best cloth diapers? brands, kind? and why?

I've been cloth diapering for about 3 years, and I'm currently CDing two kids. We've saved thousands of dollars over the years by using cloth. I'm a big fan. I've also used disposables, and while there are some pros, I still prefer cloth overall.

You may like different brands, depending on your preferences and your individual babies, but these are what I use.

For my youngest, I use bumGenius 3.0 one size: http://www.cottonbabies.com/product_info.php?cPath... and Fuzzibunz, the old style, which aren't manufactured anymore, but you can google and see the new ones (I can only post 10 links, and I reached my limit). I've never used the new ones, though. Occasionally with my youngest, I'll use unbleached prefolds with a Thirsties cover: http://www.cottonbabies.com/product_info.php?cPath...

When he was a newborn, we used bleached prefolds with Dappi covers. I got them in this kit: http://www.cottonbabies.com/product_info.php?cPath... The kit comes with 12 prefolds, 4 Dappies, 2 Snappies to fasten the prefolds, and 1 bumGenius 3.0 to use at nighttime. The covers work surprisingly well for the price, and the kit is enough to cloth diaper a baby for about a day, maybe longer if they're older. For the price, it's a really good kit, in my opinion. It's a really good way to start out if you're on a really tight budget.

For my oldest, I use unbleached prefolds with Thirsties covers. I've used other diapers on him in the past, but he grew out of them, and these are the best fit for him now that he's bigger.

Here's some of my other cloth diapering tips:

1. Get a few different kinds of diapers and try them all out so you can decide what kind works best for you. Check out this site. They have a trial package that you can try for 21 days for a deposit, and if you send them back, they give you your deposit back: http://www.jilliansdrawers.com/products/clothdiape...

2. Get a diaper sprayer, like this one: http://www.amazon.com/bumGenius-Diaper-Sprayer/dp/...

It will make cleaning up poop so much easier for you. All you do is plop the poop in the toilet, and spray off the residue - no dunking in the toilet.

3. Baking soda, vinegar, and tea tree oil are your friends when you're cloth diapering. I use baking soda in the wash, and I use vinegar with a few drops of tea tree oil in the rinse. They keep my diapers stain and odor free. I also use tea tree oil in the pail to keep it from smelling.

4. You only need a very tiny bit of detergent. I use All Free and Clear. Only about a tablespoon is needed for one load - even less if you have a high efficiency front loader. Using too much detergent will cause build up in your diapers, and they'll start to repel urine and leak. You can ruin your diapers this way. Trust me, you don't need very much detergent *at all*. This chart is very helpful in finding a good detergent for your cloth diapers: http://www.diaperjungle.com/detergent-chart.html

5. You can buy biodegradable, flushable diaper liners to make poop clean ups even easier. You can find these here: http://www.jilliansdrawers.com/products/clothdiape... I, personally, don't use liners, but if you want to cut costs while saving yourself a little mess, you can try these.

Also, check out these sites for more information and answer to your questions. Good luck!

Lots of good reviews here: http://www.diaperpin.com/home.asp

I bought all of my diapers here: http://www.cottonbabies.com/

The truth about cloth diapers - fact Vs fiction: http://www.jilliansdrawers.com/newtocloth

You can get second hand or handmade cloth diapers at Diaperswappers, Craigslist, Freecycle, Etsy, Hyenacart, and Ebay. You'll have to google them because, again, I can't post any more links because I met my limit.

Good luck!

We prefer pockets and pre-folds with a thirsties cover. This way we can break down the diaper and make sure it gets cleaner, AIO's take much longer to dry too.

We have a variety of types but our favorites are fuzzy bunz, snap-ez and bumgenius. I guess ease of use and trim fit are our reasons.

What I find is a great way to save money is to buy seconds. Pocket diapers that come as seconds don't usually come with the microfiber insert but you can stuff it with a pre-fold, or buy microfiber towels from the dollar store and fold up those. wash colored microfiber towels a few times separate though, they do bleed.

Try www.clothdiaperclearance.com or www.babyhopesclothdiapers.com I find they usually have the best deals.

My brother has been using g diapers for his son. They come in all sorts of different colors and they have inserts in them that you can throw away.