I really need your help with something today. I have never used cloth diapers but want some for my peace of mind should there be an emergency necessitating their use. I just googled cloth diapers and after reading what it takes to clean them, I’m fighting my own resolve to obtain some. But I know we’ve had comments before about cloth diapers so who better to ask than people who actually use them? Please note that I’m trying to figure this out and am not trying to offend anyone in any way. It’s just a whole new world to me and my ignorance on the subject is about to shine forth. Anyway, here are my questions:

1. The lowest price I found for 1 diaper is $11.00 and it appears to be of a significantly lesser quality than the ones that cost twice as much (um, duh, AJ). The ones that look more appealing are between $17 and $22 each. Plus if you want to buy inside disposable liners for the dirty diapers, tack it onto the bill. How does using cloth diapers save you money? I paid $11.99 for a 108 ct. box of diapers. If I bought the cheapest diaper, I would have to use it 108 times before it equaled an entire box of disposable ones for the same price. How long do cloth diapers last?  Or am I way off and that’s for more than just 1?

2. On average for the 2 kids I have in diapers, I use about 8 a day. How many cloth diapers would you suggest? 10 and wash them every night, or 16 and wash them every other day?

3. The site I was looking at says you have to run the cloth diapers through the washer twice, using detergent each time, to get them clean. Again, how is this cost effective, and do you really have to do that?

4. Please let me know what brand of cloth diapers you buy, and if they’re online, what’s the site? If not, where do you buy them?

Thank you so much for your help!