[jecaly]

hi wise diapering mamas,

i've been slowly building a stash here and there for my first, due in november, and have decided that i want to use prefolds for the bulk of it. i know that quality can vary a lot, and want to get the best ones so that we have the best chance of making the most economical option work! so, yeah, this is another one of those "what are the best..." threads. who sells the best prefolds for the least money? i've mostly been looking at green mountain and sunflower derrieres. i have a couple other questions, too:

*for newborns, what's a good source for the stretchy gauze flat diapers? do you have any (positive or negative) experiences with these? it seems like they'd be nice and adjustable for the early weeks.

*do you guys have good luck washing dyed prefolds (on hot) with your regular ones without bleeding? which ones are the best for this?

*i'm considering starting out with preemie or infant-sized ones, then regular "light" ones. trimness is something i'd really like to achieve, at least relatively, so it seems to me that having a thinner dipe in which i can use a folded infant pf later will be a good way to do that, if i need more soaking ability. anyone have experience with this? will i regret not getting the 4x8x4s?

*we're also planning to use pocket dipes at night, i think (i'm finding myself partial to the idea of wonderoos, for the one-size thing). do prefolds work well as stuffers, or will i want special hemp thingers instead? trimness won't be as much of an issue at night.

and finally! what are the advantages/disadvantages of using hemp or sherpa prefolds as oppposed to the regular cotton fluffy ones?

many thanks, mamas!

*jennifer

 

[lmonter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jecaly *for newborns, what's a good source for the stretchy gauze flat diapers? do you have any (positive or negative) experiences with these? it seems like they'd be nice and adjustable for the early weeks.

I have no idea, didn't even get those. I do have some 16x16 microfiber towels I got from Costco to cut up and use for extra absorbency in whatever I want (prefolds, FB, SP, etc)

Quote:

Originally Posted by jecaly *do you guys have good luck washing dyed prefolds (on hot) with your regular ones without bleeding? which ones are the best for this?

I

my prefolds from Sunflower Derrieres, both infant and premium, and here they are. No bleeding at all, and they're super soft when you get them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jecaly *i'm considering starting out with preemie or infant-sized ones, then regular "light" ones. trimness is something i'd really like to achieve, at least relatively, so it seems to me that having a thinner dipe in which i can use a folded infant pf later will be a good way to do that, if i need more soaking ability. anyone have experience with this? will i regret not getting the 4x8x4s?

I've only got 4x8x4 infant and premium, so I can't help you with the 4x6x4 dilemma. I will say I need the extra layers for my little soaker - and sometimes with a microfiber towel in it. When he was just out-growing his infants and we stuck him in premiums, they were huge, but now they're almost right. We usually tri-fold, do wings in the back, and fold down the front so we get 32 layers of cotton in his wet zone. When he gets bigger, it'll be all about the microfiber towels.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jecaly *we're also planning to use pocket dipes at night, i think (i'm finding myself partial to the idea of wonderoos, for the one-size thing). do prefolds work well as stuffers, or will i want special hemp thingers instead? trimness won't be as much of an issue at night.

Prefolds do work great as stuffers. We use Joey Bunz and Ducky Buns (in our FB) at night because they're hemp, as we need soaking power at night. To get as much absorption we'd need maybe 2-3 prefolds I think, which could be scary for us. And we're going to need more absorption soon. For during the day on the go, I have a few small FB and have put infant prefolds in them. I haven't tried Wonderoos, so can't help you there. Oh, another option is getting hemp prefolds to stuff in pocket diapers for night.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jecaly and finally! what are the advantages/disadvantages of using hemp or sherpa prefolds as oppposed to the regular cotton fluffy ones?

One issue with hemp (regardless of product), there seems to be a stink factor for some people, resulting in stripping and/or adjusting wash routines. Plus I think on hemp prefolds they need to attach a strip of fabric if you want to use a snappi (it's a lot denser weave). For us, the cotton ones work great (even line dried and crunchy - ds doesn't seem to mind) and are usually cheaper.

HTH!

Lanna

 

[chellemarie]

For a newborn, I'd have the following:
12 preemie ubcpfs
24-36 infant ubcpfs
4-6 covers
4-6 pocket diapers OR fleece liners OR fleece pockets

For later on, I'd purchase the following:

12 regular ubcpfs (4X6X4)
24 premium ubcpfs (4x8x4)
4-6 covers
4-6 pocket diapers OR fleece liners OR fleece pockets

I got all my prefolds from Colleen at www.naturalbabies.com. They were the best price and are my hardest working diapers.

As far as flats go, I like birdseye cotton from www.diapershop.com.
For diapering and for stuffing pockets at night, I also like Gerber birdseye flats. Inexpensive, versatile, dry quickly and aren't bulky.

I don't have any dyed prefolds so I can't address that issue for you.
I haven't tried hemp. Two reasons: possible stink issues and drying time issues. I do have a couple fitted sherpa diapers, but don't think they're as absorbent as my prefolds.

HTH

 

[01txaggie]

I have four month old and asked some of the same questions that you are asking now. My suggestion to you would be to buy a few of each (sample prices and free shipping on samples were a plus to this) I bought a few of each of what I was looking at and tried them for a while before I bought bigger sizes. My little guy is average size and he only wore the newborn stuff for a month or so.

I got my prefolds from Pumkin butt, and love them, and they were the cheapest that I could find.

But after all of that I am now using crocheted wool covers, with snappied contours that I have made out of flannel receving blankets. I love the proraps for no fail blow out protection. I also love several wahm covers I have bought off of ebay.

 

[3 Little Monkeys]

Dd is 7 months old and I've used mainly prefolds for the past 6 months or so. I did get 24 regular (4X6X4) because there were a couple of months there when the infant size was too small, but premium was WAY too bulky on her. We use Bummis covers quite a bit - but I've recently fallen in love with wool so I have been using that more. I wash my dyed and undyed prefolds together (hot and cold) with the rest of my diapers, and have not had any bleeding issues at all.

hth and congrats on your pregnancy! Dd will be a year old in November - time flies so fast!

 

[myrrhmaid]

I've bought all my ubcpf off granitesmith (Teresa) on ebay!
She runs a 10 day sale a dz. for 20.00-which is the best deal I've seen on these.
She also has sample packs of all the sizes/kinds, has birdseye dipes, covers and is great to work with.
Any dipe that hasn't been bought off the tp or given to me I have bought from her.

 

[RufusBeans]

T myrhhmaid--Post again quick! Your at 666!!!!!

 

[jecaly]

thanks so much, mamas! i feel like i can order dyed prefolds now without being scared of the laundry. and the fleece pocket! what a good idea! you guys rule. i've been accumulating a lot of covers already, mostly wool but also some nikkys cotton ones, so i feel like we'll be okay on that end. thanks for the numbers estimates, too--

i'm such a dork, i really am looking forward to changing diapers.

*jennifer