My kid eats real food, and we don't use baking soda except for whatever is in the Arm & Hammer liquid detergent we use. I've never heard of baking soda for diapers -- vinegar is what is usually recommended. And we do use that.

The "real food" issue really isn't one for us. We shake or rinse feces off into the toilet and flush. (We have a sprayer attachment on the toilet for this purpose.) When she was just breastfed we did not bother because breastmilk feces are pretty much entirely water soluble. It's the urine that is most likely to leave long-term smells, and that is definitely a bigger issue now that she's older, but vinegar in the wash takes care of it. Baking soda probably would too.

Since I am home and have laundry on site, cloth diapers are a non-issue in terms of adding extra work, but I don't think they'd be reasonable if you worked full time outside of the home or had to go to a laundromat. Unless you used a service.