For Women's Eyes Only

If I have any male readers (at this point, I am not even sure I have any female readers!) then I apologize in advance, but this posting is targeted at a female audience.

On a personal feminine note, after I began cloth-diapering, I also began noticing how much waste I was producing myself as a woman.  Diapering is not the only way to go cloth.  Breast-feeding moms probably already know that in addition to all of the disposable breast pads, several companies also offer "reusable" breast pads, although they can be harder to find.  Some of these are not nice quality at all, but I really like the Avent-brand reusable pads (I have never used FuzziBunz pads, although I know they make them).  They are soft, absorbent, easily washed and dried, and like cloth diapers, you'll need to change them a bit more often and they are expensive up front but cheaper in the long run.  You can find them at Babies R Us, and I highly recommend them.

All women, whether or not we are moms, use a product very similar to disposable diapers on a regular basis.  Pads and tampons clog our toilets and fill up our landfills at an alarming rate.  So why isn't anyone talking about it?  Probably because the discussion is at best taboo and at worst disgusting to people.  But there actually are green options available to women who don't want to clutter up the landfill (with diapers or pads)!  For women who prefer tampons, I recommend something called the Diva Cup.  I have personally never used one (I don't like tampons, either), so I spoke to a couple of my green friends.  They love them!  It is a one-time expense, without worrying about clogging the toilet, filling the landfill, or overnight leaks.  Easy to use and comfortable to wear, I am assured, although one friend added the caveat that it is probably a better product for women who have had sexual experience, as that will make it easier to insert and remove.

For women who prefer the pads-route (such as myself), there are cloth pads not dissimilar to cloth diapers.  There are actually many brands available, so I won't name them all, but I personally prefer FuzziBunz and Happy Heiny's (another brand known for their diapers) over brands such as Glad Rags and Sckoon Organic.  They are comfortable, very absorbent, easy to use without bunching, and have all of the other qualities of a good cloth diaper.  I keep a small covered trash can next to the toilet and put the pads in there when I change them.  Then I throw them in with my kids' cloth diapers, washed with the same detergent on the same cycle in the same temperatures.  They can be dried in a dryer or on a line.  I don't have much trouble with staining, and I have actually had less leaking than when I used plastic pads (I suspect because I change these more often).  So easy, and so much better for the planet!