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I was inspired to write this post because there are barely any diaper comparisons out there…involving only prefolds.  I see people write comparing new ‘models’ to old, name brand v. china cheapie knockoff, but I’ve never come across any prefold comparisons.  I’ll be honest and say that I am typically a minimalist with diapering (at the end of the day, diapers are really just pee and poop catchers), and really thought that all prefolds were pretty much the same.  I’m happy to say that I’ve been proved wrong.

Thanks Mama was kind enough to send me a selection of 5 different prefolds to try, all of which are available to order here.  All of these prefolds styles/brands (I’ve used a different OsoCozy prefold…and liked it) were new to me, so it was a fun experience!  I should add that I do have experience using several other prefold brands, including Bummis, Econobum, Green Mountain, and Geffen Baby.

This is an absolutely unscientific comparison.  I will be rating prefolds based upon the following criteria:

• the diaper’s ability to absorb and distribute moisture
• the material (soft, stiff, stretchy, breathability, etc.)
• fit

I’m going to start with my least favorite prefold of those that I tested: The OsoCozy Stay Dry Better Fit:

I disliked this diaper before I even had the chance to try it out.  After prepping, washing, and drying, the OsoCozy Stay Dry Better Fit pilled…and left pills all over a brand new fleece cover I had thrown in with my prefold wash.  Not a happy camper, especially since the pills were white and the fleece cover primarily brown.  If you look at the center photo above, you can see the pilling that occurred after washing.  While I’m sure that this prefold would perform better when trifolded, I have to give this one an ‘F’:

• Absorbency?  What absorbency?  This is one of the few diapers I have that gets completely soaked when D wears it.
• The redeeming factor for this diaper would be the microfleece lining, meant to wick moisture away from baby’s skin, except it pilled so badly in the wash.  The outer layer of the diaper is bleached & scratchy cotton.
• Because this is designed for folding into thirds and laying in a cover (which I don’t do, as I like my little guy’s diapers to fit snugly and contain messes) pinning this prefold really doesn’t work.  The diaper is way too short to be a good fit when pinned and just doesn’t have the absorbency.

This diaper is good for stuffing pocket diapers or used trifolded into a cover.

I also received an OsoCozy Better Fit Unbleached Prefold to try.  Much like the Stay Dry Better Fit, this diaper is meant to be trifolded and placed into a cover like a pad.  This diaper gets a slightly higher grade than the Stay Dry, as it doesn’t have a fleece lining that pills.  This diaper, however, is not good for pinning, as it fits just like the Stay Dry above, and doesn’t have great absorbency (when not trifolded).  This diaper is good for stuffing pocket diapers or used trifolded into a cover.

Now on to some diapers I really like.  I’m thinking it’s no coincidence that these are all hemp prefolds…

I have to start with a disclaimer with the Hemp Babies BiggerWeeds, this is yet another prefold that is designed to be trifolded and placed into a cover or stuffed into a pocket diaper.  However, as the above photo shows, it works perfectly fine pinned as well.

• Despite being designed to be trifolded for use, it’s no surprise that this hemp diaper is pretty absorbent.  I really like the absorbency and distribution of moisture, and find it interesting that it performs as well as my unbleached organic cotton prefolds with tons of layers.  That, my friends, is the beauty of hemp.
• The Hemp Babies prefold is nice and soft, as you can see from the photo — would you believe that this is line-dried?  My only complaint?  The material is really stretchy, which is not so great for pinning (but it’s not meant to be pinned).  And, the material is a little thinner than my other hemp prefolds, but again, this diaper is meant to be folded into thirds, not used as one layer.
• This prefold is a lot wider than the others, likely because it’s to be folded down.  However, the elasticity of the fabric makes is incredibly easy to shape on baby; in the above photo, I’ve tucked excess material into the legs at the upper thighs.

If you like to lay your prefolds into your covers, or use prefolds to stuff your pocket diapers, Hemp Babies prefolds are the perfect choice for you.  This prefold will provide a ton of absorbency, with all of the awesome antibacterial properties of hemp.  (I want to try flats with my next kiddo, and am totally eyeing the Hemp Babies Flat Weeds)

Okay, so my favorite diaper of the bunch is a total toss-up.  The two remaining are amazing hemp diapers, each with it’s own merits!

You’ll laugh when I say this, but the BabyKicks Hemparoo Fleece Prefolds are so soft that you want to cuddle with them!

• This is an unbelievably absorbent diaper, so much so, that I almost feel guilty only using this for daytime.  If we were able to cloth diaper overnight (my little guy’s urine is too concentrated & his skin is too sensitive to go overnight) this would be one of my go-to diapers.
• As I said, this is an incredibly soft diaper.  Made from 55% hemp/ 45% cotton fleece, you could repurpose this diaper into a stuffed toy.  Not that you would particularly want to do that, but I’m just saying….  I think that Declan would deem this diaper the most comfortable of the lot, as far as softness goes.  I do, however, think that he gets a little hotter in this diaper than in his jersey hemp.  Again, I’ve not taken actual temps, it just my impression that the jersey breathes a bit more.
• Because the material has a bit more movement to it than cotton, the fit is better.  Declan is actually at the smallest end of this size (you can tell by how it comes down on his hips/upper thighs), but I’ve used a bikini twist fold to fit him nicely.

Looking for a super soft and absobent prefold, then the BabyKicks Hemparoo Fleece is the right fit for you.  Don’t forget, this diaper is great for nighttime diapering.

And last, but certainly not least, I present the Thirsties Duo Hemp Prefold:

I have to say that I am a huge fan of jersey hemp, which is why the Thirsties Duo Hemp may just have a slight edge over the BabyKicks Hemparoo Fleece diaper.  I recently tried my first jersey hemp prefold when I reviewed Geffen Baby, and absolutely fell in love.

• This is a super ‘thirsty’ diaper!  Again, I feel guilty only using this for daytime use, as this diaper is hardly wet after 2-3 hours on.  The fabric distributes moisture superbly and is an excellent choice for a nighttime diaper.
• Thirsties Duo Hemp has an ingenious edge, in that it is sewn with an opening between it’s two 2 ply hemp jersey knit layers (see center photo above).  This allows this prefold to dry a lot faster.  This diaper has an excellent stretch to it, so it forms to D’s body and moves with him (versus cotton prefolds, which have no ‘give’ to them).  Another thing that gives this diaper a slight edge over the others?  Breathability.  The Duo Hemp is comprised of 4 layers of jersey knit hemp, and breathes a bit better than some of the other diapers I’ve tried.
• This is a very trim diaper.  The 4 layers of stretchy fabric form easily to D’s body, and provide an amazing amount of absorbency without a lot of bulkiness.

What are your thoughts?  What prefolds are your favorites and why?

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