Review: Softbums Echo

After I bought my Baby City diapers, I started researching diapers like crazy.  I considered all of the reviews I read and decided to try an AI2 system.  I wanted something that took an insert, but didn't need to change the cover every time that I changed the diaper, so I settled on Softbums.  Softbums are like the high school sweetheart of diapers.  They were the first diaper that I fell in love with.  

How they work/Fit: 4 (Very good!)
When I was researching AI2s, the deciding factor for me was whether they would fit from birth to potty training.  Softbums diapers actually can. Take a look at baby S in his diaper a few days after he was born.  (Sorry for the cut off head.  His dad doesn't want his picture online.)  The crotch part came down really low, so they're not trim on newborns, but you have to expect that in a one-size diaper.  He grew into them really quickly.

Baby S weighed 6 lbs 12 oz and the Softbums diapers fit him.  They fit babies with thighs from 4"-14" in circumference.  The reason why they can fit a baby so small is because of how the rise/leg openings are adjusted.  Most of the diapers that I have seen have snaps that control how high the rise is.  Softbums diapers are different.  They have an original patent pending Slide²Size system instead.

The front of the diaper has a tiny opening that you can stick your fingers into and reach the elastic.  (I tied my elastics together so that I could hook my finger in it and reach both at the same time.)  Instead of buttons/buttonholes, there is a tiny toggle on both sides of the elastic that cinches it very tiny or lets it out for bigger babies and toddlers.  This enables you to change the size as the baby grows for an unlimited amount of size options.  I was curious and tried them on my blessedly potty trained 4 year old and they were able to fit him.  (Hmmm...pictures for future blackmail?)  Also, you don't need to resize them unless the baby has grown because the toggles hold very tightly to the elastic.
This is what the look like at their smallest size:

And here's how they look at the largest size:

The rise/leg openings really do get very tiny.  My issue with this was that there's room for user error with the sizing of these diapers.  This is what keeps me from giving them a 5.  Being new to CDing (not that I'm really an old hand at it now), I was afraid that too loose a fit would cause leaks, so I tended to err on the side of having the leg gussets too tight.  This gave my son marks on his thighs, despite the website's claim that you get no red marks.  I loosened them, but the marks stayed there.  They're almost gone after a few weeks of wearing his diapers looser and alternating them with another brand that I'll be reviewing next.

Here's how they look on him now, at 3 months:

I use the Softbums system with their inserts, called pods.  They're about 20" long and 4 1/2" wide at the narrow end.  The pods used to all have a flared end that's about 6 1/2" long.  Now, their Large DryTouch O-Pods are rectangular in shape at 4 1/2" wide and their Super DryTouch O-Pods have that flaring.  I think that the large ones are shorter than the super ones because it's not made to fold over.  I have the old regular pods, the new super ones and a bunch of newborn ones that I use as doublers in my pockets.  The pods are made of either microfiber or organic bamboo.  I have a ton of pods and I like how big the super ones are because I can fold them where I need the extra absorption.  They are so soft and fluffy!

Daytime use: 5
During the day, I use my regular insert.  I get no leaks because the leg gussets fit so snugly, even if I loosen them so that they're not leaving a mark on S's chunky thighs.  I have a power wetter on my hands, so I stopped using the infant pods pretty quickly and used the older large pods to hold everything.  I didn't get more than one diaper blowout with these diapers.  Of course, it happened when we were outside the house.  I can't blame the diaper, though.  That was a poopsplosion of epic proportion!  There was an ocean of liquid ebf poop in that diaper.
I loved the generous size of the pods because I could fold them where S needed the most absorption, in the front.  If he had been a girl, I would have folded them to the middle more.

Overnight use: 5
Despite the fact that S has chunky thighs, we had very few leaks with the Softbums, even though I don't change him at night unless he poops.  I don't remember his diaper leaking at all!

Cost: 3
If you buy Softbums new, the shell costs $21.95 each and the pods cost between $2.95 for the newborn pod and $11.95 for the bamboo pod.  That's pretty pricey!  I bought all of mine used on eBay and paid approximately $10 for each shell and $2 for each pod, maybe less.
I love that Softbums, and CDs in general, have such a high resale value.  Since I bought my diapers used, I actually made a small profit on the diapers that I sold!  I sold them for $12 each and the pods for $2.50.  We both made out really well.


Quality: 5
These are a really good quality diaper.  When I got them, I compared them to the Baby City diapers and was pleased at how solid they felt.  There was no stretch to the PUL and the microfleece inside stayed nice and fluffy. As I said before, the resale value on the diapers is really good because of how well they are made.  When I sold my diapers, the elastic was still near perfect.  There was only a small amount of wear and tear on the aplix, to be expected, and no stains on anything that I sold.  I attribute that to taking good care of the diapers and to their quality construction.  

Convenience: 5
Being an AI2 system, what I liked about them was the ability to reuse the shells.  I used to alternate between 2 shells during the day unless S pooped on them.  They have fabric inside that gets wet since the pods aren't PUL lined, so you just lay the shells out to dry and reuse them.  I never had any issue with stink or irritation doing this and my washloads were much smaller than they are now that I'm using pocket diapers more than I used to.

Overall score: 4.5
That's a pretty respectable score!  Like I said, they're my high school sweetheart diaper.  I don't use them for every day like I used to, but I won't get rid of them altogether.  S's dad still prefers them to the snap on pockets that I have since purchased.