EconoBum Reviews? Help!

BethanyAnn27

Hi Ladies,

I am going to be new to cloth diapering (FTM here!!) and so far I am really drawn to the econobum brand because of the cost. We are also going Team Green and want to stock up on some neutral colors, so these seem like the best option because they are just white with a trim color. From other posts I have read here, a lot of people don't like them because they are just white with the trim color--but that is actually one of the reasons DH and I are drawn to them. So I need your help...I haven't found any real reviews online. Does anyone here use econobum covers/prefolds? What do you like about them? What (aside from color) do you NOT like about them? Any tips? Anything info or experiences you can pass on will be helpful! Thanks! 

CLLDLL

First, they won't fit a newborn.  Even a 10 pound NB will have scrawny legs for the first 2-4 weeks and won't fit EconoBum or any one-size (OS) diaper/cover.

Second, I hate their prefolds.  They are just weird sized.  They work ok for tri-folding (folding into thirds) and laying in the cover, but until LO's poop gets more solid (when you start solids) tri-folding will result in poop on the cover at pretty much every poopy diaper change.  That can be 12 out of 15 diaper changes in the early days when they poop.all.the.time. 

As far as a covers go, EconoBums are just ok in my opinion.  For $11.95, though I think I'd prefer to get a Sweet Pea or a Thirsties cover.  They are little thicker material and I like the fit better on my kid anyway. 

I highly recommend getting Osocozy, sweet pea, green mountain diapers (cloth-eez) perfolds instead of EconoBum though.  Better quality, better sizing.  And not much more expensive. 

LaBellaVida

I like mine. it serves its purpose.

They are big covers though, they are almost the size of my blueberry covers. For a nb, i don't see them working.

They are really thin too.

Also, i think once you start cloth diapering....your not going to like white. Who wants a white fluffy butt all the time? :-)

Cloth diapering is fun when you have cute colors and prints!

BethanyAnn27

LaBellaVida said:

I like mine. it serves its purpose. They are big covers though, they are almost the size of my blueberry covers. For a nb, i don't see them working. They are really thin too. Also, i think once you start cloth diapering....your not going to like white

I have thought about that! lol...I was just being optimistic. Good to know that these wont work for a newborn. @CLLDLL do any of the other brands you mentioned above work well for newborns on up? We are really trying to save as much as possible here, but I know that might be a stretch to hope that one cover will work for all. Thanks for the great info on the prefolds--we were actually looking at the green mountain ones earlier today!

freezorburn

I haven't tried Econobum but I'm also not sure if they are cheaper than other brands. The newborn kit only has 6 prefolds in it. You need 12-18 changes per day for NB, so if you want to wash every 1.5-2 days we recommend 36 changes. 

I would also be skeptical about the claim that one size fits birth to potty learning, but hopefully you will hear for certain from someone who has used Econobums. Other brands of prefolds are sized. There's a good reason for that. The fact they have a NB kit sort of recognizes that their OS prefold is too big for NBs. 

You can find as good or better deals on other brands of covers too.

Shop sales, shop used and B/S/T sites.

I would recommend looking at flats + covers if you truly want something that will be versatile from the perspective of size and cost.

BethanyAnn27

My Mom always used prefolds and covers and loved the system, so I was hoping to do something similar. We are planning on having a minimum of 24 prefolds...I should specify for the econobum system, we were only looking at the covers. A lot has changed in 20+ years since my Mom was cloth diapering so I am looking for the most cost-effective versatile brand out there. I understand that the up-front cost for quality might be a bit more and am totally willing to shell out if they will fit better & last longer. I really appreciate the reviews and shared experiences so far--I was pretty pumped to stumble across this board. Please keep them coming! 

Rrrrrachel

I think you'd be better off with an assortment of covers and gmd prefolds.

CLLDLL

Thirsties Duo wrap size one will fit an average to big NB and will fit up to around 16-18 pounds. They may not fit a tiny NB (under 7.5 pounds) at first. The size two starts fitting around 16 pounds and goes to like 35 or 40 pounds (probably potty learning).

Sweet Peas fit my kid at six weeks and still have plenty of room at 25 pounds.

If saving money is your main reason for CD'ing, I agree with PP that you should look into flats. The smalls will fit from birth and could work all the way to PL. If you prefer prefolds, green mountains are awesome quality. NB size will fit best at birth, but I have heard of people using smalls by just folding them down in the back. You'd want a bigger cover if you do that though.

nalaundi

econobum prefolds are 11"x15.5" fully prepped and are not designed to be secured around LO. so you would need far more covers than their kit would contain... or you would be handwashing contantly to get by with the covers.  they are designed to be pad folded. they  are long and narrow fo for the bigger baby size and short and fat for the "newborn" size.  

mainstream prefolds are sized for a reason.. to contain the poop and prevent leaks onto the cover and out the legs.   nebowrn 9x11 infant 12x13 Premium 15x16.  (ish) 

the covers have gentle elastic which is nice but they wear out faster... and makes for more leaks and their cover material for the econobums is thin and flimsy. also they only have 1 row of snaps which means you can't adust the waist and legs seperately... 

these would be fine for older babies but def not a quality solution.. they are just cheap.

here is a picture of how they are use for Older baby (flip cover with econob

 the next picutre showing the inside of the filip vs the econbum cover (white)

and the final picutre showing sized prefolds in comparison to econobum. econbum cover fabri and size next to flip covers and on the very right a BlueBerry Capri Newborn cover (which is said to have generous fit and is much higher quality workmanship and material)

ufsandra85

Econobums fit my newborn. He actually has one on right now. I like flips better (also fit my newborn) . I use osocozy nb prefolds and osocozy. Nb fitteds under

BethanyAnn27

After reading all the comments, I think DH and I are strongly leaning towards SweetPea covers and GMD prefolds (in a few different sizes). Now I was reading that at least 24 prefolds/size and 4 covers was a good place to start. Do those numbers seem accurate to you ladies? I would plan on laundry at least once every 2 days if that makes a difference. 

freezorburn

I would do 36 newborn, 24 in larger sizes. Or you could do 24 NB + 12 flats, 12 each of the small & med prefolds. Flats and small prefolds also work great as pocket inserts, which can be handy for the diaper bag or family or daycare providers.

CLLDLL

freezorburn said:

I would do 36 newborn, 24 in larger sizes.

Or you could do 24 NB + 12 flats, 12 each of the small & med prefolds.

Flats and small prefolds also work great as pocket inserts, which can be handy for the diaper bag or family or daycare providers.

I agree with all of this!

emmylou78

I like the econobum, but they've raised their prices. $11.95 is too high in comparison with others that you could get for a similar price. They used to be $7 or $8. I have the cottonbabies Indian prefolds (not sure if that's the same as the econobum). They are nice and soft compared to my GMDs, but they are one size. They wouldn't have fit my NB

emmylou78

BethanyAnn27 said:

After reading all the comments, I think DH and I are strongly leaning towards SweetPea covers and GMD prefolds (in a few different sizes). Now I was reading that at least 24 prefolds/size and 4 covers was a good place to start. Do those numbers seem accurate to you ladies? I would plan on laundry at least once every 2 days if that makes a difference. 

You could get by with every other day washing with 24, but it'd be cutting it close in the NB phase. 30 was comfortable for me. Then two dozen for the older stages