Hi Sandy,
I am so pleased you took the plunge and are going to try cloth diapers! The APD-3 from Loving Comfort is the best way IMO, to try cloth. You may find the five layer pull on adequate with no additonal boosting, but as others have said, boosting with baby diapers is the cheapest way to go. A dozen can be had for just a few dollars.
The plastic pants you are getting from Loving Comfort are Comco pants and they are a bit unique. They are a heavy vinyl, unlike most other plastic pants. Their waist band is one of the best! No one else offers as nice a waist band as Comco. I've only one complaint about Comco pants and that's the cut of the leg opening. For me, it doesn't provide quite enough coverage for the rear of the leg over my bulky prefold pin on diapers. They'll be fine, I would guess over the diaper pant-but that brings up the issue that Comco pants are big for the size. I wear a Large pant for most plastic pants except Comco, where I need a Medium, there is that much difference!
As a woman, I suspect you might lean toward "dainty" which ain't Comco. I recommend Babykins vinyl pants for two big reasons. The waist and leg elastics are a very gentle, comfortable Lycra band! The basic Babykins plastic pants are made from a vinyl so thin you'd think the pants are made from silk. Really! You've got to experience them. If I've talked you into it, scrool back to where I wrote you about plastic pants and the URL is right there to take you to the page. Believe me, I think you are going to abandon the Comco pants once you try the delacate and light Babykins pants that will work so well over the pull on diaper. Think how nice the soft pink will look
And yeah, I'm close to dancing in the street, but need to wait until I find out if we are truly sucessful-ie-do you like the cloth and are you going to stay with it! In truth, others have tried cloth; dislike the bulk, dislike the feel of cloth when wet, dislike the sag of cloth when wet, dislike the "billow" tendency of plastic pants, dislike the diaper pail, dislike the diaper laundy. Blew a bunch of money on cloth diapers only to return to and stay with disposables!
As for spending, as you point out, you spent more for one cloth pull on than for a case of 72 disposables! So now you need to see how you like the feel of cloth and give it a good test before buying more. The three pants you got will keep you going for just overnight wear. They will dry "hard", with three terry layers within the birdseye. Do not "cook" them in the dryer! Remove them while still damp and finish drying on a line-yeah, another hassle to cloth!
Sandy, you've been great about all this and actually trying cloth! Kudoos for you and I'm waiting to hear the reports and the results!
Joe K