"Seriously? She uses cloth diapers?"

You better believe it, girl!  I do...and I LOVE IT.  It's not difficult or time consuming. I can say that honestly because my time is precious. I have a 3 year old and a 7 month old!  Here's my journey and some pointers that may help you get started if you're wondering about taking the plunge:

A few of my initial concerns included price (we are a one income teacher family), time (like I have time to do even one more thing, right?), and general grossness. Is that a word? Okay, so let's get to it. I did a bit of research, but the most helpful source were three friends who have used/use them.  One friend used them with all three of her boys- twins in that bunch, to say the least.  Another friend used them with a newborn (whom with which you would think-leaks?) My third friend's little guy was much older and she started using them when he was on solids to avoid a messy diaper.

So, let's get down and dirty.


Price 
*It's important  to note before we get started that if you're short on cash and you want an investment, you should purchase the "one size" cloth diapers (most brands make them). There is no need to buy small, medium and large sizes. You want Baby to wear them and they all adjust to Baby's size with snaps or velcro. 
I started with really reasonably priced "Oh Baby Ka" brand from China and bought them through ebay. They were priced at  $2.37/diaper and inserts.  I only bought 5 just to start with and try out this whole cloth diaper thing.
I used just 5  with disposables for a month or so. I washed them every day (which was not a big deal-will talk about that more specifically later in the post).  This might be a good suggestion for you if you're a little skeptical about this process.

After a month or so, I did decide to purchase another set, but my friend had given me two Charlie Banana brand diapers at my baby shower. I really thought they were cute, stylish and they had a lot of pros- like a bra-strap like adjustment inside the diaper leg and the fabric was sleek and soft.  They are considerably more than the previous brand averaging $99-$116 for a box of 6 on ebay, amazon, or in major retail stores.  Charlie Banana Diapers on Amazon
Now, I'm wondering: How many do I really need?
 I read that some people like to  have a two day supply or more, but again, we're a one income family, so it was fine with me to have just a small amount. Please don't be afraid of washing them- it is not time consuming at all. (We'll talk more later, remember?) 
There is a third brand that I did try. After another month, I purchased several Alva Baby brand diapers from amazon.  I REALLY like these the best. They average $50-$60 for a pack of 6 with inserts. I like the price and I LOVE the designs. They are very cute. I'll make sure to put a picture on this post for you to see.
Alva Baby Cloth Diapers on Amazon
You also need to plan for either buying two inserts per diaper or buying natural fiber made prefolds (cloth like burp cloth type things) you can place between Baby's hiny and the diaper cover for older babies who need more protection.

Did my water bill go up?
It did- by just $7 a month. It is holding steady around that.  Even though I collected more diapers and only have to wash every other day now (again, my little one is 7 months old and doesn't go through as many as a newborn) it still doesn't use much water to wash a load every day if I need to.  
What detergent do I buy?
We bought "ALL" free and clear- the big container with the drip spout.  It only takes a VERY small amount of detergent to run a small load of diapers.  You do not need fabric softner- if you use it, it clogs the pores of the fabric. Most instructions on your diapers say not to use that and to only use a free and clear detergent.
How much of my time does it take?
I do put a diaper load in every day to every other day. You don't want a pee smell- even though most people use a lid closed plastic trash can or dry pail. I use an open lid small white trash can from walmart -$2- and sprinkle baking soda into it to hold the smell down if I can't get to or don't want to wash a load every day.  I found a time that would work for me to throw the diapers in the wash. You ideally need to air dry them, but that takes a while. I found it's quicker to put them in the dryer on low heat at least until they're almost dry.  It takes me an average of 15 uninterrupted minutes to stuff diapers with inserts. 
Is it gross? Do they stain?
At first, I was afraid my diapers would stain and rinsed out poopies then soaked in a bit of detergent and cold water.  DO NOT DO THIS. It clogs the pores of the diapers. The diapers have not stained a bit yet.  Mallory Kate, my little one, has even started solids (of all colors) and her diapers are still as white as the Easter bunny. No worries. (My husband, Corey, was quite worried about this at the beginning.) 
The Great Leaks
MaK (Mallory Kate, my little one) had some leaks early on when I was soaking the diapers in detergent before washing them. This is a no, no because it does clog the pores.  You can easily get rid of clogged pores by putting 1-2 TBSP of the blue DAWN dish soap into your wash and then putting the diapers on an extra rinse cycle makes sure to get it all out.  If your baby is at least 6 months old, and he/she is having leaks, it's time for another insert or added prefold. Cloth diapers work great at night when you use extra inserts. It does make their little hinys balloons, but it keeps the leaks down. Natural fiber prefolds absorb better too.
The Poopy Problem
No, this is not an episode of PBS Kids' Peg + Cat where the episodes are always labeled "The  _________ Problem", but let's face it. Poop can be a problem.  It's easy with a disposable. You toss it. With your cloth diapers, this requires some work. For some people, this is a "no go" decision. For me, it didn't matter. The pros outweighed this one little con.  A lot of people use a diaper sprayer (around $50) which is like a kitchen sprayer but hooks to your potty line and you spray the poopy off the diaper. I did find a blog that explained how to DIY, but it costs almost as much and there was a great debate as to whether or not the yucky stuff would back up in the line or if there would be "splashing". 
So,  I needed a quick fix for waxy poop.  Eureka. Are you ready for this? Cheap, plastic kitchen spatula from Walmart (I only had a tiny one and it works just fine). I scrape the poopy into the toilet and then wipe the spatcula with toilet paper. Then I Lysol it and store it safely up high near the toilet on toilet paper. I have a cheap $2 pail from walmart next to the toilet and proceed to run cold water in it to rinse and wring out the diaper. It then goes into the lidded small stainless steel trash can next to the toilet with the plastic lift out insert bucket. I got that at Walmart too! *This is a nice item because I can lift the insert out and take it to the washing machine without touching a dirty diaper. Last,  I wash, wash, wash my hands with soap and warm water thouroughly and then Lysol the pail I rinsed the diaper in. Litterly, this takes only a couple of minutes. I can't stand the thought of putting my hands in the toilet- which is where some people rinse their diapers out. That's fine for them, but not for me!
What about Going out?
At first, we just took a few disposables with us, but as I grew more confident, I just took a wet/dry bag- which you can purchase online. wet dry bag My wet/dry bag is a gallon size zip-loc. :)  I just put the dirty diaper in it and keep it until we get home.   I also really like these  Arm & Hammer Bags.