How to Make Quick and Easy Washable Nursing Pads from Items you Already Have

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If you nurse for very long you are going to be shocked at the money you end up spending on disposable nursing pads. Fortunately, with little sewing skill and items you most likely have around the house, you can make your own washable nursing pads.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

6x12 inch piece of fleece
1 old t-shirt or flannel baby blanket
6x12 inch piece of drapery lining, PUL (or one pair of plastic diaper cover ups)
Scissors
Paper
Sewing machine

Step1

Fabric Choice for the layer near you: Natural fleece (not polyester) is a “wicking” fabric, which simply means it will pull liquid away from your skin toward the back of the fabric. CoolMax which is used in a lot of workout clothing also has great wicking abilities. Other fabrics with the same wicking capability include baby acrylics and soft wool blends with a higher percentage of synthetics added.

Step2

Fabric Choice for the center layer: You can use an old t-shirt or flannel blanket for the center pieces of your nursing pad; for absorbency.

Step3

Fabric Choice for outside of nursing pad: The main job of this layer is to prevent leaking. If you have PUL; a fabric used to make diaper covers it is wonderful for this job. You can also use darkening drapery lining or cut up a set of plastic diaper cover ups. As long as you wash your pads in cold water and let drip dry the plastic will hold for an amazingly long time.

Step4

Cut out a 5-inch circle from paper to use as a pattern. Cut out 2 pieces of fleece, 2 pieces of plastic/PUL/Drapery lining, and 4-8 pieces of flannel or t-shirt (depending on the thickness).

Step5

Lay fleece side down (right side of fleece down), cover with half of the t-shirt or flannel pieces, and then top with plastic sheeting/PUL/drapery lining. Serge around outside edge. You can also zig-zag around the outside of the circle twice if you do not have a serger.

Tips & Warnings

If you are not sure which side of your fleece is the correct side you can cut two small pieces and lay them down on a piece of paper. Then drop a few drops of water onto each piece (each with a different side up). Let set a few minutes and then pick up and see which one has drawn more water toward the back.
Check out more patterns, including a contoured nursing pad pattern, at http://www.makethemyourself.com.

Comments

CrunchyMama said

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on 4/23/2008 Putting a plastic back on a nursing pad can prevent air-flow, creating a perfect breeding ground for bacteria and/or yeast, which can cause breast infections or thrush. Most moms would be better off using a breathable waterproof layer like PUL. If you do use a plasticised backing, be sure to change your pads OFTEN.