I often get asked about cloth diapers for heavy wetters, and Geffen Baby is one of the first brands I recommend. Their inserts and prefolds are made of a thirsty, durable hemp/cotton blend, yet manage to remain fairly trim.
This month, I received two prefolds from Geffen Baby to compare and review: a medium fleece and a medium jersey prefold. Both are made in the USA of four layers of knitted 60%/40% hemp/cotton.
Geffen Baby prefolds are available in the following sizes.
- XS: (Orange Stitching) for use in XS/S diapers & on newborn babies
- S: (Green Stitching) for use in small diapers and young infants
- M/L: (Lavender Blue Stitching) for use in M/L diapers and on crawlers/walkers
- XL: (Navy Blue Stitching) for use in XL/toddler diapers, or folded for smaller babies
Because these are natural fibers, and because one batch may vary slightly from the next, the before and after prepping measurements on the website are estimates only. . After prepping, my jersey prefold is more of a rectangle shape (12.5″ x 18.75″); the fleece is closer to a square (17″ x 15″).
When folded into thirds, the size medium prefolds measure:
- Fleece – 14.5″ x 5″
- Jersey – 13″ x 6.25″
Jersey is smooth and fleece is textured.
When folded in thirds, Geffens are wider across than a traditional prefold. The jersey prefold (at 6.25″ across) actually works best for me when I fold into fourths, especially when using a cover that’s narrow in the crotch.
Besides the different sizing, there are a few more things that set them apart. Geffen’s fleece prefold has a bit more stretch to it, is slightly softer, and also more absorbent. The jersey prefolds start at $8.91 each and fleece goes up from $9.82.
Care: Cotton and hemp don’t hold onto odors, making Geffen prefolds easier to keep clean. They do stain easily, though, and take a long time to dry. And you do have to prep multiple times to reach full absorbency potential. They are well made with durable stitching. Ours have held up well after years of use and washing (we have used our newborn prefolds with 3 babies now).
I prepped my Geffen prefolds 3 times before first use, but they will reach maximum absorbency after about 8 washes.
Performance: Geffen prefolds can be used inside pocket diapers (providing they aren’t a really narrow style) or most any cover or AI2 shell. My toddler, Mary Kate, wears the size medium through a long nap with no leaking. Some babies can use them all night, but if your heavy wetter needs a little extra boost of absorbency, I strongly suggest adding one Geffen Absorber because they are so amazingly trim compared to most other hemp inserts on the market.
You might wonder if these can be fastened on like a traditional prefold. Yes, with qualifications. First of all, Snappi and Boingo fasteners don’t grip the fabric as well as they do a quilted cotton prefold. But you can make it work, and with a wrap-style cover, everything should stay in place fairly well. You might also need to go up a size to have enough fabric to serve as “wings.”
In these pictures, 18-month-old Mary Kate is wearing the medium Geffen Baby fleece prefold pinned under a Best Bottom cover.
Value: At $8.91 each (and up), you likely won’t buy these by the dozen, as with a cotton prefold, but having just a few Geffen Prefolds on hand could certainly be a game-changer for nap times or overnight.
Shop for Geffen Baby diapers and inserts at
Geffenbaby.com
Kelly’s Closet
Nicki’s Diapers
Diaper Junction
We love Both the jersey and the fleece prefolds in or house! They hold so much that they are often our night time solution for my older child and toddler (adding a booster for the toddler) We also use them in covers or Best Bottom shells. I can get Snappis to grip a bit if I wet them first and dig in, though I see holes in the fabric after a bit. Thanks for the review! It was super helpful.
That’s a pretty neat tip about the Snappi, Andee – thanks! Anne Marie