After realizing how much garbage I was creating using disposable diapers I started to look into alternatives. I was amazed to find that there are so many options in cloth diapering today! In fact, there are so many varieties that it was a bit overwhelming and I wasn't sure where to begin.

All-in-ones, All-in-twos, Pockets, Fitteds, Prefolds, Flats?? What does all of this mean and how the heck do I use them?

Then came the washing requirements. Special Detergent, Special Softener, Dryer Balls, wash them twice, dry on low, don't ever ever put them in the dryer??

Micro-suede, Flannel, Organic Bamboo Velor, Organic Cotton, Hemp, Aplix or Snaps? Which is best?

After reading through a hundred sites over the course of a week and reading a book called "Diaper Changes" I decided that I needed to just take the plunge and purchase a diaper that had good reviews and go from there. Then I discovered that cloth diapers are initially very expensive! In the course of my child's diapering from birth to potty training, cloth diapers, even the best ones, will actually save me money. If I use disposable diapers I'll end up spending almost $3000 on just this one child! Cloth diapers will only cost around $500 including laundering.

It's easy to think that disposables are cheaper. I look at a package on the shelf of 30 diapers that cost $10 or a good cloth diaper that costs $25 for just one. The difference is that those disposables will be gone in less than a week and the cloth diapers will last at least two years!

Taking all of this into consideration I decided to go with the BumGenius Organic AIO with Aplix. I found it on sale for $19.99 and bought just one to try. When I received it in the mail I was so excited to see that it was very soft on the outside and on the inside and the color was fantastic. Moonbeam Blue. I washed it once per the instructions and tried it on my son. It fit very well and wasn't bulky at all. Then my husband came downstairs....

Like most fathers, my husband is very sceptical towards cloth diapers. He was holding our son and telling me how gross he thought it was and I was explaining to him how they are just as easy as disposables to put on and take off and they work just as well. As I was pleading my case, our son peed for the first time in his brand new cloth diaper... or should I say... outside of his brand new cloth diaper and subsequently all over my husband!

I wasn't ready to give up. I remember reading that cloth diapers need to be washed numerous times before they become their most absorbent. So I washed and washed and dried and dried and washed and dried my single sad bumgenius diaper and put it on my son. Then I waited.... two hours went by and I was starting to wonder why he hadn't peed yet. I took off the diaper and discovered that he had peed, a lot! And it hadn't leaked, his skin was even dry! Success!

Now he wears that diaper once every day and I'm excited to try some of the other options out there. For me, this one green step is a super dirty one but well worth the time and money.