I have used cloth pads for years & I absolutely love them! When I used disposable pads, I would regularly get rashes, and I just hated the plasticky feeling against my skin. For me, cloth pads are just so much more comfortable. They are soft & cozy against my skin, and also tend have much less of an odor. It does take a bit of getting used to the thickness compared to ultra thin pads, it kind of feels like wearing a diaper at first! But you do get used to it. I have yet to wear any outfit in the past 5 years that you could notice or see the pad. Washing your blood out in the sink is also an adjustment, but it's not so bad. I always wash them clean in the sink, and then run them through the washing machine at the end of my cycle.

I would recommend starting out with at least 2 days supply (day & night) if you only have time hand wash (as opposed to running them through the washing machine every few days,) as you need to allow time for them to air dry. If you have an average period, I would go with 2 daytime pads & one big overnight pad for 2 days - so 6 total. If your period is heavy, you may want more, or you may want to just use big overnight pads. I have always just bough pretty inexpensive pads from Amazon & they are just fine (just be sure to check the ratings first). I always use the big overnight ones no matter how heavy the day is, just for my peace of mind. I've never had any pads leak, but I suppose that's a possibilty if the are not well made, or if you go too long between changes. I'm personally not too keen on spending a lot of money on something I'm just bleeding on, no matter how cute it is. I bought this set of overnight/heavy pads on Amazon last year if you're curious. I liked this set in particular because they have one wider end, and they come with a wet bag to store used pads while out of the house. The wet bag isn't a necessity, a plain ziplock bag works just the same.

I am so happy I switched to cloth pads. I have spent maybe $50 on pads in the past 5 years as opposed to the $10 a month I used to spend on disposable pads. Not even because I needed more, I just like to try new kinds. They don't really 'wear out' if you take care of them. I have pads that are 5 years old & still are in perfect condition. Sorry for the novella of an answer! I hope you go for it!

If price is your biggest concern, I love these pads from Amazon - Microfleece Heavy Flow Cloth Reusable Menstrual Pads by Simfamily. I've had these for 3 years in heavy use & they are still in perfect condition. The shape offers protection exactly where I need it (front for daytime & back for night), and keeps it from moving around like my other pads that don't have one bigger side.