How to Use Cloth Diapers to Make Nursing Pads

Using cloth diapers to make nursing pads is so easy that a new mother or father without sewing skills can easily create a dozen homemade nursing pads in under 30 minutes. The World Health Organization promotes breastfeeding a baby exclusively for the first six months of life and then continued breastfeeding for two years with complimentary foods, because the health benefits to the mother and the children are unparalleled by formula feeding. Multiple other authorities, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, recommend that infants are breastfed for at least 12 months. Nursing pads are one necessary item when nursing an infant, and the cost of disposable pads adds up quickly, so making reusable breast pads is a cost-effective venture.

Instructions

1

Lay a disposable nursing pad on a flat, clean cloth diaper, close to one corner. The disposable nursing pad serves as a homemade nursing pad pattern.

2

Trace the disposable nursing pad shape onto the cloth diaper using a marker or pencil. Repeat this action on the entire cloth diaper. This will result in about one dozen nursing pad outlines.

3

Cut the homemade nursing pads out of the cloth diaper.

4

Sew around the perimeter -- 1/8 or 1/4 inch away from the edge -- of each nursing pad with a sewing machine to finish it. Alternatively, use a serger to quickly and conveniently serge each nursing pad edge to finish them. You can hand stitch the edges if necessary, but this method will take more time.