Prefolds- cotton, bamboo, or hemp?

[JenX]

So, we've been using prefolds and covers since my little girl first came home from the hospital- first in the newborn size, then smalls- which she is still wearing now. I anticipate that in a couple of months we will be moving up to the medium size so I want to start building my stash.

I've been using Green Mountain Diapers Cloth-eez cotton prefolds and they are working well. Should I just stick with them or are bamboo or hemp much better? I had some Bummis organic cotton ones in the newborn stage and they didn't even come close to the Green Mountain ones. Sold them off immediately. Have been eyeing the Imagine bamboo prefolds at Nicki's diapers online, but still not sure. Any thoughts? Specific brands you love?

 

[Rachel_C]

I've only tried a few different brands of cotton prefolds, plus one bamboo and one hemp. I don't find a huge difference between bamboo and cotton really. The bamboo seems a bit more absorbent so might be a better option for nights if cotton ones are nearly enough but not quite, but cotton is so much more hard wearing than cotton that I think it's a better option for every day use - you can soak it, boil it, iron it, use tough detergents, whatever really, whereas bamboo is much more delicate.

My absolute favourite prefold is our Thirsties hemp jersey one. I've found it much more absorbent than the cotton and bamboo we've tried, plus it feels nicer as it's like a t-shirt material (I wouldn't use normal hemp as that can go like cardboard if you air dry it, but hemp jersey is lovely. I'm not sure you can even get normal hemp prefolds). It is also trimmer than other fabrics while still giving you more absorbency. It does feel pretty heavy but still slim, which is great. It can take a while to dry but the Thirsties design allows more air into the middle of the fabric so it's not too bad. If I had only prefolds, I'd use our cotton around the house, bamboo for going out/in the car and hemp jersey for night times (we'd still need to boost it for nights, but less than we would boost cotton). If I had the money, I'd go with all hemp for all the time!

 

[JenX]

Goodness- those hemp prefolds are quite expensive! Perhaps I'll just stay with cotton since I already know they work well for us and are much more affordable.

 

[Blah11]

I much prefer bamboo. I find hemp although slightly more absorbant goes stiff as a board.

 

[JenX]

I was recently in search of something more absorbent for night as LO has grown out of her previous night diapers and came back to this thread because I remembered you talking about the hemp jersey prefolds, Rachel. We had been suffering from leaks with cotton and bamboo, even when boosted a ton, because the diapers were just so bulky when we had boosted enough that it caused fit issues and more leaks.

I ordered some hemp jersey prefolds and some hemp jersey inserts (both Thirsties brand) and they are working beautifully. Not bulky but very absorbent, super soft, wash and dry very nicely. Thanks again for that great information!

 

[Rachel_C]

I'm glad they work for you, I just love them!

 

[MommyJogger]

I love Thirsties hemp prefolds, too. My absolute favorite item to do with cloth diapering. I do end up drying mine for a few minutes right out of the washer and then hanging them up so they don't go quite as stiff as if I hung only or hung/fluffed in the dryer. Maybe worth a shot if you're having stiffness problems too?
I haven't found all that much difference between Thirsties hemp (a 55% hemp blend) and regular 55% hemp jersey you can buy by the yard. There's a lot more breaking in and prepping involved and the sizing is tricky (because they're much easier to sew/manipulate if you don't do anything to them before cutting and sewing), but if you can wait for a wholesaler to put their hemp jersey on sale, it's really easy to sew your own hemp prefolds (and add another layer or two of hemp for nighttime prefolds) for about $0.80-$1.40 USD each. Which is much less tear-inducing than $8-9 per prefold, lol. Just a thought if you're ever looking for a project to take on.

 

[JenX]

Thanks for the info. I haven't been able to sew anything since my LO was born. She's too demanding. Fortunately I only needed a few of these prefolds since I'm just using them for night. And I use the dryer so no stiffness issues- win!

 

[66sunshine]

I'm new here but I thought I'd jump in. I was using cotton prefolds for my DS from around 6 months to 2 years but as he got older it seemed he was soaking through cotton much quicker.

We switched to bamboo and its done the trick. Sometimes when were out or really busy he can go 5 hours with no leaks.

This is with diaper rite brand prefolds. I absolutely love them. They feel really well made, after 1 1/2 years don't look at all worn out, and are so much cheaper then many other prefolds. From what I see it seems like they are very comparable to GMDs.

