Cloth Diapers... the good, the bad and the poopy*

We're all on the mend now and we've escaped from the house a few times so I'm starting to feel normal again! Sorry for the complaining post before!
Week 1 of the Cloth Diaper Experiment
**If you could care less about cloth vs. disposable diapers (pretty much everybody) feel free to skip this post. I've tried to keep it as "clean" as possible considering the topic.
Every February was science project time at our K-8 grade school growing up... It was mom's least favorite time of year. Imagine having 3 or 4 kids needing a science project at the same time every year! I usually placed pretty well taking 2nd and 3rd place in the school different years . Not as good as some of my siblings...Jesse won 1st place almost every year starting in 3rd grade. With a fish biologist (or farmer as he calls himself) dad and a school teacher mom (plus there are 6 of us) we had a monopoly on the science fair. I guess part of me still likes to do science experiments. Mine is just a little late this year...

Question:
After a 21 day trial period will I decide that I want to switch to cloth diapers?
Hypothesis:
I really have no idea how this will end up. (I know. Bad hypothesis)
Background on my Research:
-Hardly anyone is lukewarm on the cloth diaper topic.
-Until two weeks ago I had never changed a cloth diaper.
-I didn't even think about using cloth before I had Charlotte. I mean disposables are the greatest invention of the last century right? Better than the printing press or microwaves or TV.
-Since becoming a mom I've noticed there are a lot of moms who use cloth diapers. So maybe this is a grown-up case of "I want one too!"

It might just be the breastfeeding mom's group I go to. (In the U.S. 90% of people use disposables. I'm just surprised it's not more!) Many of the moms at this group fall very squarely into the attachment parenting-all natur-al birthing-carry baby in a sling until 35 pounds-nurse until at least age 2 category. I love going to the group and I agree with a lot of things they talk about but I realize that you have to parent the way that works for you. So I listen to the topics each week and use what I think will work for me and nod politely during the rest.

One week the topic was cloth diapering. A lady who sells them came and showed all the kinds, how to use them, the money they save you, and how you can single-handidly save the planet by using them. I was intrigued but not sold. I've been ruminating on it but I wasn't willing to make the investment (code for forking out a big chunk of money) unless I knew I liked it and could handle it.

Materials (aka how I got myself into this):
-My friend Jennifer told me http://www.jilliansdrawers.com/ lets you try 7 different kinds of NEW cloth diapers for 21 days. This way I could see which kind I like, or if I like them at all, for $10 plus shipping. What have I got to lose? I like a challenge, and trying new things. Now I can see what all the fuss is about and if I want to join in on the fuss. I'm curious enough to see how it works and you can't knock it until you try it. So here it goes 21 days to experiment with cloth diapers.

Pre-experiment Opinions
That's Good
No, That's Bad
(stolen from the title of a childhood book of my sister's)

Cost
If Charlotte potty-trains at roughly 2.5 I could save $500-$1000 using cloth. Even if I get the fancy-smancy pants cloth diapers.The diaper website estimates you will spend $2,457 on disposables for one kid. But I usually buy generic. In bulk. With a coupon. So I wanted to see if I will actually save money. I figure when Charlotte is done with diapers I will have used in the neighborhood of 5,000 diapers spending about $1,500 including wipes. Whoa! This diaper website estimates 7,500 diapers. Maybe I don't change her enough or thinking potty training is around 2.5 is delusional?
That's Good
-No amount of money might make getting that close and personal with bowel movements worth it. Matt is more than willing to pay any amount of money to keep Charlotte's messes manageable.
That's Bad
-They look so much easier to use than you think. The fancy ones literally Velcro or snap on even easier than a disposable. They now have inserts that you can flush and sprayers that attach to your toilet and when they're just nursing you don't have to do either. The fancy fleece keeps the moisture away from their skin so they don't get diaper rash like they used to.
That's Good
-The pre-fold type look a whole lot like the nightmare your mother talks about. No safety pins, cuter covers, but basically the same thing. They do still feel the wetness sooner which does mean more diaper changes but I've also heard earlier potty training...
That's Bad

They are so soft and cute and have names like
Fuzzi Bunz
Happy Heiny
Bum Genius.

Cute little diaper model

Now don't you want your little fuzzy buns to be a bum genius and have a happy heiny? Someone needs to give their marketing department a big pat on the back for the cute names. I know not a very big reason but still. They come in colors like blossom and have flower covers, are made of everything from fleece to organic cotton.
That's Good
Will the cuteness make cleaning them any less disgusting?
That's Bad

I love the idea of never buying diapers again and laundry is not a chore I mind too much.
That's Good
Laundry might become a big chore if I have to wash diapers all the time.
That's Bad

Some sources say cloth diapers are more environmentally friendly even taking into account electricity and water (estimated at $608 for the length a kid is in diapers). Apparently you're technically supposed to flush diaper contents in the toilet. It's technically not legal to put human waste in a garbage can to pollute our water and food sources and fill up our landfills with billions of disposable diapers every year that take forever to disintegrate. I have to say that I personally have never emptied a disposable diaper before throwing it away.

Other sources disagree...If you read disposable diaper information it says that water contamination really happens most often in 3rd world countries where the landfills aren't set up as well as ours. It's all about who's writing it so who knows?

That's Good

Matt says he could care less about the environmental factor. Let's just say Matt doesn't "GO GREEN". We pay our taxes we deserve our landfill space right? Everyone else is throwing away dirty diapers why not us? I'll admit that while I cringe when I think of piles of stinking diapers in landfills this is not the biggest factor for me.

That's Bad

I could use them on more than one kid saving even more money, they come in 1 size expandable that last from 8-35 pounds so you really can just buy once and use until they potty train. That's Good

So join me on this journey as I see if the GOOD or the BAD conquer.

*I credit my sister's sister-in-law Randi's blog for the phrase