I'm in need of some advice regarding prefolds.

Kendra - posted on 03/11/2010

Thank you all very much for the advice. A friend loaned me some prefolds she got from Green Mountain and they were 100% better than the Gerber ones we have (Birdseye). I ordered some of my own yesterday! :) Thanks again!

Majaliwa - posted on 03/10/2010

In my experience - the Gerber ones were the worst prefolds ever. I agree with another poster - GreenMountainDiapers carries a great brand of Indian prefold diapers that are pretty solid. Additionally, my Bummis Super Bright wraps always leaked - even with the good prefolds. My Thirsties covers were pretty solid though. However, I can tell you that after throwing them in the dryer too many times - they eventually started to leak. So with that said...
1. buy Indian prefolds from Green Mountain
2. stick with the Thirsties covers
3. make sure to only air dry your covers to make them last longer
4. be sure to only use cloth diaper friendly diaper rash cream (the other kinds like Desitin can stick to the diaper and make it less absorbent
5. don't use dryer sheets with your prefolds - this can also reduce their absorbency

That should work.

Jessica - posted on 03/10/2010

There are TWO TYPES of Gerber pre-fold and I'm not sure which ones you are using. We've used the "Premium 6-ply" prefolds from Gerber, together with Niji or Nikki covers, and rarely had leaks. Our son is 2 years old now. You can buy the Gerber Premium per-folds at Target or Babies-R-Us - see description here:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp...
The Gerber Birdseye prefolds are not absorbent and we used them as burpcloths. The Premium 6-ply ones are bigger and have a pretty thick panel in the middle and are a different material - they are also more expensive but worth it.

We use them together with either Niji or Nikki covers; both of these brands make both a thicker more waterproof cover (e.g. for nighttime) and a lighter weight cover (for frequent changes). We buy our covers here: http://www.babyworks.com/.

One challenge with the Gerber Premium 6-ply prefolds is that they are larger (than the Birdseye) so may be a bit bulky on a newborn - I don't know how they compare in size to the prefolds recommended in other posts. We used disposables and tried out various cloth diapers (Kissaluvs contoured, Kissaluvs fitted w/snaps, and Bumkins all-in-ones, all sold by BabyWorks) for the first couple of months until we figured out our current system.
Having said upfront that we rarely have leaks, I should add that we are starting to have more leaks now that he is 2 years old but I think that's a combination of him (1) peeing more volume and (2) the covers are actually losing their "waterproofness" from frequent washing!

Missy - posted on 03/10/2010

try an Indian or Chinese prefold, they work wonderfully :)

Roz - posted on 03/09/2010

I think the Gerber ones are more for burp cloths but they label them as cloth diapers...they are not thick or absorbant enough for pee or poo. I have to agree with Jan, I used the Green Mountain PF's with a bumkins cover and it never leaked :).

Jan - posted on 03/09/2010

gerber prefolds are garbage, they have non absorbant polyfill to make them look thicker in the middle but it's useless. Real prefolds are folded and sewn so there are more layers of cloth in the middle where you need it. If you want to use prefold the Green mountain ones are amazing, the bummis ones are great too, and you can get generic indian or chinese ones all over the place. Jillian's drawers sells great used ones really cheap so they are work a look.

Kim - posted on 03/09/2010

I've used the Gerber prefolds and had the same problem. In my case, they didn't stay in place, which caused them to leak. I bought Indian prefolds too and they're wonderful! They old up twice as long as the Gerbers. However, if you don't want to buy new diapers, try pinning the Gerbers to keep them in place and/or try doubling them up (two prefolds in the diaper cover. It's bulky and more work to wash, but may save you a little money.

Jennifer - posted on 03/08/2010

The only time I've ever used Gerber prefolds were for burp cloths as well. lol I love the prefolds that I use though, they're wonderfully soft and quilty. We get them from greenmountaindiapers.com. I usually give them about 4 good washes and dries in the beginning to get them started and then they're good to go. I don't buy the unbleached.. The bleached seem just fine for us (: I think you're covers are good to go though, just try a thicker prefold and see how things go! Good luck!

Christy - posted on 03/08/2010

I tried Gerber with my daughter and it was like putting her in a training pant. We ended up using them as burp cloths. We still use them for my son in this fashion. If you want to stick with prefolds, I highly recommend Indian unbleached ( I buy mine from cottonbabies.com- they even have a try it package) The only time I have ever had a leaky one of these is when the cover was too loose on the legs.