Choosing To Cloth Diaper

There are so many reasons to cloth diaper.  Save the environment from our already over burdened landfills, financial reasons, allergies to the chemicals in disposables, and so on and so on. 
Some people buy diapers specifically for their baby and change as new babies come along.  Although I do have some cloth diapers that are more suited for either a boy or girl based on the design or color of the diaper, for the most part my stash consists of gender neutral colors and prints.  To me this is just easier to build a useable cloth diaper stash this way.  Sure your baby won't mind wearing a diaper overnight that is better suited for their sibling but I would prefer to have diapers that my husband or I can just grab and use regardless of which bum it will cover.
For me the hardest part of cloth diapering was getting started.  If I had known when I was pregnant with my first child that I would cloth diaper him I would have done things much differently.  Just like when you plan on using disposable diapers people always say "buy a pack/box of diapers every paycheck/month".  This is sound advise and I highly recommend this strategy because your budget will only get tighter and tighter once baby is here.  To get started in cloth diapers before your baby is here the easiest way is to buy some here and there instead of a bunch at once.
There are so many options out there, more then there is room to mention in one post.  So I will briefly describe some that will be mentioned in this post.  Each type and style and brand will have their own pro's and con's. 
First there are all in ones or AIO as you will frequently see it abbreviated as.  These are diapers where the absorbent pad is attached to the waterproof cover where no additional supplies are needed hence the name all in one.  These diapers take the longest to dry in my opinion.
Pocket diapers are a waterproof cover with a sewn on stay dry liner forming a pocket that you stuff with an absorbent insert. 
Inserts range in size, material and shape.  Most common inserts are made of microfiber but others can be almost any absorbent material including but not limited to hemp, bamboo or prefolds.  Inserts are really easy to make your self so stay tuned for a tutorial in the next couple of days!  ;)
Prefolds are fairly popular because they can be used for such a diverse number of things.  They can be used to stuff prefolds, folded around baby as a diaper with a cover or my favorite folded into thirds and placed into a cover.  Usually when people think of prefolds they think of diaper pins but there are other options available.  These dry faster then the other options in my opinion.
Fitted diapers are a nice options as well.  They are essentially a cloth diaper that is not waterproof.  It needs a cover of some sort either PUL, wool or fleece.
Diaper covers come in all colors, materials and sizes.  The three most popular are, as mentioned before, PUL, wool or fleece.  Soon I will be posting a tutorial on how to make diaper covers.  Basically diaper covers cover either a prefold or fitted diaper to keep the moisture from soaking babies (and your) clothing.
Wet bags and pail liners are very useful items to have when cloth diapering.  They provide you with a bag to play the wet and soiled diapers in until wash day.  The bags can be washed along with the diapers so having more then one is recommended.
Sappi's are a brand of cloth diaper closures for use with prefolds.  This is what I believe is the most well known brand but there are others.  These are very handy and a great alternative for those too timid for diaper pins.
Now that you know the terms I will be using in the next few posts I will let you know what will be posted over the next few days.  I will be writing about cloth diapering a newborn, cloth diapering multiple children, washing and stripping diapers, used vs new diapers, snaps vs aplix diapers, cloth diapering older children, various cloth diaper reviews and sewing your own diapers and diapering accessories.  Stay tuned for some exciting posts!