My son started wearing GroVia cloth diapers this past summer while we were on a trip to visit family. The GroVia outer shells can be used more than once each day with a fresh insert as long as the shell doesn’t get soiled. I chose GroVia for our trip because these diapers have the option of using biodegradable disposable inserts that I knew would make doing diaper laundry away from home a lot easier, and it did. Once we got home from our trip, we were able to use the GroVia organic cotton snap-in inserts and boosters instead of the disposable inserts.
The lowdown on the BioSoaker (disposable inserts): Very easy to use – they have a sticky backing on either end that tapes right into the diaper shell and holds in place. The inserts were absorbant, but if I didn’t change them out every couple of hours and they got too full, the inserts would rip open as I tried to unstick them from the diaper, spilling the crystally-absorbent stuff all over the place. Kind of gross, but for convenience sake, I would use them again while travelling.
The outer shell in one word: Excellent! I have the snapping kind and the aplix kind. The aplix is STRONG, even I have to make a good effort to open diapers for changing. My toddler hasn’t managed to do it himself (yet). Snaps are a great option, I personally don’t have a preference for either snaps or aplix, but my husband is more likely to change an aplix diaper since snaps seem to make it more complicated for him. Easy to wash in the machine OR by hand (convenient when travelling and only have a sink!) and they hang dry very quickly.
Organic Cotton Inserts and Boosters: Simple to snap in, they always lay flat in place. Inserts by themselves aren’t what I would call “super duper” absorbent, so I highly recommend using a booster to help stretch the time between diaper changes. These hold up very well even after months of washing, however, they do seem to stain easily.
A GroVia bonus: These diapers are adjustable to fit babies from birth on up, which means SAVING MONEY ON DIAPERS! These very well could take you from birth all the way to potty training! My son started wearing these when he was about 9 months old, but he’s pretty chunky so I never had to use the adjustable snap options to make the diaper smaller. Now that he is 15 months, I still get the same great fit from these diapers and he has plenty of room to grow.
Overall, one of our favorite diapers to use because of its simplicity (I think the aplix shells are just as easy as a disposable to change). GroVia diapers also come in a variety of bright, fun colors and prints, which is a bonus in my book. Who doesn’t love a cute diaper?
Disclaimer: I wrote this diaper review in order to share my personal experiences with using GroVia cloth diapers on my child. I am not writing it for any sort of compensation from any source. I just wanted to share my opinion in hopes it will be helpful to someone. Thanks!