Happy Birthday Me (giveaway 3)

And last, but not least, one of these gorgeous Bum Cheeks Whale Appliqué nappies!

Just tell us what your favourite reason to use cloth is :D

Entries close tomorrow (July 19) midday WST

Happy Birthday Me! (Giveaway 2)

Next up we have a Snuggle Tots Pocket Nappy (bamboo inner) in Blood Orange.

To enter we'd like to know your favourite workhorse nappy :D

Entries close tomorrow (July 19) midday WST

Happy Birthday Me! (giveaway 1)

Well anyone who follows us on facebook will have realised that today is my birthday.

And to celebrate we have been marking down some fluff and giving some away too.

We do like to stay within facebook guidelines so we are running these final few giveaways from right here on the blog.

Giveaway 1

We are giving away a Zeebra wetbag from itti bitti.  To win just tell us the most creative use you can think of for a wetbag.

Entries close tomorrow (July 19) at midday WST

My Mama Cloth Journey

I am a member of several MCN groups on facebook, and while I don't spend a LOT of time in any of them, I do like to poke my head in from time to time and see how everyone is going.  And one thing I notice while poking my head in, is that there are often threads about Mama Cloth...so I thought I'd share my personal journey to becoming a Mama Cloth Enthusiast :)  Suffice it to say, if you are not up for TMI, this is not a post for you :D

When I got my first big parcel of itti bitti Snap in Ones they included a product guide.  On the back it had a list of products that were still in the design and testing phase and on this list was "Cloth Menstrual Pads."  That was the first time I ever heard of Mama Cloth.  I have to be honest here and say that my immediate thought was YUK!!! I seriously thought I would never even consider using them.

Now my youngest bub is, and always has been, a bit of a boob-a-holic and in the early days he didn't really like to be put down.  I used my papoose a LOT but I also spent a fair bit of time sitting with him on my lap and spending way too much time on facebook. And during this time I stumbled across several pages that sold Mama Cloth and talked to people who used Mama Cloth and I wondered if they might not be worth giving a try.

So I bit the bullet and bought some to try.  The first set I bought were topped with bamboo velour and backed with PUL.  I found them a little floppy and the PUL was slippery so I had trouble keeping them in place but even so I found the feel of the fabric a lot nicer than scratchy paper pads. 

I had seen this picture of Mama Cloth from Fluff E. Stuff and the look of it appealed to me...

Actually I think what appealed to me is that they looked a lot like the brand of paper pad that I had been using.  These ones are backed with cotton, with the layer of PUL hidden inside and Leah was good enough to make me up a set of gorgeous pink ones like this. I was instantly in love.  They were comfy and they didn't slip around.

Perfect!!!

At that time I still wasn't really game enough to use them on my heavy days or overnight so I just used them towards the end of my period for a few cycles but I very soon realised that it was very easy and not really very yucky at all.

The next lot of Fluff E Stuff pads I got were topped with Killington Flannel instead of Bamboo Velour and all I can say is OMG!  I didn't think it was possible to improve on the Bamboo ones but I was proven wrong.  They are just as comfy but they also have a stay dry effect that draws the moisture away from your skin.

For some time now I have been rinsing my mama cloth off with my nappy sprayer before I soak them in cold water and EVERY SINGLE month I find myself astonished!  When I go to rinse them it looks like there is not a lot on them but when rinsing it takes longer than I think it will for the water to run clear.  These little babies hold a LOT of blood (now I did warn you about TMI didn't I???)

Fluff E. Stuff is now making Little Sky Handmade pads too, as well as her own design.  This is one of the sets that I bought...

The shape is different but the structure of the pad is still pretty much the same.  They are still lined with Killington Flannel and while I think I still prefer the LOOK of the other ones I LOVE these too.  For comfort they are the same and they work just as well, only I find these ones just a tad less bulky to wear so I do find myself grabbing one of these more often than not...if there are any left in the drawer that is :D

I have heard a lot of people say that their periods have become shorter and lighter since starting to use cloth pads.  I can't say I ever particularly paid a lot of attention to comments like this...I thought they were just exaggerating BUT while my periods haven't shortened particularly, the number of heavy days I have is certainly less...after that I pretty much only have spotting so it begs the question...just what is in paper pads that makes it so?

The next step in my journey is a menstrual cup.   I grabbed one from AmbeRocks last month and gave it a try.  So far so good...in fact I have ordered another one for a backup  (yet another thing I never would have dreamed of!)

So when it comes to Mama Cloth my advice to those who are not real sure...Give it a try, even if you just buy a couple of liners, start on the tail end of your period and see how you go...that's not a lot of outlay but I can almost guarantee you will be back for more :)