Cloth diapering..... Why?

A wonderful lady said to me...... Candice, why? Answer me these questions.....

1. What are the benefits of cloth diapering? (Why convert from disposables?)

2. How does CDing = money saved? When I look at the cost of the special diapers, inserts, etc etc etc (plus laundry costs).... it seems comparable, if not MORE expensive than just stocking up on pampers. Maybe I just don't get it. Do you buy one sized diapers that fit a baby from newborn all the way up to size 2T (or whatever)??? Or do you constantly have to upgrade your sizes?

3. What's the best way to start? Should you go to a baby boutique? Or buy online? How do you know what's going to fit your baby comfortably? (For example, it took a lot of different brand trials for me to finally settle on Pampers for Josh). Is there any way to test-try CDs?

4. Do CDs ever go on sale? I'm clearly shopping in the wrong places because (aside from Kushies which are sold at Walmart and Sears), I've never seen CDs in stores!Well my dear Kat..... Let me tell you why... :)

Well.... Let me tell you!
1) What kind of underwear do you have on right now?
Would you like to trade what you have on for paper and plastic undies?
No eh... Hmmmmmm....
Cloth diapers are made from breathable fabrics that surround wee one with nice soft loveable and cuteness. Most cloth diapers also have moisture-wicking inners to provide a stay-dry feeling on baby's bumbum.
Cloth diapers DON'T have plastic that rubs against babys skin nor does it have anything to dig into baby like many disposable diapers do.

"Have you noticed what disposable diaper commercials advertise? "Cloth-like" outer layers - they know that cloth is most comfortable too!" - CD source.
Cloth diapers is more economical than disposables. Although setting up a stash CAN be a big investiment, they can also be very reasonable, oh, and, cloth can last for YEARS and be used for multiple children. Not only do cloth diapers last, they get better with age because the more you wash them the more absorbent they become.

I mean, the same can be said for disposables, kind of..... They certainly last for years in a landfill.... Inface, about 500 of them.. The diapers your baby will use will still be there after their grandchildrens, grandchildrens, grandchildren have left this earth.....

You can and will save from $500-$2000 from birth to potty training. Wanna hear something awesome...... Cloth diapers can be saved for future children OR sold to get some of that money you sent (keeping in mind its already saved you loads of dough). Yep you read right, you can RESELL your diapers, and they have a pretty darn good resale value too! :)
"The fabrics used in cloth diapers allow for increased airflow inside the diaper which helps prevent diaper rash and keeps baby cooler. Disposable diapers contain chemicals, paper, plastic, and have been reported to cause allergic reactions among other serious health problems." - CD source.
"Disposable diapers leave a trail of waste and pollution from manufacture to disposal - an average of 2.7 tons of non-biodegradable waste each year not counting the waste produced during their production. Disposable diaper packaging instructs parents to dump solid waste into the toilet and flush it away, but most parents aren't aware of that. This means that human fecal matter is going into our landfills where it can leach into groundwater and possibly spread disease. Cloth diapers release solid waste where it belongs - into the sewage system where it is treated with other household waste water. In addition, cloth diapering products can be used until their diapering life is over then made into rags, and will eventually decompose and return to the earth." - CDing source.
Many people debating cloth vs disposable diapers think that cloth diapers are too much work. And even worse, as some of my lovely ladies found, people were VERY unsupportive of their choice to give cloth a try. But, this is a common mistake.. Cloth is very very easy to use. Cloth diapers today have elasticized legs, waists and adjustable closures so they work just like disposable diapers. But unlike disposables, cloth diapers are available in a variety of fabrics and patterns to fit your child's needs and your preferences.

2) Taken from diaperpin.com (Because I wanted to have 100% good info, not just pull it out of my head).
If you are a mother of a baby or young toddler you know that babies need diapers. A majority of parents use disposable diapers for their convenience, but have you ever actually calculated the cost of using disposables? The average baby is in diapers between two to three years and uses between 8,000-10,000 diapers. How much does this equal for the average parent? Allow me to do the math for you: On average, each diaper will cost you about .35.
How did I come to that conclusion? The prices of diapers range between .19 (for the newborn size) to .46 (for the toddler size). So I based the price of .35 on an average of all of these prices combined, because no baby stays in the newborn or even 20 pound range forever. So by calculating the cost of an average diaper by the number of diapers the baby will use, you will spend between $2,800.00 (for 8,000 diaper changes) and $3,500.00 (for about 10,000 changes, which I believe to be a more accurate number). This estimate does not include applicable sales tax or even the gas used to drive to store for those late-night runs for diapers.
So for every child that uses disposable diapers, parents will spend roughly between $3,000.00 to almost $4,000.00 dollars. Unfortunately, when the baby is finished with the diapers, they are gone, poof! You can never use them again. Many parents spend a significant amount of their hard earned money on trash. That is pretty depressing!
Now I can hear many of you in the background shouting, "But wait, washing cloth diapers cost money too!" And they do, just not nearly as much as you think. For starters, washing a load of cloth diapers two to three times per week equals the same amount of water that a young child uses to flush the toilet five times a day. And as far as the energy used to wash AND dry your diapers, you are looking at spending a $1.25 each time you wash cloth diapers (including detergent, a rinse cycle, and drying the diapers). You'll save even more money by drying your diapers on a clothesline.
The first thing many moms will do after hearing this is rush out to the nearest discount store to purchase some inexpensive cloth diapers, but WAIT! Before you do that, please consider that you will get what you pay for, and in the area of diapers, cheaper is not better! My personal introduction to cloth diapering was not a pleasant one until a good friend told me about the "other" diapers that were available by mail order only. The Gerber diapers just don't cut it. Believe me, I know from experience that if you use the cheap products from Wal-Mart, you will have leaks, and lots of them.

3) In my personal option..... Best way to start.... Well... I think you have a few good options here...
I would go to a GOOD (key word here is GOOD) baby boutique.. Take a look at what they have to offer.. TOUCH everything.. TAKE everything OUT of packages and really get a good look, and feel for quality.. ASK questions, heck, text me questions.. :)
Buying online you can get some FABULOUS deals and creat a stash for MUCH cheaper.. You can also buy gently used which will save you loads also..
Like buying disposies, you dont really know what will fit best, which is why it is best to go take a look.. Some babies are easy and everything fits them great.. Some babies are not so easy..
A good store will take things out of packages and let you try them on your babe.. Feel them, play with them and just examine the crap out of them...
Many boutiques have trial diaps that you can take out and try A LOAD of different brands and styles of diaps.. And, if I remember correctly they are pretty cheap for a couple week trial.. Then you get an even better chance to try, test, touch.. Tripple T...

4) Cloth diapers do go on sale, all the time. Companies discountinue colours or patterns and then sell those discontinues at a very reduced price. There are also seconds sales where there may be a stitch off center or something of that nature. But, like anything (except gas) they go one sale here and there and have deals like buy 3 get 1 free, etc.
Regular stores dont carry cloth. THEY SHOULD, but they dont. Its not "mainstream" enough yet. Kushies are sold at stores simply because they sell all kinds of baby stuff and offer them to the store with everything else they have, bibs, towels, cloths, etc.. Its just easy, so they take them.. But, let me assure you, a waste of time and money..