 

[Yipee]

I love Thirsties hemp prefolds, too. My absolute favorite item to do with cloth diapering. I do end up drying mine for a few minutes right out of the washer and then hanging them up so they don't go quite as stiff as if I hung only or hung/fluffed in the dryer. Maybe worth a shot if you're having stiffness problems too?
I haven't found all that much difference between Thirsties hemp (a 55% hemp blend) and regular 55% hemp jersey you can buy by the yard. There's a lot more breaking in and prepping involved and the sizing is tricky (because they're much easier to sew/manipulate if you don't do anything to them before cutting and sewing), but if you can wait for a wholesaler to put their hemp jersey on sale, it's really easy to sew your own hemp prefolds (and add another layer or two of hemp for nighttime prefolds) for about $0.80-$1.40 USD each. Which is much less tear-inducing than $8-9 per prefold, lol. Just a thought if you're ever looking for a project to take on.

I'm just learning to sew, and I would love to try this. Can you recommend a wholesaler where I can get good, soft fabric? I'm sure there are different levels of quality and softness, and since I line-dry everything (no choice about that) it really has to be something that won't turn to cardboard on the line.

I found a few tutorials online too on how to make hemp prefolds, but is there one that you used and recommend? I'm also considering just making a flat and trying that, though I've never used flats before, but I've heard they are trimmer than prefolds. I want to figure out something really trim for under "normal" clothes, when we go out, and also maybe something for nighttime.

 

[MommyJogger]

I love Thirsties hemp prefolds, too. My absolute favorite item to do with cloth diapering. I do end up drying mine for a few minutes right out of the washer and then hanging them up so they don't go quite as stiff as if I hung only or hung/fluffed in the dryer. Maybe worth a shot if you're having stiffness problems too?
I haven't found all that much difference between Thirsties hemp (a 55% hemp blend) and regular 55% hemp jersey you can buy by the yard. There's a lot more breaking in and prepping involved and the sizing is tricky (because they're much easier to sew/manipulate if you don't do anything to them before cutting and sewing), but if you can wait for a wholesaler to put their hemp jersey on sale, it's really easy to sew your own hemp prefolds (and add another layer or two of hemp for nighttime prefolds) for about $0.80-$1.40 USD each. Which is much less tear-inducing than $8-9 per prefold, lol. Just a thought if you're ever looking for a project to take on.

I'm just learning to sew, and I would love to try this. Can you recommend a wholesaler where I can get good, soft fabric? I'm sure there are different levels of quality and softness, and since I line-dry everything (no choice about that) it really has to be something that won't turn to cardboard on the line.

I found a few tutorials online too on how to make hemp prefolds, but is there one that you used and recommend? I'm also considering just making a flat and trying that, though I've never used flats before, but I've heard they are trimmer than prefolds. I want to figure out something really trim for under "normal" clothes, when we go out, and also maybe something for nighttime.

The fabrics themselves will not arrive to you soft, pretty much no matter where you buy from and they're mostly all the same as long as you're getting the same 55/45 jersey knit (though there are a lot of interesting hemp/cotton/bamboo blends in different ratios). You really have to beat the crap out of them and wash them a lot to get them soft. I do them all to size (with excess for shrinkage) and then keep them in my wash rotation (every wash rotation-- diapers and normal clothes/towels) for a long time. If you're on the west coast, Hemp Traders will wholesale locally to save on shipping and also sell cheap scraps they let you root through. I'm on the east coast and it's not quite as good as Organic Culture and Hempsteads, but they all tend to rotate who has the cheapest at any point in time and sometimes I'll find a different random wholesaler online that I'll order from because they'll offer me free shipping and a "small business" discount when I call for a quote on my specific quantity.
I didn't use a tutorial. I just looked at the prefolds I already had and winged it. Making prefolds and inserts is pretty forgiving, so even if you mess up, it's hard to mess up badly enough that they're not still useful, lol. I don't have a serger/overlock, and I will say I didn't figure out a working zigzag for the edge finishing, so I end up folding the top piece over the rest of the layers and finishing my edges by stitching through that.
If you're wanting something trim, I'd make hemp or bamboo inserts and then just make a few prefolds for nighttime because hemp prefolds (bought or made) are prob going to be too bulky to look "nice" under clothes. We mostly line dry, too, and they generally lose their line stiffness after they're really broken in, but they'll definitely be cardboard at first regardless. It's just a characteristic of the hemp. Bamboo isn't as bad breaking-in wise. You might consider buying a bamboo fabric instead if you don't have time to wait and work the stiffness out.