How to Wear Your Cloth Pads

Each year, I make it a point to attend a lot of vendor events around central Ontario to expose the idea of reusable cloth pads to women as much as possible. I love these events! I can learn about what women are struggling with and what their concerns are. After all, every woman's period is uniquely her own. I love trying to help solve women's problems and make their lives just a little bit easier.

During those events, I can also show women how to use their new pads, and what tips and tricks I've learned over the years. BUT, it occurred to me, that for the many places I can't get to, I kind of assume that women will "get" how to use these pads when they arrive in the mail. I mean, really, it's not rocket science, but maybe a little visual help for those of you far away will help.

So here are a few images of how to wear reusable cloth pads. (I'm using the heavy/overnight pad as an example in these image.)

FIRST: Which end is up?

You'll see in this image that I quilt down my core materials to the top layer of flannel. This is indicated by one or two rows of stitching that should be easily seen. THIS IS THE TOP - as in, you wear the stitching against you. The backside of the pad will not have any stitching on the body of the pad; only the stitching around the edges is evident on the back.

SECOND: How to put your pads into your underwear.

I find this is easiest done while sitting on the toilet, with my underwear around my knees. However, for obvious reasons, I'm showing this just on a table top. ;-)

Place the pad over the crotch of your underwear. Depending on your individual needs, some women are perfectly fine to leave the pad centered over the crotch, while some women find they are "front bleeders" or "back bleeders" and will need to adjust their pad to get the coverage they need.

THREE: Securing the pad

Simply reach under the crotch of your underwear with the pad "wings" and snap closed. Again, adjustment once snapped will be needed to place the pad where you need it. Please note: there WILL BE some bunching of your underwear. Pads are made for the average 2.5"/ 3" crotch of underwear. If you need more width in your pads because these just don't work for your underwear, please contact me to discuss making custom pads with a wider gusset.

FOUR: Voila!

Your underwear should be as snug as possible so that the pad - which, let's face it, IS heavier than a disposable plastic pad - doesn't go flopping about when you're wearing it. You want your underwear to keep your pad in place, so get rid of your old, falling apart "period underwear" and find some that might even be a slight bit tight to help you in this regard. As you'll see in the image, the wings of the pad offer good "over flow" protection which has saved my own bacon from leaks more than once! :-D And because they are just cotton (I always use cotton flannel as my top material) there won't be any chaffing on your legs, even on the hottest day. BONUS! :-D

And there you have it! How to wear your reusable cloth pads in four easy steps! ENJOY!!