I was shopping in Boots recently for yet another box of breast pads when I remembered the advice given on here to buy some washable pads as they were far superior to the disposable ones. After a few calculations I bought a box of six pads which came with a net bag for washing the pads and figured it was worth giving them a go.

In use
The pads have an absorbent side and a nylon backed side to stop leaks going through. They are quite large and thick with no adhesive on them so they do move around a bit in my bra but I have found these slide up more whereas with the disposable pads they slid downwards more! They are a bit visible through certain tops which is a bit limiting if you are trying to look nice out and about but at least with the cold weather I normally have a coat or jumper on so you can't see them. In the summer or at a posh event this could be a problem.

My thoughts
I can't fault these for absorbency, there have been no accidents. I do wish they would stay in place though. With three pairs, you do have to do a regular wash with them although you could hand wash them if you didn't have a load to send them in with. I think the price is OK for what you are buying although they do remind me a bit of the removable padding you sometimes get in swimwear! I would not want the pads to be any smaller (some reviews have said they are too large) as I feel protected with body movement as they do fill the inside of your bra.

Washing
Slightly irritating, the net bag gets hooked on the bra fastenings (hook and eye) in the wash and has pulled the strings on the bag and I usually have to untangle the bag from the bras! Other than that the pads come out clean and fresh and I usually dry them on top of the radiator for an hour rather than risking them in the tumble dryer. After a month of washing and wearing the three pairs they are starting to look a bit bobbly round the edges and not as white as they started out.

Price
The box of 6 pads cost £5.20. If you try them and find that you get on with them it is probably worth buying two boxes so you always have a pair of clean pads to hand. I have a friend who is currently pregnant who plans to breast feed but these aren't the sort of thing you pass on really but I will recommend them to her as a better alternative to disposables!

Final word
I have had problems with breast pads through two babies now and I am glad I tried these. I don't think they are 100% fool proof but they are definitely better than the disposables and will work out cheaper than buying those to throw away in the long run. I still have a box of Boots disposables for the days when all three are in the wash although I might consider a repurchase in the near future so I have enough sets as the disposable ones really drive me mad and I can often be seen peering down my own top to see if they are in the right place!