For my first diaper review, I wanted to start with the basics. Prefolds have been the diapering mainstay for decades, so I felt this was the best place to start.

Type of Diaper: 

Pre-fold

Average Cost: 

Preemie (4 - 9 lbs or 2 - 4 kg)
$9.99 per package (sold in packs of 1/2 dozen)

Infant (7 - 15 lbs or 3 - 7 kg)
$16.99 per package (sold in packs of 1/2 dozen)

Baby (7 - 15 lbs or 3 - 7 kg)
$26.99 per package (sold in packs of 1/2 dozen)

Suggested Best Uses: 

As a diaper on its own or as a diaper insert.

Availability:

Common item carried in most specialty diaper shops

The Organic Bummi Prefold

How It Works

The organic Bummi pre-fold cotton diaper is about as close to your traditional cloth diaper as you can get these days (outside of cutting squares of cloth yourself). It is very similar to the cloth diapers our moms and grandmothers would have used, except that Bummis have selected a high grade organic cotton blend for the best absorbency that has been folded the perfect number of times for absorbency and fit, and then stitched into place. That's one less step for us, and all that's left to do is to fasten the diaper into place and use one of a large variety of waterproof covers on the market.
Fastening the Diaper is super easy with a Snappi. This rubber device completely replaces traditional diaper pins (which are pretty unsafe when you think about it). They have teeth on the rubberized ends that hook into the fabric of any pre-fold diaper in a triangular pattern (left, right, center) to keep the diaper in place.


Once your diaper is fastened on the baby you need a waterproof cover to keep the moisture and mess in. There is a huge amount of variety here! I myself have a couple of PUL covers with velcro tabs in cute colours for daytime, and I have a couple of wool covers that I use for overnight extra wetness protection (but some choose to use the wool covers exclusively).
These diapers can also function as inserts for other more sophisticated diaper systems. This is a great way to make use of your small prefolds when baby grows. If you find they're too bulky you can cut them in half. When the diapers are this cheap, resale value isn't as much of a concern so get creative!
In my opinion, it's a simple but efficient diaper and for the price and versatility, you really can't afford to not have at least half a dozen of these on hand.

Best Features

The organic Bummi pre-fold cotton diaper product has been a staple product on the shelves of nearly every diaper specialty shop I visited in the months leading up to the birth of my son.  The simple explanation for pre-fold popularity is cost. One half-dozen of these diapers will cost as much as one pocket diaper, and you only need a few covers and a couple dozen diapers to get going with cloth diapers. For the same cost of one or two month of disposable diapers, you can quite literally diaper your baby from birth using pre-folds and a few simple covers (sold separately for as few as $8.00 each).
While this is a strong reason behind their popularity, of any other diaper type on the market today this type of diaper (pre-folds) have the most versatility. While they can serve as diapers on their own with covers, they can also be used for added absorbency in other more expensive and convenient systems such pocket diapers.
I myself purchased a dozen of these when I picked up my starting diaper assortment. My own intention was to use them as a backup to my pocket diapers, however, I have found that for overnight protection when you need extra absorbency  I will use these with a hemp insert and a wool cover to keep my guy's bum comfy and his pajamas dry for the longer period between bum change.

What Could Be Better About This Product

I have never liked how "wet"  the organic cotton Bummi pre-fold feels when soiled, even though this isn't necessarily a bad thing (particularly for babies close to potty training). However, opposed to more sophisticated diapers using more absorbent fibers, cheaper cotton loses the race, and as a result the fabric of these pre-folds will become "soaked" much faster and just don't have the muscle on their own for heavy wetting situations especially combined with runny poo (as with most infants).

I'd like to see a hemp blend variety, and would even pay a bit more for it!

References & More Information

Bummis Official Website: http://www.bummis.com
Snappi Official Website: http://www.snappibaby.com/products/snappidiaperfastener.html
Folding and Care Instructions (PDF): http://www.bummis.com/media/user_guide_en.pdf