Julie asked how we like cloth diapering. I LOVE IT! I cringe every time I have to buy disposables (which we do occasionally for trips, etc). Cloth diapers have undergone a metamorphosis, and they are wonderful things now! These are not your mama's diapers!
When we are at home, we do use the flat diapers (half chinese, half indian, but I don't notice the difference) with covers that you imagine when you think "cloth." However, they are oh so much better than the Gerber things you use for burp cloths! 
Safety pins are a thing of the past; we use Snappis, stretchy y-shaped things that have grippers on the three ends. 
The covers are not elastic pants that leak all over you. The covers are PUL material (waterproof and lightweight) that velcro on just like pampers. I have never had a one (that was put on correctly) leak. Even when I forgot to bring a diaper and we were out longer than I planned, and the diaper weighed 5 pounds when we took it off!
When out and about, I prefer to use BumGenius one size diapers. These are the cloth version of pampers. They are baby shaped, and have velcro tabs. The great thing is you can adjust their absorbency by adding the stuffing yourself. There is a slit in the back of the diaper where you insert a rectangular piece of cloth into the diaper. We use one during the day, and two at night. We always use these diapers at night. Its outer layer pulls the moisture away from the tushy, so they aren't waking up uncomfortable, needing a diaper change in the middle of the night. These are adjustable in size, so I was able to test this diaper on Bella at age 2 1/2, and use the same one on Bianca at 3 months. We don't have to buy any new diapers! They are also awesome with their customer service, answering my questions, and even replaced our 9 diapers because the velcro had frayed, even after they were a month past warranty! I have not had that problem with their new one size diapes (BG 3.0).
When we are at home, we do use the flat diapers (half chinese, half indian, but I don't notice the difference) with covers that you imagine when you think "cloth." However, they are oh so much better than the Gerber things you use for burp cloths! Safety pins are a thing of the past; we use Snappis, stretchy y-shaped things that have grippers on the three ends. The covers are not elastic pants that leak all over you. The covers are PUL material (waterproof and lightweight) that velcro on just like pampers. I have never had a one (that was put on correctly) leak. Even when I forgot to bring a diaper and we were out longer than I planned, and the diaper weighed 5 pounds when we took it off!When out and about, I prefer to use BumGenius one size diapers. These are the cloth version of pampers. They are baby shaped, and have velcro tabs. The great thing is you can adjust their absorbency by adding the stuffing yourself. There is a slit in the back of the diaper where you insert a rectangular piece of cloth into the diaper. We use one during the day, and two at night. We always use these diapers at night. Its outer layer pulls the moisture away from the tushy, so they aren't waking up uncomfortable, needing a diaper change in the middle of the night. These are adjustable in size, so I was able to test this diaper on Bella at age 2 1/2, and use the same one on Bianca at 3 months. We don't have to buy any new diapers! They are also awesome with their customer service, answering my questions, and even replaced our 9 diapers because the velcro had frayed, even after they were a month past warranty! I have not had that problem with their new one size diapes (BG 3.0).Our diaper stash is cost effective. We did not buy the fancy embroidered diapers, or a bunch of unnecessary things. We have 9 BumGenius one size diapers, and a dozen flats with 5 covers. I made cloth wipes using discount flannel from Walmart, and also used some of this to make some liners in the case of needing diaper rash cream (Liners are required for this b/c the cream will cause build-up on the diapers.). We do have the diaper sprayer, and I love it. I never have to swish or soak the diapers in the toilet! It took two months of not buying disposable diapers and wipes to recoup what we spent on the stash.
As far as laundry, I mentioned previously, we ALWAYS have laundry going, so I didn't notice adding diapers to it. I do diapers about every other day. It requires two wash cycles and one rinse. We did not notice our water bill increasing when we started this, either.
I only wish we would have started with Bella in cloth. We discussed it, but there was too much transition in our lives, and I was overwhelmed with nursing for the first time. I don't recommend putting pressure on yourself and starting at the hospital with the first baby! This is something most people should ease into and enjoy!
I did use the BumGenius diapers when I was potty training. We used them at night. It cut down on the cost of buying pullups or diapers. I thought they were great, they are definitely not our mamma's cloth diapers!
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