Over one year ago when I was in my last trimester with baby L, I knew that I was going to be nursing, and I started looking into cloth nursing pads. I remembered with my first 2 kids that I had gone through boxes and boxes of the disposable nursing pads, and I didn’t want to have to do that again. Since I was new to cloth diapers, I thought why not try cloth nursing pads?

I came across a large array of nursing pads offered on Etsy, and ended up spending a loooong time deciding which nursing pads to try. I finally chose the nursing pads offered by Charis Baby Designs. I bought 12 pairs, and I was SO happy that I did because they were AMAZING!

Kim, the mom behind Charis Baby Designs, makes one side out of soft flannel (the side that touches your breastal friend) while the other side has a waterproof PUL layer. In the middle is super absorbent ZORB material, and she binds the edges with bias tape.

Here’s my scorecard on them:

Cuteness: 10 out of 10. Kim has SUPER cute prints – I couldn’t decide which ones I wanted and that’s why I ordered so many. If you’re already having to stuff your bra with something, it might as well be cute!

Durability: 10 out of 10. I washed these countless times, ran them through the dryer countless times, and they always stayed looking new. Other than the flannel looking slightly washed (which is normal for flannel), everything else was immaculate. I was thoroughly impressed! I was especially impressed considering I had ran them through the sanitary cycle countless times when I went through a bout of thrush with the baby (sanitary cycle = SUPER high temperatures). They stayed in excellent shape!

Performance: 10 out of 10. NEVER had a leak – not once! It had a nice large diameter that ensured everything was covered and that if something did move there wouldn’t be a leak. Also, the ZORB was key when it came to absorbency.

Discreetness: 8 out of 10. They are not paper thin (but they are also not bulky like some other nursing pads I’ve tried), so obviously it will slightly show through your nursing bra. But if you have a shirt on over that, it’s not noticeable. For me personally, this does not bother me at all, and I’d rather have a perfect score in performance and durability than anything else (that’s the whole point of nursing pads, right?).

If you’re pregnant or currently nursing and trying to decide which nursing pads to use or even if you’re thinking about a unique baby shower gift to give someone, I would highly recommend checking out Kim’s Charis Baby Designs shop. Kim is SO nice, works off her boat (seriously, how cool is that!), and will even do a custom order for you if you’d like (she did for me!). And her prices are reasonable, too!

GIVEAWAY

Thanks to Kim and her generosity, Tackling Mommyhood is giving away 2 sets of nursing pads to one reader! One set is the regular circle shape, and the other set is the new flower petal shape (both pictured above). You will get a total of 4 nursing pads (2 sets of 2). To enter, simply leave a comment below with your due date (if you are pregnant) OR when your baby was born (if you’ve already had your baby) OR who you would gift these to if you won them (ie: your best friend at her upcoming baby shower). One winner will be randomly chosen. Open to US residents only. Contest starts today and lasts until Monday, the 25th at midnight Central Time. Good luck!