Switching to cloth pads does NOT require jumping in with both feet! Some people want to give them a try at night only for a break, or just when they are at home because they are nervous. Every cloth pad you own will save you over $30.
I'm Crystal, the owner of Tree Hugger Cloth Pads, and let me tell you my story. Back in 2008 I first heard of reusable pads and I can not stress enough how glad I am that I was open to trying them. I was always itchy and sore by day 2 of my period and was willing to try anything!
I bought my first 3 cloth pads from Amazon* (I know, I know). They were HORRIBLE as far as cloth pads go but from that moment I knew they would be life-changing for me. Were 3 pads enough? No! Did that stop me? No! I washed and reused those 3 pads every single day. I needed more than 3 pads in a day so I would hand wash them to get them ready faster however supplementing with disposable pads IS OKAY TOO! I thought when I first bought them that I would try them for nighttime only to give my skin a break. I loved them too much and ended up a full-time user.
It also felt amazing from that very first month that every time I changed my pad it wasn't costing me more money. Three cloth pads can quickly pay for themselves in savings. I know many people will say "3 pads aren't enough" but when it comes to reusable pads the more you have the more convenient it is. The more you have the less often you have to wash them...but is it doable? Yes!
All this comes down to my best advice for someone wanting to just try cloth pads for themselves. Start with 3! Ideally, a fabric sampler set. These 3 will give you a good idea if cloth pads are right for you, which fabrics you like best, and will likely give you an idea of how many more you will want one day. Don't be intimidated thinking you need 20 pads and a wet bag and a this and a that....start with 3.
*They were made overseas from some cheap flannel that pilled and looked a hundred years old after one wash, they had some kind of crinkly waterproof fabric that made them slippery and noisy, and they were too wide so they would slip through the leg holes to be upside down. Geez, they were bad but they taught me a lot!
