I have done a lot of research on cloth diaper using prefolds with covers and also pocket diapers. I have come to the conclusion that there is no one way or answer. The best thing to do is prep the cloth diapers by washing them about 5 times, then start cloth diapering. Wash them as soon as you have a proper load of cloth diapers. Wash them on very hot with a fragrance free mild laundry detergent so that if anything were to build up in the diapers over time it will be mild and less likely to irritate baby's skin or break down the diapers. If they repel, strip them by washing them with just hot water over and over until no suds remain. Depending on the hardness of your water, you could add a softening agent when you wash. Minerals can build up in the cloth over time. If one thing doesn't work for you, try something else. If that works, stick to it. If not, move on to the next suggestion/method.
No matter how much I read about cloth, everyone has different opinions, methods, routines, diaper pailing, washing and drying techniques. Do what works for YOU based on your lifestyle, environmental factors/weather (maybe don't exclusively dry outdoors in Oregon where it rains, like, ALWAYS hehe) and forget the rest as long as what you're doing is effective.
I haven't even begun to go into what kind of diapers you choose or how you pin, if you pin. We are using mostly 6-ply prefolds with old school diaper pins, contoured/curved diaper pins and Snappis. We have some 3-ply prefolds we will likely use when she is a newborn or smaller baby and later as a second layer for night time if needed. We'll see how absorbent they are in comparison to her needs. Every baby is different, too!
These are Snappis. They are attached by hooking them onto one side, then pulling tight to the opposite side and finally pulling down to form a "Y" shape and hooking there. These hold tight using teeth as you can kind of see in the picture on the left.
These are 6-ply prefolds. Once you wash them a few times, they get really thick and fluffy. Then you know they're ready to absorb some pee! haha
These are the pocket diaper we got. They are also considered hybrids because you can use them with disposable liners and inserts. We are not doing that but it's an option. We are using OS-One Size diapers which means you can use them from birth to potty training by adjusting their size. They use slide-adjustable elastics in the legs (covered by super soft material, of course) and snap closures on the front of the diaper. Each diaper was $21.99 at Target and comes with two microfiber inserts in the smaller and larger size. These can be used alone or doubled up for night time or heavy wetters. You CAN find similar diapers cheaper BUT they're not the same. They aren't as adjustable or they're just a cover for a prefold, which is fine. We will be purchasing those too. We have a black one, a white one and a white with pink, red and blue hearts. We will buy more as we go on assuming we like them in-use as much as we like them now.
OK, well I'm in the middle of prepping some prefolds right now so I better go change the wash over. I will definitely be updating on this topic once baby girl is here and we've got some real-world experience under our belts. I've been teaching Joe how to cloth diaper using all the methods we have as we go along so I'll definitely get his opinion on this topic as well.
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