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Padded Tush Stats recently released surveys for the GroVia All in Two Cloth Diapering System. After numerous calls for survey respondents on social networking sites, blogs, and cloth diapering communty forums, we received 42 responses.
In the survey, questions are broken down by the kinds of diapering issues faced by the babies. Before we look at the results of the survey, I wanted to provide some basic information on the diaper. You can also see this in the video found below.
GroVia AI2 Review
* The diaper is an All-in-two diapering system,which means an insert will snap in and you can change it out so you get multiple uses for each cover
* The system is also a hybrid system, which means you can use it as a disposable as well. The system comes with a disposable insert.
* The diaper is a one size diaper, intended to fit your baby from birth to potty training. The diaper fits babies in the 8-35 pound range (roughly). It has a rise of 3X3 snaps to customize the fit.
* Gro-Via recommends using 2-4 covers per day (and this might increase if you have a newborn).
* The diaper has laundry tabs to keep the tags from sticking to other items in the wash
* You can chose to have velcro or snap closures for all colors and prints
* The velcro is very unique and not like your normal velcro. It isn’t as rough feeling and it sticks to fabric across the top of the diaper.
* The diaper is lined with a polyester mesh layer designed to help promote airflow, keep the TPU from touching baby’s skin, and air dry quickly
* You have 2 options for inserts:
- Biosoaker – these are disposable inserts that you can put in the diaper. The lining is 100% Ingeo spun bound non-woven fabric, the core contains wood pulp fibers and some SAP gel, and the outer contains 100% natural fecula. All of these items are biodegradable (except the elastic). There are no fragrances, dyes, plastics, or chlorine elements.
- Certified organic cotton – the reusable soaker is made of five layers of certified organic cotton jersey with snaps on the back so you can snap them into the diaper and they will stay in place. They are also backed with TPU, which means less pee gets on the shell of the diaper.
SPOILER ALERT! New colors are coming in September and new prints in the first half of 2012.
Main Findings
The diaper performed best for babies with skinny thighs, but did not perform as well with chunkier babies. Many respondents were impressed with the fit, and that it was a diaper that was liked by cloth diapering skeptics. The diaper did receive lower scores for nap and night use.
Statistics
Click images to enlarge
Pros
Higher rise than the GroBaby (the older version of this diaper)
The snap in insert that doesn’t shift around when diaper is put on baby
Fit
Biosoakers for out and about use
Absorbent
Prevent blowouts
Cost effective
Trim
The unique velcro design
Easy to use
Stylish
Great value
Waterproof backing on soaker
Cute
Drying time on cover
One Size
Stretchy sides
Great customer service
Organic soaker
Durable
Cons
Velcro catches on everything
Tough to get velcro through laundry tabs
Not enough color options
Mesh lining of cover holds odor
Slightly bulky
Inserts take too long to dry***
Edges of insert curls
Crunchy/rough inserts
Not enough up front for boys
Biodegradable inserts don’t hold too much
Elastic in legs left red marks
Big for newborn
Soaker doesn’t wick away moisture from baby
Expensive
Stains easily
Comments from Survey Respondents
It works ok for naptime if you add a doubler to it.
Make sure you have washed the soaker pads on HOT many times before using. You really do have to prep the cotton before these get really absorbent.
I found that when you dry the inserts, it’s dries a bit faster when you flip the insert inside out.
For extra absorbency I add an additional thin layer of cotton inserts, folded and tuck it in between the grovia inserts.
For stains, you have to let the sun hit it for a couple of hours for the stains to be gone.
I presnap at every change and rotate 2 shells until one gets dirty. Don’t use the laundry tab holders because the bending of the velcro tab causes it to crack 
To keep soakers from staining, grab some inexpensive anti-pill fleece from the clearance section of your local fabric store and cut a reusable liner about the size of the soaker. This will allow fluids to pass through, keep baby’s skin dry and protected, and keep soakers from staining!
The soaker gets bunched up in kind of a weird way after washing/drying. It’s hard to explain what I do, but I kind of pull the side wings out to the sides of the middle part, then fold the whole thing in half so it doesn’t get bunched up. It’s hard to explain :/
Nightime I add some hemp boosters to the front and a wool cover
They say you can use for newborn, but I found it too bulky, I didn’t use until could use on the middle rise setting.
Doublers are definitely worth it!
I use pre and flat folds with the Grovia covers because the inserts don’t do a good job of keeping messes off of the cover
Really works great whether you use bioliners, cotton soaker pad, or prefolds etc. So it works well with the system that grovia has set up for them but it is an excellent all around cover for whatever insert you prefer.
I also stuff it with Close parents Pop-In Bamboo soakers which work very well
I like them for regular day time use. I used to use them for naps and nights when my baby was smaller, but now that he is a toddler and a heavy wetter, I cannot use them for naps and nights. But still great for day time use.
We still use our shells every day, I just line them with Green Mountain diapers yellow edge prefolds which are exactly the right size and they keep the shell cleaner, give my son full coverage in the wee zone yet still offer a relatively trim fit.
Some awesome tips from Gro-Via
I love my job because I get to see SO MANY tips! Gro-Via sent me some tips on how to troubleshoot different issues with the diaper. What great tips:
Be sure to always line dry shells, mesh side up if in the sun
For use of covers on a newborn, if you feel the soaker is too bulky the covers still work very well over a newborn fitted, pre-fold, flats and tri-folded newborn prefolds.
The shell does work well as an all around cover over pre-folds, flats, and some fitteds
The shell can also be used as a swim diaper
We recommend adding a booster for naps, overnight, or when older toddlers soak through quickly, our boosters are designed to be very absorbent without adding a lot of bulk between the legs.
Our AIO with a stay dry booster is an excellent night time option, the hybrid system was designed to be versatile and compact for families on the go, so it is often not enough for night time after a few months of age.
Toss 2 dry towels into dryer or add dryer balls to both soften soakers and shorten drying time (both will help keep the soakers from sticking to the drum of the dryer)
Use of Ecover softener, one or two times per month is also a good way to keep natural fiber diapers soft.
Pricing
Shell only: $16.95
Box of 20 disposable soakers: $7.99
2 Pack Organic Soaker pads: $17.97
There are also a lot of package deals on these, so you may want to check them out at a cloth diaper retailer.
Made in China
Where to buy them
* You can find a list of retailers here
* I personally bought mine from Amazon using Swagbucks (so I got it for free!).
* I have affiliate links at Sew Crafty Baby and Kelly’s Closet. All three of these places have great deals. If you get to them using the links I have here, I get a little extra change to spend on diapers, so thanks in advance if you do that!
Are you a GroVia owner? Feel free to complete a survey if you haven’t already. Completion of surveys here at Padded Tush Stats give you extra entries in our giveaways.