Review of Cloth Diapers

All cloth diaper users have preferences as to what works for their family - pocket, AIO, fitted, prefold, hemp, bamboo, cotton, snaps, velcro....I could go on forever. Well, throw a kidney disorder into the mix and things get a little more complicated. If I am being honest, we are struggling. Below, I will elaborate on pros and cons of the various types of dipes and accessories we are using.

Bumbooo size 2 Fitted - I was really excited about these diapers. I had heard so much about the absorbency of bamboo and absorbent is what we need. As fitted diapers, they need covers. We are using some that we got with a used lot that I bought on kijiji. They are simple kushies pull-on covers made of rubbery/plastic material (I can't find them on the net). I need to find some wrap-type covers for these, but these will do for now.
Look & Material - These diapers are cute, no question. They are soft and fuzzy and they look like the stereotypical, adorable cloth diaper of old. The elastic is strong, but not too tight. Unfortunately, they have to be covered with our crappy (PINK!!!) covers.
Fasteners - Snaps...loving this. Total snap convert and I will not be buying any new dipes with velcro.
Absorbency - Keeping in mind that I am dealing with a very specific situation (the kid is now drinking 760-800ml of water/day on top of nursing every 2-3 hours), I am a little disappointed with the absorbency. These diapers provide the opportunity to have 2 layers between bum and the cover for someone Orin's size. They also came with what they describe as a night time insert. In order to give Orin about an hour in these diapersr, I double layer the diaper right at the front (where he, as a boy, wets most) and then use the insert to double layer toward the back and put a third layer in the front (laying it flat in the diaper) OR quadruple layer the front. When I change him, he has almost inevitably soaked all the way through and the entire front of the diaper is soaked (waist to midway between his legs and hip to hip). This is not practical for any time other than those days spent hanging around the house.

BumGenius 3.0 OS pockets - I bought these as part of a used lot on kijiji. I was pretty keen to try these because I had a number of friends who had recommended them to me. They can be stuffed with whatever I inserts I want.
Look & Material - These basically look like disposables, but much cuter. They are the slimmest (depending upon how I stuff them) of the diapers we are using. I much prefer the PUL outside to the plastic material of the covers I am using with the fitted diapers.
Fasteners - Not a fan of the velcro. It doesn't hold the diaper closed as tightly as the snaps - it slips. I am sure that this is partially due to age and washing. Speaking of which, the laundry tabs basically don't hold the tabs in place anymore, so the tabs themselves are taking more abuse as a result.
Absorbency - the absorbency of these diapers is dictated by the inserts. I can stuff these well enough to last about 2 hours, as a rule. The night thing is that the fleece layer against his skin keeps him very dry, despite how much he has wet the diaper. I will discuss inserts below.

Chinese Prefolds - the other diaper included in the kijiji lot I purchased. I had no idea what to expect.
Look & Material - These are simply flat layers of cotton (extra layers in the middle where most wetting would happen). These are the old school diapers that people used to use pins to fasten (I am sure some people still do, but there is now a slightly less dangerous product called Snappis that do the same thing). They need covers. They are pretty cute ;)
Fasteners - As I mentioned, I use Snappis. They work surprisingly well, but require a little practice.
Absorbency - This is where the rubber hits the road and, in our house, these are a joke. Orin peed while I was fastening one of these on him and there was pee dripping out of the outside of the diaper before I got the fastener done :P I am using them as stuffing for the pocket diapers.

Inserts
Bamboo - Thin, but absorbent. They surprised me.
Hemp - These are dense and soak up everything. I put one of these in every diaper I stuff.
Cotton (including prefold diapers) - least absorbent and must always be supported by something else.

Claudia's Choices soap - I like it so far. I am not running into any problems with residue and it gets the diapers super clean almost every time (and a few hours out in the sun will get any stains out of diapers).

What works for us?
~vinegar in the wash...a tip I was given by a few cloth-using friends and I will never go back.
~stuffing pockets with fitted. If I really worry about him (his bum is rashy or I figure he is going to fall asleep or he has just drunk a lot of water), I will stuff a fitted diaper and an insert into the pocket diaper. This gives him extra absorbency and the fleece between him and the wetness. It gives him a giant bum, but it does the job.

If I am being honest, I am still using disposables a lot more than I want to. I am still trying to figure out how to make these work for us consistently during awake times. I don't expect to be able to use cloth at night - the boy soaks through disposables on a nightly basis (yes, I do a lot of laundry....thanks for noticing ;) ), so cloth is not an option, but I think we can do it throughout the day and even during naps. Keep your fingers crossed for us and if you have any advice, feel free to dole it out.