I don't know what I did wrong but my kids sure had diaper rash when they were in cloth diapers. At that time that was all we had and the rubber pants! Oh, what a mess! And the diaper pail smell, as someone else said, I could never get rid of it. With our first baby we had to go to the laundramat, no washing machine.
The only problem I see with the disposables is the landfil issue. Too bad someone can't come up with a good solution for that. BTW, my youngest grandson's pampers have a line on the front that changes color when wet, so helps with knowing when to change. I have great respect for the new moms who can use the cloth diapers, though. If you really want to get into cost effectiveness and health, look at formula vs breast feeding.