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Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Gro Baby Review

Basic Information:

 Gro Baby is a one-size diaper system made by The Natural Baby Company. This is an all-in-two diaper system, which means that they have a waterproof shell and snap-in inserts which allows you to reuse the shell after the insert has gotten dirty. This diaper is also considered a hybrid because it offers biodegradeable, disposable inserts that can be used instead of the cloth inserts. The inserts are made of certified organic cotton and are elasticized on both sides of the long edge. The system comes with a booster for added absorbancy. The outer shell is PUL and the inner part of the shell is quick dry mesh. It is elasticized across the back and along the thigh areas. It is currently available in 4 colors and 4 prints (as of 01/2010). It has hook and loop (think Velcro) tabs to easily adjust around baby’s waist. Before laundering, press the tabs to the inner laundry tabs. A snap waist is available in one color, but they will convert the hook and loops to snaps on your shells at a cost of $3.50 per shell if you send them to the company.

How it works:

 They have an adjustable rise allowing you to make the diaper larger or smaller based on your child’s size. There are three settings, newborn, infant, and toddler, so you just snap the diaper up to make it smaller or leave it unsnapped for the largest setting.

  
There are two snaps on the inner part of the diaper where you snap-in the insert (front and back). When the diaper is wet, you simply unsnap the insert and snap-in a new one. There are sticky tabs on the disposable insert where the snaps would be.


*Note: this review is of the first run of GroBaby diapers.  From my understanding, they have been slightly revised and now have an additional 2cm of fabric on the front.  I personally think that this would be an improvement, but have no personal experience.
Price:

 With a price point of $24.95 for a single shell, pad, and booster, it's about the middle of the road. I feel that it is a good value. Packages are available which discounts the price per unit.
Features We Love:

 • Tabs-this Velcro is soft and unlike the Velcro we all think of! I never worry about rubbing baby with the “scratchy” side.

 • Organic Inserts-they are super absorbent and we like that they have 2 snaps to keep them in place. These are our preferred night-time diaper. We use the booster, but I’m not sure that we even need it. The insert is actually two separate pieces sewn together reducing drying time, which is helpful.

 • Mesh inner layer-dries quickly. Unlike another AI2 system we have with microfleece lining, this one we would actually snap in a fresh insert and use immediately. Unless (more like until) the shell gets soiled, we usually use one shell for at least a ½ day.

 • Elastic-I like that it has a small diameter. It doesn’t put big red marks on our baby’s legs.

The Downside:
  •  Insert has a longer dry time than some of our other diapers
  • At the smallest setting, you need to fold over the insert a tad bit or it may stick out.
  • Not a wide variety of colors available.
  •  Laundry tabs tend to come undone in the wash, but they don’t stick to everything, so it hasn’t created a problem for us.
  • All-in-twos may not be a good choice for daycare, babysitters, etc.
 We Vote:
  • Good price
  • Good value
  • Great for nighttime 
  • Dad’s Favorite
  • Easy AI2
Overall Rating (out of 10): 9

Pictures of Dipe in Use: (on an 11 week old baby; ~11.5 lbs)



Disclosure:  I was not compensated in any way for this review.  I purchased this product.

***UPDATE 3/1/10****
I want to update you on something that I think is very important.  Gro Baby has excellent customer service.  Recently, the elastic along the back of one of our covers completely came loose.  Basically, it isn't usable because you can't make it tight enough around the waist.  I contacted the company on a Sunday night and they sent me a return email first thing on Monday.  They are sending me a prepaid shipping envelope to return the cover and will repair or replace my cover.  I couldn't ask for anything more!  Thanks Gro Baby!

Overall Rating (out of 10): 9

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