A while back, I decided to let my curiosity get the cat. I'd heard a lot about
GroVia Cloth Diapers, but I'd never actually tried it. Just as luck would have it, there was a seconds sale! I jumped at the opportunity. For those of you who don't know, seconds are "second quality." Generally, and for most companies, this just means possible marks on the fabric, possible uneven stitches, possible offset snaps, etc. In my experience, buying cloth diaper seconds has NEVER been a bad deal. Sometimes it's only a few dollars off, but with
GroVia, everything was 50% off! Awesome deal, right? I jumped at the chance to try out their hybrid system. And really, I should have jumped a little quicker, because things were flying off the virtual shelves! I managed to get one hybrid shell with snaps in Blackberry and one set of organic cotton inserts.
First, let me explain what a hybrid diaper is, for anyone who's wondering, and then I'll move on to first impressions and so forth. A hybrid diaper generally consists of a shell/cover and interchangeable inserts that may be cloth OR disposable. This is great for people who like the flexibility of using cloth part-time, or for travel and situations where washing cloth diapers isn't as convenient. Hybrids (or all-in-two's, as some people might refer to this system as) are also nice for cutting back on the amount of cloth diaper laundry as well as the amount of space taken up in your diaper bag.
So, first impressions... I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised that the color is even more beautiful in person. These pictures don't do it justice. It is a VERY nice color, and perfectly named Blackberry. Both the shell and the insert have a high quality feel to them. The inserts are very soft and sort of remind of me Flip Organic Nighttime Inserts - in a good way, of course! I'd read that the shells have a mesh lining, but that never really made sense to me until I saw one in person. I know some people prefer having a wipeable interior to their covers, but with inserts (as opposed to fitteds or wrapping prefolds or flats on baby), there is always skin exposed directly to baby's skin. This might not bother YOUR baby's skin, but it's something to consider. It's certainly not the most comfortable material on a hot day compared to nice, soft,
breathable cotton. Also, I never reuse covers without washing once they've been pooped in anyway. As for the covers staying clean for re-use the rest of the time, the inserts are all backed with TPU, which is a waterproof lining that keeps things from just soaking through the inserts and into mesh lining.
I've now had plenty of time to see how this system works and how well I like the
GroVia shells. I like how trim the fit is and the materials are definitely high quality. The fact that the the inserts snap in is fantastic. It's great not having to worry about them shifting around or bunching up with an impatient toddler. It's super easy switching out for a clean insert, or you could even treat it like an
AIO (all-in-one) and toss the whole thing in the diaper pail if that's more convenient at the time.
I've been loving my
GroVia so much I bought 3 more shells and 3 more sets of inserts. With N, that's enough to get through an entire day. I love how absorbent they are and that I can safely use them for naps. I also love how much less space these inserts take up (both for storing, as well as in the diaper pail) compared to the pocket cloth diapers we have.
I should also say that even though there are definite "defects" with the original set I bought for this review, I still can't find what they are even now that I have first quality shells and inserts to compare to. I definitely recommend these to everyone now.
