Newbee Questions

Hi All,
 
We just bought a stock of 30 MEOS diapers in the unbleached.  Our baby is due in 8 weeks so we are preparing.  I used these diapers with a family I used to nanny for and loved them (more so than other brands I used with other families).  Therefore I am confident in my choice and we bought a large stock up front.
 
I am a little unsure how many times I need to wash them before first use though!  I've read everywhere from once to ten times!  My understanding is that the washes are needed with the unbleached to remove the natural oils.  But my question is, if using them with a newborn and I am planning to change them like hourly I don't really need them at their maximum absorbancy right away so is it safe for baby to just wash them once to start.  Will they then continue to remove the oils as I wash them every other day after use?
 
Another question.  I was planning to use Tide Pure and Gentle. Which I realize is not by any means pure and quite unlikely gentle.  I'd prefer this over regular Tide (no perfumes etc).  But, does this work as well at the regular Tide to remove stains/smells?  Since I plan to do the extra rinsing etc I am not too worried about not using a "natural" detergent which from my research seem to not work as well or are not actually "natural".  I can switch to Ivory Snow if it is better than the Tide Pure and Gentle for diapers/baby but it was about 3x the cost so didn't seem worth it. 
 
As well, do I need to prep/prewash the diaper covers (AF)?
 
Thanks!
Summer

I would recommend washing them more than once but absolutely not 10 times. They'll get more absorbent for the first 10 washes but they'll be usable long before that. Considering how you say you'll be using them, I'd say 2-3 washes should be fine. Typically it's 4-6 hot washes that's recommended though using them on a frequently changed newborn probably makes that a little less critical. The important part is that you're aware that they won't be at their peak absorbency so if left on too long or peed in heavily then they may possibly leak. It's mostly a problem when people aren't aware of this, use them for 3 hours on a 6 month old and then think that the diapers don't work well and switch brands (or even worse give up on cloth altogether).
 
I'd say you'll probably be fine with the Tide Free & Gentle. It's not the most 'natural' or eco-friendly like you said, but Tide is absolutely one of the most effective detergents out there (and it's easy to find!). I don't think that the 'free & gentle' version will make any difference, far as I know they've just left out the heavy perfumes & dyes so it should be just as effective. That said, if you're planning on doing extra rinses (not sure you'll them that much with a highly effective detergent but that's my opinion/experience) then you may not have to worry as much about those perfumes/dyes.
 
The covers just need one washing like you would any new baby clothing but that's it, nothing special.
Good luck with the new baby!
 
Karen.

I agree about the number of washes.
As for the Tide Free and Gentle.  I didn't like liquid Tide as much for washing diapers as powdered Tide.  If you have problems with the Free and Gentle then I would recommend trying a different version of Tide.