I'm thinking of switching to Cloth Menstrual Pads...how many will I need and what brands are the best?

I'm surprised you haven't gotten a 'Don't, that's gross comment!'

How many you will need depends on how often you wash- I'm going to link to the ebay store I purchased mine from as they have a guide as to how many you'll need. It's a legitimate business- they actually have a non ebay website, but it's written in Korean so I couldn't buy direct from the company that makes them! They do have American and Australian on sellers though.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/A-type-Pure-cotton-Cloth-Me...

These are very comfortable and are actually thinner than quite a few brands of disposables! I wash daily because the pack I purchased only has one overnight pad- I through them in with my cloth nappies to wash them, if you want to go a couple of days between washes I suggest you get a pack with two overnight pads.

I use cloth pads. I think that how many you need depends on two things: how often you wash and how heavy your flow is. I have a really heavy flow that lasts about 36-48 hours and then after that I just spot. So I need heavy to moderate coverage for two days and then I just need light coverage (like a mini-pad). Since my son is in cloth diapers , we do laundry often and currently only own seven pads, four Glad Rags and three made by a local WAHM. I am working on acquiring a few at a time, as they can be costly.

I have been using Glad Rags since I was 22 years old (so almost 9 years now!) and I love them. If you take care of them they will last a long time, the only reason I had to replace mine is because my disgusting chihuahua stole them from the bathroom and chewed holes in them.

I know that there are other people/companies who make cloth pads, but I can't really rate them since I have never used them. I know the ones I bought locally only last for one hour on my heavy days, which is why I am willing to shell out the money for Glad Rags (which I can wear for 4-6 hours on a heavy day if I use both inserts).

HTH!

I make my own, but there are a million WAHM kinds out there to choose from. I would check out ETSY.com and support crafty mamas if you can't sew your own.

That being said, I do have some Luna pads that I have had for over a decade and they are still in great shape.