The moral of the cloth diapering story is this:

One more thing for tonight (because I'm REALLY procrastinating on cleaning all Thak's crap off the table so this house looks semi-presentable when my friend comes tomorrow to have her brakes done).

In every single cloth diapering group I've ever been in online, and every time I've been around people who have read any given cloth diapering group online, I hear the same refrains over and over and over again, and they all sound the same to me, "Make more work for yourself" "Complicate it as much as you can". That's what I hear. So here, I'm going to throw you all a bone. This is what I say after exclusively cloth diapering my son from birth to potty:

1) You can put your diapers in the dryer. It won't kill them. Anyone who says they never do it is lying. Anyone who has a horror story about what it did to their diapers probably did more than machine dry them.

2) Bleach won't hurt them either. Don't use much, just 1/4 cup or so. It brightens them nicely, and kills bacteria. Do an extra rinse if you're worried about it irritating your baby's skin. Bleach isn't bad for cloth diapers.

3) Dreft really is evil shit. Believe that one.

4) It really doesn't matter what way you fold your prefolds. A well fitting cover is the most important thing.

5) Anyone who adamantly insists that velcro is better than snaps has never cloth diapered a toddler.

6) The expensive diapers really do hold up better than the cheap ones. I'm not saying it's wrong to buy cheap diapers, but if you're planning on using them for more than one baby, make the initial investment and save yourself the trouble down the road.

7) Some stains just don't sun out. This is particularly true of synthetic fibers. Natural fibers are far more forgiving. Keep this in mind if you plan to resell your diapers at any point in time.

8) You really don't need a diaper sprayer. I did it for over two years without one. I couldn't justify the expense.

9) To be honest, I only buy Rockin Green because it smells good. Country Save is 1/3 the price, and works just as well.

10) Be as elaborate as you want with your clean diaper storage system. Give it a year and you'll be storing them in the laundry basket just like the rest of us. There's no shame in it.