**CLOSED** Thirsties Duo Hemp Prefold & Duo Wrap - Review & Giveaway

I am so happy to be able to share with you a very solid product by the well-known and reputable modern cloth diapering company, Thirsties. Well-known for its variety of reliable diapering products, Thirsties is a small (but growing!) diaper company committed to greener parenting and eco-friendly solutions to diapering youngsters. Thirsties is also proudly 100% American, supporting home-grown North American suppliers, workers, and retailers. Erin Kimmett, founder of Thirsties®, began the company 5 years ago with nothing but $100 and an old sewing machine. Through her hard work, diligence, and huge vision, Thirsties has now become a leader in the modern cloth diapering industry. Though Erin is no longer the owner of Thirsties® (the company was recently sold to Rick and Sadler Merrill), her original WAHM model is still carried on! The company now hires out work at home moms to create the products in their own homes, all from within a small radius close to their corporate warehouse. By doing this, Thirsties continues to employ tons of passionate, sewing mamas, as well as keeping their carbon footprint low by saving on extensive transportation costs. For customer service representatives, they also employ knowledgeable, real, cloth diapering mamas to help their clients with any and all cloth diaper troubleshooting. I think that this is a terrific business model and truly applaud Thirsties and all the hands that have touched it along the way for maintaining true quality and personability even as her company blossoms and booms!


Thirsties creates and carries everything from their trim, Fab Fitted diapers to a variety of covers, inserts, prefolds, and doublers. For this review, Thirsties was kind enough to send me a super eco-friendly option--their Duo Hemp Prefold (with a Duo Wrap to go overtop). The Duo Hemp Prefold is quite different than other flats and prefolds I've used in the past. Made of 55% hemp and 45% cotton, I love that this prefold is made of 100% natural materials and is made in the USA.

The first thing I said to my sister who was with me when I took the prefold out of its sleeve was, "Hey! This feels like a t-shirt!" Rather than being a starchy, stiff, and scratchy prefold (like some others I've tried), this one is made from super-soft hemp jersey knit. It is stretchy and really does feel like a cozy, favorite t-shirt! Hemp is a great choice as well as it is very environmentally friendly, is 25% more absorbant than cotton, has superior durability, and also has naturally antimicrobial properties. Rather than being completely flat, this prefold is sewn kind of in a loop (see graphic) to give extra layers of absorbency.   It is also sewn with several lines on which you can prefold (including a small top band to make it shorter or longer, depending on your baby's size).

By simply laying it inside a diaper shell, this prefold couldn't be easier to use--no pins, Snappis, or snapping in required!  The prefold fills the shell very well so that it doesn't shift, bunch, or wiggle around.  When folded, you get multiple layers of terrific hemp/cotton absorbency that still can come unfolded in the washer & dryer for superior laundering abilities (the upside to prefolds is that they are still thin when laundering and so they clean and dry easily and thoroughly, as opposed to thick, bulky all-in-ones, for instance).

Thirsties' Duo Wraps come in two sizes (Size 1: 6-18 lbs and Size 2: 18-40 lbs), in snaps or aplix, and in a variety of gorgeous prints and colors.  I chose the "Alice Brights" size 1 snapping wrap for 16lb Baby Aurelia, and it had a great, snug, and trim fit.  I like that even though there are two sizes available, both sizes still come with three rows of rise snaps and a variety of waist snaps to still create a great, custom fit.  And, even though Baby A was near the upper end of the weight scale for a Size 1, I found that the Duo Wrap fit great and didn't dig in at all.  The snaps are nice and chunky, are easy to snap closed (even when you're half asleep! Ha!), will be durable and long-lasting, and still provide a great amount of flexibility in terms of sizing.  The cover itself is made of polyester PUL, is super waterproof and lightweight, and has no VOCs, PVC, phthalates, lead, or latex. 

the prefold fits snugly inside the cover

One of my favorite parts about the fit of this trim diaper wrap is that it also has terrific leg gussets.  A double layer of elastic ensures that wetness and poop will be contained until it comes time for a change!  We never had any leaks or accidents with this great-fitting wrap!


The one downside with using natural fibres as inserts would be that they do have a bit of a tendency to hold onto stains more than their synthetic counterparts (i.e. fleece), and this hemp insert is no exception.  However, with a little love (and some lemon juice and sun), and staying on top of the laundry regularly, I'm hoping that I can get the prefold looking bright white again.  If not, however--oh well, I just have to keep reminding myself what diapers are really for when it comes down to it ;)  I did love, though, just how absorbant the insert was even from the get-go, needing only one prep wash to get it going.  The wrap also washes easily with the other diaper laundry and dries in a jiffy on the line!

Overall, this system is terrific for any cloth diaperer looking for a versatile, simple, responsible and inexpensive way to diaper.  The products are eco-friendly and domestic.  The prefolds are inexpensive (suggested retail value is ~$7 each) and simple to use and maintain.  The exterior wraps are resusable (simply let air-dry between uses if unsoiled), trim, simple, and also affordable (retailing for approximately $13 each).  They can also be used with other prefolds or flats, or over your own fitted diapers as well. 

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BUY IT:
Head over to the Thirsties retailer list right now to see where you can buy any of Thirsties' great products!

WIN IT:
Thirsties is generously offering the same two items that I reviewed to one lucky winner! You'll get a Duo Hemp Prefold as well as a Duo Wrap in your choice of available size, color, and closure!


GIVEAWAY ENDS 4/21/11 at 11:59 PM MST
OPEN TO THE USA & CANADA
Please read all the Giveaway Policies and Rules before participating.**EACH comment must have an easily accessible email address**
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WAYS TO ENTER:

1 - Follow the Cloth Diaper Contests & Giveaways blog with Google Friend Connect (leave username in comments if not obvious)

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#Win a @ThirstiesInc Duo Hemp Prefold w/ Duo Wrap from @CDcontests (contest ends 4/21) http://ow.ly/4zvu2 #clothdiapers #baby #giveaway

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Final details: I received no financial compensation for this review or giveaway, though I did receive the sample items free of charge. All opinions shared are my own, and I was not persuaded to share anything other than my own thoughts.  Other users may have different experiences with this product than what I have shared. This giveaway will end on April 21, 2011 at 11:59pm MST and is open to residents of Canada and the United States only. Winner will be chosen randomly using random.org’s services. The winner will be contacted by email and will have 48 hours to reply before a new winner is chosen. The prize will be supplied and mailed out to the winner by the sponsor of this giveaway.