Sounds like you are on the right track. I used old towels for bedding because my runners ate the shavings and my beloved was allergic to them anyway. So watch the little sillies, make sure they do not eat the shavings. I think it was Wifezilla who placed something like plastic poultry fence on top of the shavings to keep her littles from eating them until they were older.
Babies splash A WHOLE LOT, so some way to catch the splash will be needed, you don't want Camp Swampy, and it causes the brooder to be too cool sometimes. That was my experience. I could keep the dry brooder (I used a huge tote at first) at 90F with dry bedding, but when the duckies got in there and soaked the bedding, I couldn't break 80. So I put the waterer on top of a two part broiling pan with a washcloth on it. That helped quite a bit. With each increase of waterer size, I had to come up with a bigger splash catcher, too.
Don't let it get you down. It takes some figuring to find a system that works for you.
The littles need water and food 24/7. And they need room service, too
