Soft Touch Cotton/Natural Silk Washable Breast Pads

I think I must have slight Earth Mama/hippy tendencies ! I love babywearing (that's using a baby-carrier, in case you were wondering !), breastfeeding, I even considered using washable nappies but couldn't go that far in the end - sorry, convenience counts too !

One easy change you CAN make to take a step further on the zero waste path however is swapping from disposable breastpads to washable ones. For those of you who have never breastfed, you need little absorbent pads in your bra to mop up leaky boobs and stop you looking like you're entering a wet T-shirt contest ! Every single time you give baby a feed, the side that he/she is not feeding from leaks milk, so you can imagine how many breast pads you get through, especially if you breastfeed for the recommended 6 months or longer. According to the Carriwell website : " On average, women will use approximately 3000 disposable breast pads. " Wow, that's a lot of landfill - and a lot of money too.

Another thing I never used to like about using disposable breast pads is that some of them contain an absorbent jelly to mop up the milk. On several occasions in the past, the film split and leaked this jelly-stuff everywhere, which is something you don't always notice if it's a night-feed with very little light. The manufacturers claim it is perfectly safe even if baby does ingest a small amount but even so ...

So what are your choices ? Well, Carriwell offers a choice of two types of washable breast pad : cotton and silk.

According to the website, "Soft Touch Cotton Washable Breast Pads have high absorbency, a breathable leak proof layer and natural unbleached fabric. Natural Silk Washable Breast Pads are the ultimate breast pads for the treatment or prevention of cracked nipples. The natural anti-inflammatory properties in silk, sooth cool and heal sensitive and sore nipples."

I've tested both this week and I couldn't honestly tell much difference between them, but I'm not suffering from sore nipples so that may be why ! I washed both lots and they both survived the washing machine and tumble drier and came out in perfect condition.

Price-wise, you can buy a pack of 6 cotton pads for £6.49 or 6 silk-pads for £9.99. When you compare that to the average £5 for a box of 50-or-so top brand disposable breast pads, you'll quickly be saving money - and helping out the planet at the same time.


star rating : 5/5