash them. You can make them as well using shower curtain liner (I haven't done this just heard about it). Or go super simple and use a washable bag, plastic bag, some kind of container or whatever you have.
So that's my experience with a much more natural option to feminine products. They are "greener" (no trash), cheaper (especially if you make or have a friend make your cloth) and way more comfy!
I'd love to hear if anyone has had an experience with any of these items and what you thought. Or are you interested but aren't ready to take the plunge? If you want more info on making some of your own, or anything else about this leave me a comment and I'll get back to you.
Comments make me Happy!
Well, I wanted to give more thorough info after using them for a few months.
Diva Cup
A Diva Cup is a silicone "cup" that is used as a tampon alternative. Instead of absorbing fluids, it catches them. This eliminates the toxic shock syndrome risk. It is used each month, washed and stored for the next month.
I absolutely LOVE this! If inserted correctly it does not leak (only had one time that I didn't put it in right and knew pretty quickly that it wasn't right). You can leave it in for up to 12 hours, but I've found that the first day or two of my cycle I need to empty it because it was full. After that, I only bother with it once in the morning and once before bed.
One of my favorite features is that I can pee without it being affected. One of the things I hated about tampons was that I couldn't go pee without having to change it, which meant that I either tried to "schedule" going or would waste a tampon by going when it wasn't full. Swimming doesn't affect it either.
I love that I only have to empty it a couple of times a day, which makes bathroom trips much quicker. And I love that I'm not buying supplies every month or that I'm not running out. And, it's WAY more comfortable than a tampon. I can't even feel the cup and sometimes I forget all about it.
Emptying the cup
Yes, it can be a bit messy. There are a few ways in which to pull the cup out, but I prefer the squat. After it's out, I dump it in the toilet and then wash it out in the sink (just a rinse) then reinsert it and wash my hands. In the mornings I take it out in the shower because it's so easy to empty, rinse and reinsert. When my cycle is over I wash it in some mild soap (you can buy special soap for it if you want) and let it air dry, then store it in it's little bag till next time.
Mama Cloth
I have 3 store bought cloth and 5 homemade cloth. My favorite is actually my homemade ones. For me since I use the diva cup I don't really need much more than liners as backup or for the end of my cycle when the flow is really light.
The store bought ones are thicker, like a regular pad and have wings with snaps. I'm not a big fan of the thicker feel (either in disposable or cloth) but these are so comfy compared to the disposable. The snap is nice but I noticed that they tend to slide up and down my panties. So really for me these aren't getting used very much. (although I hope to use them postpartum in the future)
I found some tutorials online for making your own cloth. But I ended up just using some disposable thong liners that I used/liked and made a template with it. Mine do not look beautiful or even symmetrical but since I'm the only one looking at them I'm ok with that. Because I made mine I didn't have the tools to install a snap. My local cloth diaper shop (where I bought the other cloth) will install a button for $.50 and I intended on getting them, but after forgetting to take them up there I realized that I prefer using my safety pin.
It sounds very homemade to use a safety pin to hold it but I really like it best. Since the cloths don't have adhesive on the back like disposables they want to slide. But with a safety pin I can pin each wing together and grab my panties to keep it from moving. So far I've had no issue with the pin opening.
Washing
After my cycle is over I just run a mini load in my washer with my homemade detergent to wash the cloth, then either throw them in the dryer, hang them on the line, or let them air dry. They can be washed with diapers too (we're done with that now), and you might be able to wash them with your towels but I haven't done that so do it at your own risk.
I did buy a wet bag to store all my supplies in. There is a dry pocket that everything is stored in and then a wet pocket that I put used cloth in until I am done and wash them. You can make them as well using shower curtain liner (I haven't done this just heard about it). Or go super simple and use a washable bag, plastic bag, some kind of container or whatever you have.
So that's my experience with a much more natural option to feminine products. They are "greener" (no trash), cheaper (especially if you make or have a friend make your cloth) and way more comfy!
I'd love to hear if anyone has had an experience with any of these items and what you thought. Or are you interested but aren't ready to take the plunge? If you want more info on making some of your own, or anything else about this leave me a comment and I'll get back to you.
Comments make me Happy!
I just cringed at the thought of the pin opening. Ouch. ;(
ReplyDeleteI LOVE my moon cup. I wish I had known about it sooner because I never thought that having my period could actually be done in comfort.
As for mama cloth, I have a few panty liners that I like the thickness of. But. They slide liked you were talking about and I really don't like how they pinch my underwear when I snap them - makes a bit of a wad which I can't stand. Do your store bought ones do that?
Wanna sell me some mama cloth?