I love my cloth diapers, I use prefold ones at night, I get them form Changing Times Diaper, the guy who runs it is very nice, I have talked to him a few times on the phone. One thing I have learned though is don't use plastic pants, get the PUL ones. When I have used plastic ones in the past they tend to get hard and rip in about 6 months to a year, Robert turned me on to PUL pants about a year and a half ago, and I still have the ones I got then and they are still as soft as they were then. I have also learned over time, that like disposable diapers for adults need 2 tapes per side to fit well, my prefold diapers need 2 pins per side to fit well, just like disposable one up at the hip and one down at the waist.
Also cotton will stink about 25% when washed and heat on high heat, but it makes it softer and fluffier. And once they shrink they will not shrink a second time. Also you need to wash them and dry them before use to get them to be max absorbency (unless you make the mistake of fabric softener then they will not absorb at all)
Another great benefit of cloth is we decrease our carbon foot print, we don't eliminate it fully, but we also don't use all that oil making plastic for a 1 use diaper, then delivering that diaper. and the time for the 1 use diaper to biodegrade (how long is it for plastic now?) We will still use up oil on electricity to wash the diaper and dry it, but they use more then that in the production of a signal use diaper. Plus when we are done with our diapers (not sure that is a correct statement, done with our diapers) they can be porpoised wash them a few times, they can become dust rages, or shred them for a part of a mulch. Maybe it you became to big for them AB down the road might fite them another happy baby. see
http://realdiapers.org/diaper-facts for some idea on the info I was talking about, but also mind you it is a pro-cloth site so the numbers are probably swede to make cloth diapers look even better then they really are.
But here are some cost savings, I bought 10 prefold diapers from CTD a year and half ago and 4 PUL pants still using those every night. The diapers were $20, so $200 for the diapers and and the 4 PUL pants, and 2 more I got recently as I wanted 2 of the new styl for $126, for a grand total of 326 of diapers that have lasted me a year and half, and I am sure I will get more out of them, these are great quality diapers. The next part is the added cost of washing them, since I don't have in unit washer and drier I have to spend $3.50 a week to wash my diapers. Looking at good AB/DL diapers you spend about 80 for a case that lasts 2 months? so after 8 months you will have spent the same amount I have on cloth diapers, and my cost is now dropped to only 3.50 while disposable stay at the 80 (or go up with inflation)
As for how to use a prefold, I have found I like both the "jelly roll" fold and the "butterfly" fold the best, if you are a guy I would tell you to avoid the "bikini" if you are a guy I find that it pinches down there.
(see
http://thiswestcoastmommy.com/6-ways-to-fold-a-prefold-diaper/ for some folds)
As to how I use them. I use my cloth diapers at night (as you might see in another post I am looking for training pants for the day*) is I put it on in the evening. in the am when I get up I wash them off in the shower with me (mind you this is not the cleaning, it just helps keep the smell away) I usually let it absorb the max it can, then wring it out, 3 times and then rise the water proof pants, I then hang them on the in shower tower holder, and let them sit for the day, then I put them into the diaper pail.
Finally don't get me wrong, I do not hate, disposable they are great, especially when you are traveling, but they tend to be more expensive in the long run, and I leak with disposables, and I don't seem to leak with my prefold diapers.