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I used g diapers, I loved the system. I bought the 6 pack of medium sized g pants and about 24 liners.

I didn't use the flushable liners though, because you're really not supposed to flush anything other than toilet paper.

eta: people either love them or hate them. They do have a bit of a learning curve though, which you don't have with disposables or all in one cloth diapers.

If you live in a larger town/city, definitely look into cloth diaper services. Not having to do the laundry will probably decrease the stress about the whole thing!

I will say that DH and I have cloth diapered two little boys from newborn on, washing the diapers ourselves, and it has never seemed particularly challenging to us. We use prefolds with covers. We use Bummis organics and I believe Bummis are made in Canada?

It does get a little pricey but if you're planning on more than one, it is great when you bring home #2 and you are all set - one less expense.

My little guy is 6 months old and I am just diving into the world of cloth diapering so I know what you mean about having to change the way you think about diapering. So far it really hasn't been a big time commitment for us. We are still part time CDers though. We use flushable liners on top of the diaper insert so if DS poops, we can flush the whole thing (I NEVER throw poop in the garbage. Gross!). I'm using an all in 2 system similar to the gDiapers. I think they are pretty user friendly once you do it a few times.

@pui: Check around to see if there is anywhere near you that offers a class. I really wanted to CD, but my hubs was SO not on board. We took a local class and it sold him. We were able to get our hands on all the different kinds of diapers and find out what goes in to caring for them. We ended up going with the BumGenius one-size all-in-ones.

I have heard nothing but the hate for gdiapers. Personally if I was on the fence about CD'ing or not, I wouldn't go for a brand of diaper that has either a lot of love, or hate, just seems too risky and a main reason I didn't go with them.

I am in Canada too, and had no issue with getting what I wanted locally (online, because the one store I used to go to has since closed, boo), except for the detergent I liked best, I would still love to find it more easily closer to home.

I know everyone is different, but I really don't find CD'ing a lot of extra work, laundry, etc. I guess it's all in how you view it, to us, we don't know any different, and 2-3 extra loads of laundry a week isn't a big deal to me. We now use disposables overnight and when it makes sense (like when at the cottage or across the country visiting DHs fam) I am not hell bent on CD'ing 100% of the time if it does make it more work.

There are so.many.options., it was totally daunting when I began to figure out what I wanted. I ended up getting a stash going second hand via kijiji, and had sold at least half of what I had bought before LO was even here! Seeing them in person, and really picturing how they would work for us really helped me From there we found our way with three different brands, two different types of dipes and have stuck with one. Going into #2 arriving I may use the other two options in earlier days, but we definitely have a solid system, and I now have an excess supply of the CDs that work for us, that I know I will get at least my money back on when we are all done. If it counts for anything that is the plus on the upfront investment, if you put the time into deals or looking at really good second hand options, you will get your money back if it either doesn't work out and you don't end up CD'ing (how I got most of my dipes, Mom's who decided to not even try after buying everything and never/barely using them) or if you do use them, and then when finished, sell them!

@pui: For a canadian diaper you should really look at Applecheeks!

It is considered a "pocket" diaper. Meaning you stuff an "insert" into the pocket (between a layer of waterproof PUL and a fleece stay dry layer). The advantage is that you can stuff with whatever insert works for you and washing/drying is a bit easier.

For sizing, some offer a Newborn and then a One Size. One Size (OS) is really from about 8-14lbs and up depending on brand but really won't work right away for a newborn. Applecheeks offers 2 sizes (size 1 and size 2). I like this because I can get a smaller size 1 that should work at birth (assuming a decent size baby) and actually get to use for more than the first few weeks (I think AC size 1s are from 7lbs-18lbs).

Personally, I thought Gdiapers looked really cheap and plasticy and had a lot of parts you had to get lined up.

I know one mom who uses Gdiapers and loves them. But other than that, a lot of negative reviews. I'm late to the game, really starting to get into CDing after 1 yr. DH was never into the idea, but now her poops are solid and I use flush able liners, it's been really simple. We only use pockets or AIOs (bumgenius), but I think if I were to start all over in the beginning, knowing what I know now, I'd have invested and tried some Flips and GroVia Hybrids. They are similar to the Gdiapers in that you can put disposables or reusable inserts and reuse the outside cover a few times. And from what I can tell, the shells are pretty thin even for one-size. Good luck! And now I'm off to read about Montessori methods and why CDing is favored!

@pui: honestly, I think most of the diapers require a minimum up-front purchase. We've started building our stash slowly, and it's helped. It also helped for me to understand how many diapers a baby goes through in a day, and how expensive disposables can get! Do you think you might be able to do one or two covers at a time for the next few months? That's what we're doing.

The other thought is that you could get other prefolds. I didn't end up getting the AC prefolds but rather the more generic ones that our CD store has. I think it cost me $22 for 12? That is a little more reasonable, and I checked-they work in our AC.

One other thought: @T.H.O.U. is switching to AC for her second LO, and she's done a bunch of posting about her stash here:
http://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cloth-diaper-addicts-anyone-care-to-join-me#post-1433774
She may have some ideas for you!

Another thing to think or consider is returning to work and who will be using these diapers. Will it just be you and your husband? Are you willing to use a flat diaper folded with a "snappy" (old school diaper with a pin type). Or will there be other caretakers that could take advantage of an easier solution like a pocket?

@pui: Big picture is good, but you don't want to invest $500 in a solution that isn't going to work for you. So there is some strategy in buying over time.

We use gDiapers and they have been fine. Nothing really to compare them to! We used a couple packets of flushable inserts when we had them but never bought any more. As with all cloth diapers, it does seem like a lot up front, but in the end you save a lot. We have used our gDiapers on both kids now.

@pui: What Montessori book are you reading? I'm interested in a lot of the things you've been asking about, like cloth diapering and floor beds and stuff.

@pui: I would go to your store first and look for some options. See how you like the feel and the colors.

Like I said in my comments above, I would narrow it down first to your lifestyle and what TYPE of CD will work best (Flats, fitteds, pockets, all-in-one, etc). From there find a brand that really just is personal preference. Let me know what you are leaning towards type wise and then I can offer some suggestions.

@pui: This isn't a bad resource: http://thehumbledhomemaker.com/2012/11/the-different-types-of-cloth-diapers.html