Cloth Diapering . . . Confused!!

Great question because I am 12 weeks pregnant with my second and was wanting to do cloth diapers however there is so much out there I have no idea where to begin. Not to mention if you pick one style of cloth diaper some websites carry the inserts and some don't.
What I have been doing is reading reviews on each style and trying to find sample bundles so that I can see what is going to work. Best of Luck.

I would highly suggest flats or a fitted diaper f
or newborns. Usually the One size diaper are to big for the tiny babies.
After that I highly suggest pockets. SOOOOOO nice not to have to fold diapers. Also great for any babysitter.
There are cloth diaper rentals where you will get brand new or extreamly excellent used condition. You will rent them for X amount of time and this way you can try out several different brands too. Google "Newborn cloth diaper rental" and you will get so many options.
Here is an example of one:
http://www.modernclothdiapers.com/catalog/newborn-diaper-...
Also if you are on Facebook check out Cloth Diapering Mommies. We are a bunch of AWESOME (if I don't say so myself) mama's that love to help newbies out. My first order of cloth diapers I only ordered covers and not any prefolds! I thought they all came with! I was sooo confused as to what the difference between them all.
If you need any help, i'm here for ya! I also have a blog for cloth diapering
largebummies.blogspot.com

When I had my first I bought 24 small chinese cotton prefolds, 2 Snappi fasteners, and a few covers (I like prorap and thirsties covers). I washed them about every three days or so. If I had more and waited longer between washings they would get too stinky. When my baby got a little older I got 24 of the larger size chinese cotton prefolds and a few more covers. I have aded/replaced a few covers along the way, but I am CDing my fourth baby and still using the same 24 and 24 prefolds and 2 Snappi fasteners I bought originally. They have held up great. It was definitely the most economical way to go and at the time it was really all I could afford. I have a couple pocket diapers given to me by a friend, but I have not cared for them at all. I do use disposables when we travel out of state to visit family, but when my babies were little they had way more "blow outs" with disposables, I went through so many outfits when we were traveling. I do get some leaks out of the cloth, but it has always been contained by the cover, I have never had a full "blow out" with my cloth. I have never used the all-in-ones, fitteds, etc, so I can't speak to those. But I do know one benefit to those is the ease of use for daycare/babysitters, etc.
You could get some samples from various websites, buy some small lots of used to try them out from diaperswappers.com or ebay. If you sample some all-in-ones or pockets and end up going with prefolds you could always use those for when a sitter is watching the baby. Even when you decide on style you should sample a few different brands because babies come in all shapes and sizes (small waist, chunky thighs, long torso, etc) and the various brands all fit babies differently. I did use disposables with all of them until their umbilical cord fell off. I had small babies and had trouble getting the cloth fitted low enough to keep the cord clean and dry. Just continue reading and researching, get on a couple CD forums. If you have a CD store in your area stop in and visit with the sales people, many offer classes or at least some good advice. It would be cheaper to go from prefolds to AIOs than the other way around. If you start with one and change your mind you could try selling to recoup at least some of your money. You can always use prefolds as doublers, and they make great (but expensive) cleaning rags. As you said everybody likes something different, ultimately I guess the best way to know what you will like is to try a few out.

One of my girlfriends has used cloth diapers for her last two children. Baby #4-she went with a diaper service to begin with. I would definitely check in your area about prices and what it entails. At least you could see how many diapers/covers they send for newborns. Then you could start pricing what you may need. I know I've heard her talk about Bummis, Envibum, and Green Mountain diapers. One cool item she uses is Snappi diaper fasteners. I personally used disposables on my son.... Hope this helps:)

I liked the MotherEase diapers. Just as easy to wash as a prefold, lots easier to use. One size fits all. Can double as training underwear. Pretty darn durable. I got most of mine secondhand online, used them for two kids, and passed most of them on to be used again.

Ask for cloth diapers as a baby shower gift. Ask people to give you whatever they liked best. You'll end up with an assortment of styles. When you find yourself rooting through the diaper box to find that particular style you love, you know that's the one to get more of.

Also, take a look at the book "Diaper Free: the gentle wisdom of natural infant hygiene" (yes, it's a corny title). I did elimination communication with my kids, so they did most of their pooping in the toilet. Since I wasn't going totally diaper free, I didn't worry much about peeing. I had to deal with maybe one poopy diaper a week, and they were out of diapers before they were two. *Very* convenient. Wet diapers can just be tossed in the laundry with towels.

Good luck!

