In Depth Baby Product Reviews Led by a Pediatrician
We buy all the products we test — no freebies from companies. If you purchase through our links, we may earn a commission, which helps support our testing.

Gerber Prefold Birdseye 3-ply Review

Great as burp cloths or for cleaning. Save your time and money and invest in a higher quality product
gearlab tested logo
gerber prefold birdseye 3-ply cloth diaper review
Gerber Prefold Birdseye 3-ply cloth diapers
Credit: Gerber
Price:  $255 List
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Manufacturer:   Gerber
By Alison Buck ⋅ Review Editor  ⋅  Jun 5, 2014
42
OVERALL
SCORE
  • Absorbency - 25% 1.0
  • Fit / Leakage - 25% 7.0
  • Comfort - 20% 2.0
  • Ease-of-use - 20% 5.0
  • Eco - Health - 10% 8.0

The Skinny

The Gerber Prefold diaper scored very low, in fact the lowest overall score of all the competitors we tested, because the fabric is rough and thin. It will work if you're in a pinch, but in comparison to the other cloth diapers we tested, we feel there are much better options out there.
REASONS TO BUY
Thin
Lightweight
Not bulky
Fits easily into cover. Dries quickly
REASONS TO AVOID
Thin
Making it less absorbent than other prefolds. Fabric rough and scratchy. Not well-made
Corners unraveled in first few washes. Stains easily

Our Analysis and Test Results

The Gerber Prefolds are sold by themselves without a cover, so you can choose whichever cover you like best to use over them. In our estimated lifetime cost assessment, we factored in the lifetime cost of using the Thirsties Duo Wrap cover with these prefolds.

Likes


After testing the Gerber Prefolds, we found that they worked, but just okay. They are slim and not bulky under clothing, but we believe this affects their absorbency, especially compared to other prefolds which tend to be VERY absorbent. We found that these leaked occasionally and were really nothing special.

Dislikes


Our first impression of these diapers was how rough they felt relative to competing diapers in our test. We were leery about putting the stiff, scratchy fabric against baby's skin, but thought maybe they would soften up after washing and drying them a few times. Well, they didn't. In fact, the corners became tattered before they were even used on baby for the first time.

Conclusion


It should probably be a red flag when right on the packaging it says these are good for diapering…"plus household dusting & car washing/waxing". Many other reviews warn that these are great for cleaning and as burp cloths, but not for diapering. In our opinion it's worth it to spend a little bit more on a higher quality product.

— Alison Buck
 

You Might Also Like