Hemp or Bamboo?

[judiclaire]

What do you guys prefer and why?? I hear hemp is the way to go, but am not really sure why.

[Aimee]

I love bamboo!!!

I doesn't get the same smells as hemp & doesn't get stiff once dryed

Love bamboo terry & fleece

Oh....I still use hemp for internal stuff in nappies & my pads.

[johT]

personally i feel hemp is longer lasting then bamboo and perhaps a more stable fabric - alot of my bamboo fabric hasn't lasted as well as i expected
hemp does get smellier, but then again bree makes bamboo smell now too
bamboo is softer and slightly more absorbent - so i do 'prefer' it atm - but its more expensive imo - i wouldnt trust a whole stash of bamboo to last long enough...
maybe its bree's toxic toddler outputs?? but its a relitively new fabric and something to consider i think (please ignore spelling im tired lol)

[~Miss Cinders~]

Hmmmm I haven't decided yet.
Hemp dries quicker, so I've got a mostly hemp stash.

[Lousmum]

i have about the same of both and I don't really prefer one over the other. apart from the smell issues you can get with hemp, but I have found my bamboo nappies hang onto smells just as much as hemp. just not that nasty nasal-burning smell that you get with hemp, esp overnight! also depends on the hemp you have - hemp fleece is softer than terry for eg. i agree with Joh that hemp is probably a more hard-wearing fabric, although all my bamboo nappies are holding up well. until recently I haven't used a dryer much though. might not be a concern where you are.

I think it's personal preference mostly, tbh. i like them both.

[KristyMum]

Depends on how it's put together, how many layers, etc (for drying time, washability)

but generally now I am a bamboo convert lol
and am busting to try my new ideas on a NB nappy

If I go hemp, I go hemp fleece, fleece side out.

[Emma]

I guess I prefer bamboo, but I'm happy with either really. Bamboo seems to wash up softer - the nappies don't seem to have that same crunch when they come in off the line. (All my nappies soften up though with a bit of scrunching when I'm folding them up though, so it's no big deal )

Bamboo hasn't been used in nappies for as long as hemp has been, so it may be too early to tell how long it lasts/ how it wears over time. I have heard of some people having issues with their bubs' toxic wee creating holes in their hemp nappies, although it doesn't seem to be that common. Hemp is a bit cheaper to buy. I think they're fairly comparable in terms of absorbency... maybe bamboo is a bit more absorbent? (Negligible difference IMO)

[Pobie]

Bamboo for night time and Hemp for day time. Hemp is a little cheaper and doesn't get the same smell I find during the day cause I change him every 2-3 hours. I also find that hemp is trimmer which is great for day wear.

[KristyMum]

yep we have some holey and disintegrating hemp
and I attribute that to some seriously toxic boy pee
and/or the one time the little white wrigglers made an appearance in the nappy bucket one summer when the back door got left open and a fly got in...
mmm yep.

overall tho the hemp has done v well, and I have other things made from hemp also very durable.
be interesting to see how bamboo stacks up in that sense v hemp/flannel/terry etc
I reckon it has it's place tho and is still my favourite atm

[Kylees]

I prefer bamboo but only because we use mostly itti's now & the bamboo inserts are much more absorbant, they do take longer to dry but we have had the heater on quite a bit this winter lol