Maman Loup's Den

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Dreams do come true! My GroVia Shell and Prefolds Review

GroVia Shell and Prefold Review - Maman Loup's Den

I received this product free for review. All opinions and bizarre fan-girl confessions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.

When I was 15, the biggest star in my universe was Dana Scully, aka, Gillian Anderson. I would’ve given anything to meet her… or even to see her from afar. I had a fan page devoted to the X-Files. If you’re not afraid of frames and animated gifs, it still exists out there on the inter-webs.

Nowadays, I have a different kind of web page (one that takes significantly less time to update, thanks to the progress we’ve made since my first dial-up modem and my scanner that took 30 minutes to scan one image). I’m a different kind of fan girl. I geek out about cloth diapers… and I collect them… and now, while three large Rubbermaid totes of X-Files merchandise sit abandoned in my parents’ basement, my current collection of fluff is out on display in my son’s bedroom.

I still remember my first X-Files episode (5×01, original air date November 2, 1997), and I still remember receiving my very first fluff mail: four GroVia shells in the summer of 2012. If you think dreams don’t come true, I’m about to boggle your mind. In the past year, I’ve not only met my teenage idol… but I’ve been asked by GroVia, my first true-fluffy-love, to do a review!

dreams do come true!

Yes, that’s right. And if I’d had more than about 15 seconds to pose for this photo with Agent Scully herself, I’d have probably started showing her Cub’s diapers…

But I digress. You’re here for the diapers, and the truth is in here. (See what I just did there?) While I’ve had GroVia shells in my rotation since the very beginning (they were our first one-size covers), I had not, until now, had a chance to try out their prefolds. I’ve never used GroVia’s snap in soakers with my covers; it’s always been some other style of insert from my collection. I prefer inserts that are versatile and can be paired with different covers, so GroVia prefolds were my choice when Laura at GroVia asked what I might like to review.

In case you’re unfamiliar with GroVia shells, let’s start at The Beginning (coincidentally, the name of episode 6×01…):

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GroVia Shell and Prefolds Review

GroVia shells

  • One-size, available in aplix and snaps.
  • Have a “matching” snap-in insert available in organic cotton or stay-dry versions, but you can use any inserts you want.

What I love about GroVia Shells:

  • Inner is mesh: PUL doesn’t directly touch baby’s skin (a concern for some babies);
  • Reusable for multiple changes: If a bit of poop isn’t caught by the insert, you can usually spot-clean and leave the shell to dry for the next change. I often used only 3 shells a day when we used exclusively GroVia covers and Bummis prefolds. (GroVia hadn’t released its own prefolds when I first started cloth.)
  • Quick to dry: They dry super fast even just hung in my bathroom. I started with a really small stash, so this was super important for me!
  • Cutest of cutest prints: Our first love was Owl, now it’s a tie between Sweet Grass and Woodlands.
  • Great fit almost since birth: We started using our shells at about 3 weeks, so Cub was about 10 lbs. Cub is now just shy of 30 lbs, and his GroVia shells still fit great.

GroVia shell

Depending on the insert used, I snap the rise down one level, even on my big boy!

Different inserts in Grovia Shell

What I love less about GroVia Shells:

  • Don’t work well overnight: The lack of front waist elastic and the fact that it doesn’t cover most fitted diapers well make our GroVia shells exclusively for daytime use. Overnight, I use a pretty hefty combo of inserts that is just too thick to get a snug fit with GroVia.
  • Not the best coverage over Snappi-ed prefolds: The size 3 prefolds secured in a bikini twist or angel wing fold are a bit too big to get good coverage under a GroVia shell. In any case, I prefer to lie my prefolds in the diaper versus securing them with a Snappi.

Why GroVia prefolds?

  • Versatile: You don’t have to be a GroVia cover user to love their prefolds;
  • Wide range of sizes: get the perfect fit and absorbency with 4 sizes to choose from;
  • Bamboo/Cotton blend: Super soft and absorbent;
  • Easy to wash and customize: Like all prefolds, they are easy to launder and it’s easy to customize your absorbency depending on your fold;
  • Long life: One of the things I love most about prefold diapers is that they can continue to be useful even when your children are no longer in diapers! They’re way more absorbent than your ordinary kitchen towel!

What would I change?

  • Preshrink: Why don’t manufacturers pre-shrink their prefolds? I suppose it’s an issue of time/cost efficiency… but in a perfect world, I’d love if my prefolds came prepped and already their final size;
  • Packaging: I wish GroVia prefolds didn’t come in a plastic pouch. There are surely practical reasons for this kind of packaging, but I’d like something I can more easily reuse or recycle.

grovia package

How do I use GroVia Size 3 prefolds?

Prepping is trying on the patience, but necessary! GroVia recommends to wash and dry 6 times:

grovia shrinkage

GroVia Size 3 prefolds, appropriate for my near-30-lb Cub, are too big to fit tri-folded in a cover. It took a bit of tweaking, but I finally found the perfect way to use my prefolds with my covers.

Trifold too thick

Here’s how to get the perfect fit with your GroVia size 3 prefolds in a GroVia shell:

How to fold size 3 grovia prefold into shell

As you can see, particularly for a boy, this fold provides extra absorbency in the pee zone, and extra coverage in the poopsplosion area! This folds allows for a gape-free fit that isn’t too bulky.

Conclusion:

Very versatile, very cute… and you never forget your first cloth diaper love!

