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Should you buy reusable or disposable nursing pads?
When it comes to baby and breastfeeding supplies it is easy to get overwhelmed with information.
I am going to keep this quite concise today and simply compare reusable and disposable nursing pads.
Let’s quickly dive into why we need nursing pads, the pros and cons of both options, and finally what I recommend!
Why Do We Need Nursing Pads?
First off nursing pads are what breastfeeding mommas place inside their bras to catch leaking milk.
They save you from constantly having a damp bra that needs changing.
When your milk comes in you can leak quite a lot.
Nursing pads are also useful in using nipple balm, butter, or cream. You can put the nipple balm on the nursing pad and then place it into your bra. This way you are not covering your bra with these oily creams.
Reusable Nursing Pads
Reusable nursing pads are often made of cotton or bamboo. Some will simply be cloth on both sides, while others will have a waterproof lining.
Some are oval, circular, heart-shaped, or even like a teardrop/diamond type shape.
When you purchase reusable nursing pads you are making an upfront investment, keeping the item, and washing and reusing them.
Some examples of how much you may pay are:
| Number of Nursing Pads | Price |
| 8 | $10 |
| 8 | $25 |
| 14 | $12 |
| 14 | $17 |
| 30 | $20 |
Prices can vary greatly depending on brand and quality.
Buying reusable nursing pads is the better environmental choice. Reusable can be used over and over for each child you have.
They can then be passed on to a new mom if they would be comfortable using second-hand nursing pads.
I am holding on to my nursing pads to use them as make-up removers.
This is an item we can keep out of landfills!
The big negative when it comes to using reusable nursing pads is the laundry.
This is one more item you have to wash and manage.
What I recommend is right after using a set, put them directly in the washer, this way you are constantly replenishing your stack of clean nursing pads.
Pro-Tip:
If you are struggling to keep track of your nursing pads through the washer and dryer, try using a mesh delicate bag.
I did experience wearing both reusable and disposable. I would say reusable ones were more comfortable physically.
The only concern I had with them was they seemed more absorbent.
This is mostly a good thing when it comes to soaking up breast milk leaks, however, I felt like the pads would absorb my nipple balm.
When I wore the reusable I needed to more frequently reapply my nipple balm.
Overall, I enjoyed using reusable nursing pads and would recommend them.
Disposable Nursing Pads
Disposable nursing pads are a single-use item.
They are a paper/plastic product.
In my experience, they are typically circular in shape.
They are typically folded in half, and you open them up.
When I slept in them at night, I would sometimes find them rolling up or folding up while I moved around.
In most cases they come with tabs on the back that you can remove, revealing a sticky pad that can then stick to your bra ideally to keep the nursing pads in place.
I did not always use the sticky part!
Sometimes I felt like it helped them better stay in place, and other times the sticky felt like it caused more problems.
Some price examples include:
| Number of Nursing Pads | Price |
| 80 | $13 |
| 120 | $10 |
| 240 | $15 |
One huge bummer with disposable nursing pads is that they are single-use products that are going to landfills. This is a huge reason to consider using reusable.
A huge pro is that you never have to add them to your laundry pile. Trash them and move on.
Pro-Tip:
Make sure to remove them from your nursing bra before placing it in the laundry! You do not want nursing pads going through your washer creating a mess.
The disposable could at times give that crinkly plastic feeling that some people would dislike.
For me, a pro to the disposable was that they did well at soaking up the liquid breastmilk, but not the nipple balm. The reusable constantly soaked up my nipple balm resulting in more frequent reapplication.
Disposables do come with some pros, but for the most part, I think the cons outweigh them.
My Recommendation!
My initial recommendation is to get a small amount of each and give them both a try!
You can order more as soon as you decide what works best for your body and lifestyle.
You don’t have to go all in on one!
I honestly think reusable are better overall, but I still appreciated having some disposable on hand.
Situations where I would use disposables would be a long day trip out of the house, a weekend trip, or simply when I got behind on laundry and realized I didn’t have any clean reusable ones available.
Speaking of which, another pro for the disposable is that they come individually wrapped in plastic. This is a negative for landfills, but a positive for keeping them sanitary before wearing them. Again, this is helpful when you are out in public.
You want clean items to touch your breast where your baby eats. We don’t want to welcome germs or infection to this sensitive area.
How Many to Purchase?
Now for the final question of, how many do you need? Typically, you are going to change them every time you nurse.
There isn’t an industry standard, but I think that is the general guideline.
Were there times I didn’t change them, yes of course. If they weren’t very wet, I was feeling lazy, or maybe at night I would forget.
In general though during the day I would get fresh ones and apply fresh nipple balm after each feeding.
Newborns can nurse roughly 8-12 times in 24 hours. Every time you nurse, assuming you have 2 breasts, you will be using 2 pads.
Therefore a pack of 20 nursing pads is getting you through 10 nursing sessions.
Now you are probably thinking you need tons!
But remember how earlier I said to constantly put them in the washer? This tip will help you stay stocked with clean ones.
I also recommend you don’t go too crazy purchasing because you really only need nursing pads for the first 3 months or so. After that point your milk regulates and you are way less likely to experience leaking.
At the end of the day, you can always order more. Don’t start with too many!
Conclusion
There you have it. My complete breakdown of reusable versus disposable nursing pads.
I hope the pros, cons, and insights I have provided brought you some clarity in your purchasing decision.
I have so much information related to breastfeeding and breastfeeding supplies. Check out the articles below as well.
And finally good luck to you on your breastfeeding journey! I wish you all the success in the world!
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