Econobum cloth diaper mommies only...Please help a newbie!?

[teacup]

So I have decided to purchase Econobum cloth diapers. I will be purchasing some time today, I found a really good deal through Baby Snazz and don't want to let deal slip through my fingers.. however, I have never cloth diapered before however have always wanted to try it. I already have one daughter age 20 months, and I am anxious to begin cloth diapering her as soon as possible. Now with baby #2 on the way in 3 months time I desperately need to save $$. I have a dozen Gerber baby diaper prefolds I guess I can use as doublers along with the econobum? But how many econobum dipes do I need to buy? Do I need to use Snappi pins to keep the inside prefold together? The econobum dipes come in a set where you get 3 cloth covers and 12 prefolds or I can buy individually one cloth cover which comes with one prefold. They claim buying 2 sets can allow you to cloth diaper full time. Does this mean you can reuse covers several times between washes (of course provided they do not get soiled). I don't want to under buy but I also do not want to overbuy.

Also, my daughter is a heavy wetter at night. She tends to wet through the sheets in a disposable nightime huggies and pampers diapers. Wetting is really only an issue though at nightime, any way to ensure I can cloth diaper at night and keep baby from wetting through using proper doubler? Don't know if the Gerber baby prefold will work or not...

Any issues with this cloth diaper being able to contain a newborns runny breastfood poop..?

How to care and clean for econobum dipes? Can I use Dreft baby detergent? Any ideas for cheap but proper way to wash and care for these specific dipes?

Thank you so much in advance for your help and answers!

 

[Elyse's Mama]

The Econobum system is essentially a prefold diaper and a one-sized cover. You will need at least 24 diapers if you have a newborn plus a toddler as they are changed so frequently for a newborn and you won't want to wash every day. Prefolds are okay for toddlers but they won't work well at night as they aren't that absorbent. You might want to look into a proper doubler (not just a gerber) to use at night. At night we are currently using a bumgenius pocket diaper stuffed with a hemp/microterry combo plus a hemp doubler. It works well for my 21 month old with no leaks. You can get a hemp doubler to add to the prefold at night and that should be good.

You do not need as many covers as prefolds because every change you rinse the cover and then hang to dry for the next time (unless poop gets on it). About 6 covers (washing every other day) should be good for one child, since you are diapering two you'll need more. Newborn breastfed poop is handled wonderfully by cloth diapers, no need to rinse before you put in the wash. For the toddler you will just dump the solids in the toilet before putting in the diaper pail.

Do not use Dreft baby detergent on cloth diapers as it will ruin the diapers. We use Planet Ultra, it's not cheap but it lasts forever because you only use a very small scoop for each load. Here is a site that has all sorts of info on washing diapers and picking the right detergent.

http://pinstripesandpolkadots.com/basics.htm