Cloth Nappy Review – Gro Via Hybrid
The Grovia hybrid nappy consists of an outer waterproof shell that can be reused and absorbent inserts that snap securely in place.
In our house, we’re a fan of hybrid nappies. They take up less room in the changing bag. They’re cheaper than having an equivalent stash of all-in-ones. We can tumble dry the inserts and the shells hang dry very quickly. Most importantly, of course, the baby can wear the same gorgeous, outfit co-ordinated design virtually all day.
We were delighted to try out the Grovia. The packaging is minimal and informative and the nappy designs themselves are adorable.
While most of our hybrids use poppers, the Grovia hybrid we tried uses hook and loop (a ‘poppers’ version of this nappy is also available). I’m a huge fan of hook and loop/velcro but many of the top brands get velcro wrong. Grovia get it right. Not only is the velcro super strong and secure, the rough hooks of the velcro are kept well away from the baby’s belly, and the waistband area is made of a soft, velcro-adhesive fabric that allows maximum flexibility and speed when fitting the nappy. For a long, slim, fidgety baby like ours, this is really important.
We regularly have problems with nappies either sitting too low on her torso or being too loose around her slim thighs. We didn’t run into this problem at all with the Grovia. I think this is down to the very adjustable velcro fitting. The elastics around the legs were good and strong without leaving marks.
On first use, we got 3 dry hours out of it on our 12 month old and the insert was not saturated. We tried the reusable inserts with a ‘stay dry’ layers that draws moisture into the cotton/hemp core kept her bum dry and irritation free. If having natural fibres next to your baby’s bottom is priority Gro Via also make an insert which has organic cotton layer next to your baby’s skin instead of the ‘stay dry’.
The Grovia hybrid is really well designed. The velcro shells make the best use of velcro of any nappy I have tried (and we’ve tried pretty much all of them!). Combining hemp and a stay dry layer means high absorbency while keeping baby’s bum dry without the use of a fleece liner.
Because of the simple snap-in insert system and the simple velcro closure, these nappies would be ideal for childminders and grandparents, too. If you need something new or are just starting with cloth nappies, the Grovia hybrids are definitely worth a try.
