To cloth or not to cloth

So, for the past several months, we've been exlporing the options of cloth diapers. If you're my parents' age or haven't explored cloth diapers since we were babies, you're thinking I'm crazy! Yes, I re-use the diapers every day , and yes, I put dirty diapers in my washer, but it's not AT ALL what it used to be!

The cloth diapering community is FULL of information, choices, and opinions - each one enough to overwhelm even the most determined mom! There are hundreds of online retailers, independent companies, blogs, and websites dedicated completely to cloth diapering, and users range from full-out reusable everything, to those who still use disposables when traveling and out and about (more my style). Will you use prefolds, pocktets, or all-in-ones? How should you go about washing them? What detergent should you use? What if you encounter stains and/or smell? And what's up with all of the acronyms? There are acronyms for the type of diaper, the diaper parts, the diaper brand, and I could go on. . .

I'm all for saving money and being more environmentally friendly, especially if it's good for my kiddo, but I'm not a big fan of poop, and getting up close and personal is not my idea of a good time. After a LOT of confusion and the help of a few experienced friends, I decided to jump in and give it a try. So far, I've used only pocket diapers (a waterproof cover and soft liner with a removable "soaker" inside), but they really are convenient and have the potential to save us TONS of money! I say potential b/c we're still trying to find the best fit for us. Here's our progress so far:

We started with Bum Genius 3.0 (pink), but Tink had a reaction to the microfiber liner with a horrible rash! Apparently, this is super uncommon, and most of my friends like this brand best.

We moved on to Happy Heinys (lavendar) (did I mention that cloth diapers have some hilarious names?) She did much better with those, but they're super bulky, especially for my tiny girl!

Our next brand is going to be Green Acre Designs (orange) - I heard great things about their trim design, so I'm hoping that they will work better for us. The only downside is that they're not as adjustable, so they won't fit the new baby until he's around 22 lbs (the others are supposedly fully adjustable from 8-35 lbs - we'll see. . .)

I'm also thinking about trying Fuzzi Bunz (green). These are adjustable in the waist as well as the legs, which I think might be helpful, but my friend who has tried them wasn't a fan.

So, now that your head is spinning as much as mine, let me know what you think about cloth diapers. Have you tried them and had any luck (in the past 10 years)? Do you know anyone who has been using them for awhile? Any tips or suggestions?