I remember being exactly where you are now. :) It. Was. So. Confusing. Then there were these Mom's who'd say, "Oh, it's simple, you just...." Then they'd start rambling in (seemingly) another language. And it didn't help that they ALL had a different answer. So, now that I completely understand that "foreign language", I'm going to do my best not to confuse you further. I ended up using Rumparooz brand. They are the ONLY cloth dipes out there with an inner gusset (you know that thing that is on disposables that always - well almost always - catches the really horrible messes?) Rumparooz has it in a cloth version, so it is even better than the disposable ones. I've never - scouts honor - never had a leak get through one of those bad boys. They are one-size, that was a huge plus for me. I mean if I was going to be shelling out all this money to "save" money, I darn sure didn't want to have to do it more than once. So, one-size to carry me ALL the way through? Sign me up. Not as important, but they have cute prints, and every color one could want. Plenty of choices for boy or girl (or unisex). They each come with 2 inserts right off the bat. I've never needed more. You'll only use the smaller one at first, then switch it out for the larger one, and later you'll use both at once. They even have snaps on them to help with doubling, which other brands do not have. Easy-peasy, my 6 year old would say. Now I did also buy the Lil-Joey's (you'll see this adorable creation if you visit the site). It is the AIO (all in one) mini version of the Rumparooz one-size diaper. It is made for preemies and newborns. Tiny little cloth diapers for if you tend to have small babies (which I do). They are beyond cute, but to be completely and totally honest - not nearly as good as the one-size Rumparooz). I mean they work, but when you have a baby that tiny, truly, disposables work better. So, even though they have got the be the cutest things ever, I'd buy more one-sizes for later and skip the tiny Lil-Joeys. If you have a small baby, use a good (natural or sensitive) disposable until he or she fits into the one-sizes (it won't be long at all - IF you even need to do that). Anyway, I'll stop talking for now. Here is their website:
http://www.rumparooz.com/
Click on the "Shop Now!" link in orange on the top right and look at the diapers and there is a ton of info on the shopping pages. I think you'll like what you see. :) Oh you asked about how many... That really depends on your budget and how often you plan to wash and of course the cycle of your little one. I washed every single day, so I could get away with having less diapers. There is an article on the Rumparooz site to answer that too. I think it may be in the FAQ's section? Just look around, you'll see tons of useful info, even if you go with another brand. :)

Good luck!

Try buying some used diapers on Craigslist, ebay, or diaper swap when your baby is young to find the kind that you like best then get more.

I have only used BumGenius all in one, one size diapers and love them. I have about 24 that I have used for 2 kids from about 3 months old until potty training.

I went old school.
3 dozen plain flat diapers, a few pairs of waterproof pants to go over them, and diaper pins. That was 21 years ago, but as I recall, they weren't very expensive, and the only thing I had to buy after that was bigger waterproof pants as my daughter grew.
I rinsed them in the toilet before putting them in the diaper pail, and washed them like I did everything else - cold water, same detergent as the rest of the laundry. No separate or hot water washes, no bleach, no special detergent.

I agree with trying Craigslist or used ones to save $ I help figure out what you like. I highly recommended this website: http://www.diaperpin.com/dictionary.asp#aio

It breaks down & defines all the differents types of diapers (systems) available. Then once you decide one type of diapers you like, there are still many brands to choose from. Take it slow, research little by little. This site if very informative & helps answer all of you questions.

Good luck.

P.S. My favorite cloth diapers for my 4 babies have been BumGenius One size pocket diapers. Unlike disposables, I have never had a leak. Those suckers have kept in the most exposive messes. Free shipping at Cottonbabies.com

Unfortunately, finding your "perfect" diaper stash takes a lot of trial and error.

The least expensive way to start would be prefolds and covers. My personal favorites are unbleached Indian prefolds and Econobums one-size covers. (I'm not thrilled with the Econobums prefolds that can be packaged with the covers.)

I did find that many one-size covers didn't actually fit my kids well until they hit the 2 month mark, but I tend to have long, skinny babies. I usually go with Proraps covers until they fill out more.

Go to Babycenter and join the Cloth Diapering group. It's huge and they will help you out!
I CD full time and just want to encourage you, it's much easier than you would think! And doesn't expose your baby to unneccesary chemicals.

For some economy options try the seconds sales at Cotton Babies for Bum Genius, and cheap pockets like Sunbaby and Alva. I have both as well as some more expensive brands. Your baby can wear one size pockets from about 10 pounds. Before that you may want to consider a newborn diaper rental (much cheaper than buying them!) from Kelly's closet or another site. But the moms on BBC will be happy to help you! They are experts. Go there and post a question. Go to Babycenter.com>Community>groups>Cloth Diapering. It's a message board like this.

First, skip the newborn cloth diapering. It's just not worth the cost. Use disposables until baby has outgrown newborn sized diapers.

Second, buy lots of different kinds of diapers to see what is going to work for you. Every one has different needs and preferences.

I prefer the one size all-in-ones. I'm lazy and hate stuffing diapers. However, I'm cheap and don't want to buy an all new stash every time baby has a growth spurt.

Check online For Sale or Trade sites for good deals so you don't over spend on something that you end up not liking. Spots Corner on hyenacart.com is a great place for FSOT. I also love Clothdiapernation.com. The mamas there are the best. Avoid Diaperswappers.com unless you have a seriously air-tight antivirus program. They have the E-herpes bad. Everytime I sneak back over there I get hit with another virus.