Cloth Diapering

The least expensive route is either flats or Prefolds. Flats are the old fashioned diapers which are simply a single layer of fabric, usually cotton. Prefolds do not come folded already, despite the word prefold in its name. Prefold applies to the layers of cloth already stitched together compared to a flat, which is just a single layer piece of fabric. The three numbers (2x6x2, 4x6x4, 4x8x4) refer to the number of fabric layers of the three panels of the prefold diaper with the middle panel being the thickest. 4x8x4 size prefold has 4 layers of fabric on the left and 8 layers of fabric down the middle and right side. Two types of prefolds are CPF (Chinese Prefold) and IPF (Indian Prefold).

A prefold is just cotton, so a cover must be used with it after pinning the diaper or using a Snappi to prevent moisture from leaking onto clothing/furniture. Some popular brands of covers are:
Bummis Super Whisper Wrap,
Imse Vimse
Stacinator
Aristocrat Wool Soaker
Loveybums
Thirsties

Another option is a contour diaper, which is like a flat diaper that has been cut in at the legs and shaped at the top to form tabs. There isn't any elastic at the legs (so no potential for red marks). Contours are similar in function to prefolds but easier to use. They have an insert sewn in. This is another cheap option and requires no folding. It does require a cover. You may wish to pin these for a better fit. A popular brand is:
Kissaluvs

The next step up is a fitted cloth diaper. This one is usually bunched around the legs and comes with buttons or velcro. No folding, pins or snappis necessary. A cover must be used with it as well. Some popular brands of fitteds are:
Dream-Eze
Swaddlebees
Under the Nile
Thirsties Fab Fitted
Heiny Hugger

Then, there's the pocket diaper. It has a cover built in either with velcro or snaps to fasten, is lined with microfleece and has a pocket for inserts. You have control over absorbency by the type and thickness of the inserts you put in.Some popular brands of pocket diapers are:
Happy Heiny's
bumGenius
Fuzzi Bunz
Drybees

All-in-ones (AIOs) are very similar to disposables, but you don't throw them away. They're like the pocket diapers above, but the inserts are sewn in and you cannot be taken out and absorbency within the lining cannot be adjusted. People who prefer AIOs feel that they have a trimmer fit than the other cloth diapering options. These are great for hesitant parents as well as grandparents and child care providers or anyone who isn't folding and snapping prefolds all the time and has not gone through the process of learning that art with these diapers. A common complaint is that they take too long to dry. Some popular brands of AIOs are:
Drybees
bumGenius

Prefolds

Chinese Prefolds need to be washed and dried several times before the first use to make them soft and absorbent. A good practice is to wash on hot with a cold rinse at least 5 times. They should be dried after each of the first three washes and again after the fifth wash. Detergent should be used with the first three washes and none for the last two.

Here is a photo demonstration on one particular type of fold.

Laundering Cloth Diapers

A lot of parents routinely wash diapers every other day. If it's sunny outside, hanging them to dry is a great way to get the natural bleaching power of the sun and fresh air on them. Dirty wet diapers can be stored in this hanging diaper pail and the pail can be washed with the diapers. It's a good practice to keep two pails so one is available to store wet diapers while the other is washing. For the soiled diapers, spray them off in the toilet and put them in a hard plastic trash bin (less porous than a flexible). There are specific detergents to avoid, basically you want to avoid anything with perfumes or whitening enzymes (irritants) as well as anything with borox or bleach.

Here are some links which review detergents for use with cloth diapers:
Top Loading Washers PinStripes and PolkaDots
Front Loading/High Efficiency PinStripes and PolkaDots
Diaper Jungle

You only need about 2 1/2 days worth of diapers to have a full supply if you wash every other day. It's a big hit in the pocketbook initially, but when you consider the disposables being used over the course of 2 or 3 yrs....you can really save a lot of cash. There are numerous other factors to choose cloth diapers, including the dangers of those "super absorbent" chemicals in disposables. If you're looking for some good information to switch or to convince your significant other to switch....there's plenty of it out there.

All About Wool (Lanolizing)

Info. coming soon.

Before Buying, Remember This!

An important thing to remember when going cloth is that although most cloth products are made alike, all children are not. Something that works very well for one child, might not work so well for another. It is a good idea to sample a few different brands of the type of diaper and cover that interests you the most before investing in a particular style or combination completely!

Diaper Reviews

Diaper Pin is a great source for reviews on diapers, retailers and cloth diapering accessories!

Why Use Cloth Wipes?

Lots of cloth diapering parents find it convenient to use cloth wipes. When trying to use a disposable wipe, unless you have a disposable diaper to throw it into, it really is a hassle! With a cloth wipe, you simply toss into the laundry pile with the rest of the cloth and you are good to go.

Kissaluvs wipes have gotten good reviews, but a plain cotton washcloth will work just fine.

Here is a site that has some recipes for homemade wipes solutions.