Reusable vs Disposable

One thing that really gets my goat is the amount of ‘disposable’ items there are available, and how in most instances the disposable item, while being more popular is usually more expensive and less efficient. This has become even clearer in our preparations for the new baby with so many books, people, and other resources suggesting you equip yourself with a vast list of disposable objects (nappies, wipes, breast pads, nappy bags, cotton wool, maternity pads, and disposable bloody knickers!)

Quite often when I’ve talked to people about this I find that they reel off a list of reasons why disposable is excusable – it’s cheaper, less time consuming, easier, more convenient – and it can be really difficult not to get frustrated about all of these untruths. In fact a number of people I‘ve spoken to have talked about reusable items such as nappies etc being a nice idea, but simply not practical, as if disposables have always been around! It's hard also not to feel as though this is an opinion we have aquired rather than come up with ourselves based on experience. Someone - be it your parents, a neighbour, the Guardian - tells you that something is impractical, and you accept it.

Although we are still waiting for our baby, so this may sound a little naive, I absolutely refuse to believe (because it is definitely not true) that in order to reproduce, keep clean, have a period, that you need to be creating bags and bags of waste, because it has not always been this way. I also refuse to believe that it is really any more difficult to do a little more laundry than it is to have to dispose of things in the bin (which by the way once they leave your care do not dissolve in the rain, they go to landfill, where they stay, forever.)

It goes without saying that we have equipped ourselves with reusable everything – breast pads, wipes, nappies, wet bags and maternity pads, and have bought some eco friendly nappy soak (sold by Bio D). Out of these the only thing that I haven’t been able to find second-hand so far (though given time I no doubt would have) is sanitary/maternity pads, so these I have made with second-hand fabrics. This is incredibly cheap and easy to do either by hand or with a machine for anyone with even the most basic sewing skills, and means that you can produce an item that instead of lasting a number of hours will last you years. 

I already owned a few which I bought new a year or two ago (the brand cheeky mama if anyone is interested), however when I came to buy more I decided they were absurdly expensive & how could I have paid that in the first place?! Because I had these however I modelled the first towels I made on them, using just a couple of layers of fleece, lining the inside with absorbent towelling, and adding a popper closure. 

 Cheeky Mama

Cheapie Mama

Then last week I went to a workshop at the Environment Centre where we were shown how to make our own sanitary towels (in my case maternity pads) in a different way, so this is what I will share here. 

You will need:
Cotton material. I use secondhand - bedsheets are great as they are massive & you can always get them in charity shops
Fleece or brushed cotton for the absorbent layer. In the workshop we used old brushed cotton pajamas. At home I've used a ropy old fleece throw
Either poppers or buttons & elastic (always check charity shops for sewing supplies too, I got a whole load of elastic recently for 10p per 5m)

Decide on the size & shape of your towels. It'll be easiest if you make a template from cardboard that you can reuse. When  you have this, cut two of these from your cotton for the outer-layers.

Depending on the thickness/absorbency you need, cut 3-6 layers of fleece or brushed cotton for the inside. When you have done this, layer up your towel & pin with the two layers of cotton on the outside, facing out.

 

You can either pin the elastic in a loop inbetween the layers now, so that when you sew your layers together it is fixed then, or you can add it on after. It looks a little smarter to do it now, but I'm not sure if it's the best idea as when the elastic starts to go it will be more difficult to replace this way. 

When  you're all layered together, just sew around the edge of the towel to fix it all together, then sew a big S (or shape of your choice) down the length of the towel to make sure that the insides all stay where they belong & don't get crumpled up. You can either finish with a blanket stitch or just leave as it is. I think either is fine. Lastly, fix on either your button & elastic or poppers. Again, while poppers look a bit smarter I think buttons & elastic might be better as easier to replace/repair, and in my experience I have found poppers a bit hard on fabric & can cause tears eventually. Up to you!

When you use your towels, just rinse in cold water if you can, then stick in the wash with the rest of your laundry. 

Happy menstruating!