[ruthieroo]

Originally Posted by Fimail

- Wash sensibly: Wash full loads where possible, wash in cold water most of the time, don't use a dryer, and don't use sanitisers, use small amounts of detergent, use a water and power efficient washing machine. These efficiencies will cost less in the long run, and are luckily also the reccomended care for most nappies.
- Don't dis the flat: Have mostly flat nappies with supplements if you feel you NEED them (ie we have mostly flats with fitteds for car rides etc, pockets/AIOs for out and fitteds for night). Flat nappies work fine - modern cloth may be easier for people converting over from disposables, but really flat nappies are no big hassle, and you will never have the elastic break, or the PUL die like occasionally happens with modern cloth and they dry very quickly.
- Buy decent quality: With covers (don't buy the PVC ones they WILL break and you WILL spend more in the long run). With flats (we like our canningvales) and they won't stretch out of shape or wear threadbare so soon, and with fitteds and they will have good workmanship, strong stitching, reputable design and a well researched sizing guide. You save money by not experimenting with quality, as mistakes can cost money. It is not that hard to find out what is reputable - ask people who have been using cloth for awhile - preferably on more than one child - what has stood them in good stead.
-Learn to knit and sew your own (especially recycled fabrics) if you have the time and interest.

I don't do all of these things but generally follow these principles.

Fiona

This is a great post and exactly how I went about starting with cloth. Prefolds and flats with good quality covers. Still using them but along the way have been able to get "treats". (i.e. actual MODERN modern cloth). And yes, sometimes I have felt VERY out of the loop in the world of modern cloth. But hey, to my mom's generation just using a Snappi makes me modern and cool.