Gro Baby (GroVia) Review

I have been using Gro Baby cloth diapers since day one.  I pain stakingly researched the various most popular diapers before Sagan was born because I did not want to make the wrong decision.  I wanted my money well spent and I wanted to save money.  This meant that I had to buy package deals.  I needed enough CDs that I couldn't buy a few random ones and try them out first.  I watched reviews from moms on YouTube for different types of popular diapers.  I knew that Sagan would be in daycare at some point and that I would have to consider ease of use when picking the perfect diaper. 

I picked Gro Baby (they have re-branded themselves "GroVia" shortly after I purchased my dipes) because I didn't have to buy so many shells (it's an all in two (AI2) so the shells are reusable if there is just pee), they seemed to fit very trim, they are organic, and the prints were not silly.  I ordered a package deal from Squishy Tushy for $275!  I got 8 shells, 24 liners and 16 extra soakers!!!  That is the perfect amount for a newborn.  I received several from my baby shower as well. 
I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of the package for like 10 days!  I basically ran the FedEx guy down when he arrived at the door to rip open my package of diapers.  I'm sure I'm not the first 9 mo. pregnant lady to almost tear him down... 

The only drawback to buying cotton is that it has to be pre-washed like 6 times prior to use or the natural oils in the cotton will not allow it to absorb pee.  Organic cotton has to be prepped the most, sometimes up to 10 washes.  I washed them 5 times and called it ready. 

So here is the Gro Baby diaper (I will talk about GroVia at the end):

This is a one size (OS) diaper which means it will fit most babies from around 8 lbs. to 35 lbs.  I found that it didn't fit Sagan until she was 8 lbs.  She was REALLY skinny when she was born.  It has a set of snaps in the front to adjust the rise of the shell for different growth stages.  Sagan is 16 lbs. and on the middle snap setting.  The snaps are very strong and the fabric that holds the snaps on is very strong too.  I never worry about it the snap pulling away from the fabric

The Aplix (think Velcro) is SUPER soft and very sticky.  The flaps cross over so you can really customize the fit for skinnier babies.

The shell itself is made of a soft fabric on the outside.  I'm sure it is PUL, but you would never know it.  It feels great and soft and I don't worry that it will rip like some PUL feels.  It has laundry tabs to fasten while in the wash.  They just fold over like a typical disposable.  This is the diaper shell unsnapped completely. 

The inside of the shell has a mesh liner and snaps to hold the insert in place (see below).  They say the mesh is to help it dry faster, but I don't see how this helps it dry faster...  It is nice though for the mesh to be on the skin instead of the PUL.

 

The soaker snaps in to the shell in the front and the back.  This is nice because you don't have to worry about it sliding around.  I don't think this is a big problem anyway, but you have the added security. 

This is the back of the organic cotton soaker pad that snaps into the shell.  It is wider at the back than in the front to catch more poop.  I have never had a blow out with this diaper.

The pad has six layers of organic cotton and you can see that some of the layers are sewn on top so that it will dry faster.  Cotton does take forever to dry so this is a plus.  You can add another three layers of organic cotton for a booster for naps and nighttime if you need it.  One comes with a shell set.  The soakers have elastic gussets as well to help contain messes.

Fit:  You can see how trim the cover is between the legs.  This is amazing.  I have seen some other brands (and own some) that are very wide between the legs.  It seems like this impedes movement.  The diaper without the extra booster soaker is amazingly trim on the behind.  You do not have to add bulk by folding the soaker over for smaller sizing on the shell.  The same size soaker fits all rise settings.

Here is the fit while on Sagan.  You can see how closely it fits the bum and how well it fits between the legs.  There is no gaping.

Pros:  TRIM!!!, Organic cotton, very absorbent, one size fits most babies, snap in liner, shell can be used more than once, shells can be used for other liners, the Aplix looks great after every wash - never pilling.

Cons: sometimes the diaper is too trim for some babies (they fit Sagan perfectly), take all day to dry in the sun, I have had a few pee leaks around the legs when she lies on her side but I have heard this about many diapers, the Aplix doesn't stick to laundry tabs most of the time in wash, Aplix curls after a few washings and can get caught on clothing

Verdict:  I give this CD a 5 out of 5 stars.  Even though there are some cons I feel like these are the cons of many companies.  Since the re-branding to GroVia many of the things that people didn't like about Gro Baby have been fixed, such as: the seemingly too small for some babies fit, the laundry tabs have been updated to stay put in the wash, and the soakers now have a PUL backing so the shell almost never gets wet.  These diapers can be purchased at The Natural Baby Co. or many other great web resources like from Teresa @ Squishy Tushy.

Have you had any experience with Gro Baby diapers that you can share with us?

Best Diaper Bag Ever!!!!

Here is my diaper bag.  I love my diaper bag.  It's made of recycled materials.  I didn't know this when I bought it, but I love that it is.  It is made by sherpani and I bought it for like $69 at The Natural Baby Company.  It is perfect for the cloth diapering parent for the following reasons:

  1.) It has a REALLY wide opening!  It, therefore, holds a gazillion cloth diapers.  I have not counted how many, but I take this bag to Sagan's Mimi's house with enough shells and soakers for the whole day when I am at work (9 hours).  It will also hold all her supplies for the day!  (see future post for what I keep inside her CD bag on a daily basis)

2.) It has generously sized "stuff" pockets on both of the outside corners.  These are stretchy so it will hold a camera (point and shoot type or smaller), a water bottle (even holds my pint jars of herbal infusions when I think to bring it along), or bubbles (which is currently in there).  You could put just about anything in there, including bottles for baby.  I love the "stuff" pockets because I love to have too much stuff with me and have it organized and easy to get to.

3.) Back slim pocket for other easy to reach items such as empty wet bag or anything else you need to get to easily.  It has a Velcro closure on this pocket. 

4.) The front flap has a zipper entry at the top for grabbing things while you are wearing the bag on your shoulder and a cell phone zipper pocket.  I use this pocket for cell or lip balm or other small things.  The flap comes all the way down the front of the bag to decrease the chances of things falling out.  It has a snap closure with male and female parts for extra security (no Velcro or zipper noises that might wake up baby!)

5.) Under the flap is another slim pocket that has a coordinating change pad and yet another zipper pocket.  I LOVE, love, love, all the storage potential for this bag!

6.) The best part of all: the inside storage!  There are three cushioned and lined pockets on the back "wall" of the bag, two insulated and lined pockets on either side, and a "wet" zippered pocket on the front "wall" of the bag, and nothing but open space in between.  There is a crazy zipper on the bottom that offers access through the bottom of the bag but I have never used this, nor do I know why you would need to (comment if you can help me with this one, I want to utilize all possible features here). 

The whole bag is made of recycled materials that are extremely easy to wipe clean, so spills are not a fear anymore.

I recommend this bag to any mama, but especially those that put their babies in cloth.  It has so much room and organization I feel it is my must have bag.  It is stylish and can be used for other purposes when baby is not a baby anymore!