Modern Cloth Nappies (MCN's) are a great alternative to disposables - in fact many types of MCN are just like putting on a disposable nappy only you wash them rather than throw them in the bin.
All-in-one nappies are the closest cloth nappy to disposables - they are all in one piece with the stay-dry layer, absorbant layer and waterproof layer all sewn together.
This video takes you through the basics of the all-in-one (AIO).