Best prefold nappies?

[elk4baby]

Hi,
I'm looking to get some prefolds, but not sure which brand or even material works best.

I read hemp is good to use at night, but after a few washes it tends to stiffen up quite a bit. Is this true? Also, I'm having some trouble finding these (there's only one website I could find that sells the two-ply ones, not the standard 2x3x2 layer prefolds)

What about bamboo (or bamboo mix rather)? Are these any good?

Can anyone recommend a brand, maybe? or a good place to buy them online?
I read some people like the Mio brand - what do you think? Do they make bamboo nappies? Or unbleached cotton?

...just a quick side note: I have looked into all-in-ones and pocket and other fitted nappies and already have a couple, but would really like to the prefolds, particularly for a newborn.
I'm not looking for anything 'pretty' either, afterall they're just nappies (and I have a couple of nice looking wraps, just in case my baby's bum will need to look all cute)

have you had your baby yet? Just becasue they all tend to fit different makes/types. Also do you intend to line dry, or dry on radiator or tumble drier? There are various pros and cons depending on how you are going to use them.
Dependent on where you live you may have a local trial scheme which will give you a few types to try out (my local council also gives you vouchers to pa for them). There are loads of websites and lots to choose from, so some more info would be great adn then I can help with some recomendations. Also try poting this in the nappy section of being a parent......

I use Cotton Bottoms pre-folds on DS. They are discontinued now but you can sometimes get them new on ebay and they might be available used elsewhere though I've never looked for used ones.

Have you looked at the Nappy Ladywebsite? Or Twinkle ? Those are my two favourite places for buying new nappies. I got a Bigger Weed Hemp insert from Twinkle which is really intended as an insert for a pocket nappy but it's the same size and shape as a pre-fold and could be used as such. It's very absorbant and soft enough if I tumble dry it once in a while

hey hettie, I'm atually only expecting , just want to be ready. I plan on either line drying or drying on the radiator; our 2in1 machine really doesn't do a good job of drying - so it's rather pointless to have it running with almost no result.
unfortunately, my local council hasn't signed up to the real nappies scheme yet - it's actually surrounded by three other councils that have, so thee's hope .

HensMum, I'll try to find some cotton bottoms, as I've heard them mentioned a few times now. I'll check out twinkle as well, thanks for the tip!

Ideally, I'd like to have a couple of each type/brand and see what works best before doing any heavy investing .

junior joy- nice quality prefolds and pretty cheap. We use them for our nappy service and they wash and dry like a dream!

prefolds are much of a muchness. just remember that they are not the best on containing any kind of explosive poo like you would get from a breastfed baby. It tends to just slide all over the wrap and nappy.
however they are a cheap and cheerful option. if I were you I would look into getting bamboo terries instead as they are far more versatile and you can use them as stuffing later on.
www.babeco.co.uk make very nice ones.

Bamboo is a lot more absorbant and a lot thinner than cotton

I'd second the suggestion of trying a few bamboo terries. They fit all your criteria, would be better at holding explosive poo.

Definitely try a couple of types and see what works for you. The good thing about both pre-folds and terries is that they are cheap and can be used for other things - boosting, stuffing, wiping etc. And you could use the same wraps for both.

I do find I go through a lot of wraps with pre-folds, especially with the newborn poop. It would always go on the wrap. I just bought extra wraps (managed to find cheap ones in the pound shop and on ebay) but it's worth bearing in mind.

Have you seen EcoBumbles? They are a shaped nappy which you stuff and you need a nippa or pins to fasten but they are super-cheap - £3 each and fairly fast drying. Would probably be bulky on a newborn but you could use minimal stuffing to keep them as slim as possiblewww.easypeasynappies.co.uk/

well I use the natures babies bamboo loveable (its a shaped). Natures babies have a website and do a range of things, they are quite reasonable (which is why I went for them). We line dry and use radiators and they dry quick enough for us. However bamboo aren't the quickest thing to dry, see the natures babies synthetic for a quicker drying type. We have a few of these too so we have somehting that dries quick.
TBH it might be worth waiting to invest in this type when bubs is a bit bigger and use terries when they are little.... it will mean that you can be sure of getting a good fit on a newborn (i tried 3-4 types before finding something that didn't leak for a nb and wich I'd just got some terry square for this stage). But it depends how your folding skills are .
On the wrap front, best by far are Rikki Wraps by Motherease, they have gussets (v imp) and have never leaked for me. A company called thirsties also does very similar wraps- very nice and a bit cheaper.... my fav website for buying is www.kittykins.co.uk/
and they sell thirsties
Have fun and try not to get too adicted!

I have a load of Cotton Bottoms in the cupboard - about 20 nappies and about 5 small wraps from memory - a few were used a few times and most not at all. (my dds who loved to change ds (!) couldn't manage them). You could have them v cheaply and most welcome. Prob best to email janek email 13-re @ yahoo. co. uk (with no spaces)as I am at work tomorrow and then is is half term so all will become chaos, if you would. I liked the fact they dried really quickly - useful in the NE!