Shop for GroVia at Nicky’s Diapers and Gro-Via.com in the US and Lagoon Baby  in Canada. (affiliate links)

Comments

  2. 2

    Luckless Poppy says

    This was a great review and omg did you almost pass out getting to meet Gillian Anderson?! Wow. Grovia and X-Files. There’s a LOT of awesome going on around here…

    Reply
  8. 9

    Stacey Grace says

    I would love to try out the snap sweet grass organic soaker GroVia diaper. I haven’t tired this one yet sort of new to all these different types of cloth diapers.

    Reply
  9. 10

    Jennifer T says

    I love GroVia’s hook & loop style! For once I find aplix cuter than snaps ^_^ I would opt for the organic soaker pads with a vanilla shell (I think that’s part of the regular line-up??)

    Reply
  17. 19

    Amanda Mahan says

    I would definitely choose snaps for my smarty pants. I love the pudge print and I think I would try organic.

    Reply
  21. 23

    Mackenzie Finley says

    I’m in love with the drift print! I’m new to CD so either snap or aplix, and I guess stay dry. So cute and adorable!

    Reply
  35. 38

    Beth Ann says

    I would pick persimmon. I have all of the other prints and colors already. I really love surf though. I’d love another. 🙂 we love love love snaps, and we use stay dry. Why not try organic cotton though? I mean, it would be free. Lol

    Thanks for the giveaway, happy bloggiversary!

    Reply
  39. 42

    Morgen says

    I like snaps, and think any colour/print would be great! If I had to choose, pudge is super cute! I would go with the organic insert. 🙂

    So excited for these giveaways! Great products!! I don’t yet have a Grovia!

    Reply
  48. 51

    Stefanie S. says

    Snap, woodlands, stay dry. If woodlands isn’t part of the “regular lineup”, then I’d like pudge.

    Thanks for the review!

    Reply
  50. 53

    Katy Baird says

    Great review!! Haven’t tried GroVia, but I’d love to!
    If I won, I’d have to choose Hook & Loop (because hubby likes those), with stay-dry inserts and ANY of the prints- but probably drift or poppy, but pudge is do cute… I can’t decide!!!

    Reply
  54. 57

    Mesha C. says

    Ok I can’t find the Woodland print anywhere, I love that print! If I was lucky enough to win, I would like the Snap Closure in either woodland print, Wild Thing, or Surf! Lol so many cute prints. GroVia Organic Cotton soaker Pad please.

    Reply
  63. 66

    Katie Jurisch says

    I’d love to add a snap cover in vanilla to my stash, along with some organic soakers. Thanks for the chance to win this!

    Reply
  67. 70

    Adina Kilpatrick says

    I use Grovia for my 3 year old overnight. They have been a lifesaver!! He soaked through EVERYTHING!! We use their super thirsty snap in inserts with and amp hemp trifold on top. They never leak! I would LOVE to add a blackberry to the collection (snaps) and we’ve never tried the stay dry soaker so wouldn’t mind giving one of those a try! 🙂

    Reply
  82. 85

    Brianna Flanagan says

    Great review ! I would choose the poppy in snap with an organic snap in. 🙂 hope to win !

    Reply
  90. 93

    Becky Naylor says

    I would try the stay dry, as I have organic (and love them) and I’d like the poppy print, I can’t remember the name. I love drift and sweetgrass and pudge, but already have them

    Reply
  91. 94

    Loretta J says

    I love GroVia! I would choose hook and loop in persimmon with organic inserts. Thanks for the giveaway!

    Reply
  97. 100

    Bridget Messenger says

    I have had the prefold bulk inside of many styles of covers too. I thought it was just me doing something wrong!

    Reply
  104. 107

    Lorraine Rowe says

    I love my Grovia shells!! I use snap in inserts but recently purchased Grovia prefolds for our newborn and I love them!! I will be getting a few more and would love to win this!!

    Reply
  106. 109

    Rose says

    I would choose the print Pudge in snaps with organic soakers. DD requires stay-dry, but I am able to add that. If the next baby is allergic, I can’t remove the stay-dry from the other inserts ;). And pandas! <3

    Reply
  110. 113

    AshleyDawn says

    I think I prefer snaps. And I love all the prints. I use either organic or stay dry and don’t really have a preference towards either.

    Reply
  123. 126

    Kim H says

    I would choose hook and loop any boy friendly print (I love them all) and organic. Grovia are my first love as well! A friend gave me two for me to try and I bought two more I don’t have any inserts for mine either! I always pair them with another brand prefold or flat. I absolutely love grovia though they are my go to day time diaper. <3

    Reply
  134. 137

    Andrea R says

    I’d pick organic, snaps, pudge. I love velcro for daycare, but the one I have is very pilly now, so snaps it is.

    Reply
  147. 150

    Becky says

    I would want one in snaps with stay dry inserts. I would probably have to choose the purple color for my girl!

    Reply
  148. 151

    Jennifer (robbins) A. says

    I would choose snap closures, in print “Sweet Grass”, and “stay dry” inserts.

    Reply
  153. 156

    Melissa E says

    I think I would go with snaps, the sweetgrass pattern, and a stay dry soaker! That pattern is amazing.

    Reply
  154. 157

    Ann Brogan says

    I use grovia. I like the robots print even though its no longer one of their active prints. I like snaps. I also have the panda print which is pudge and the yellow print.

    Reply
  159. 162

    Andrea Hiestand says

    I would choose pudge (I love pandas!), snap closure, and the organic inserts since I haven’t tried them yet. This is such a great giveaway!

    Reply
  166. 169

    Jeanette E. says

    I Love our grovia shells! I have 2 boys in cloth and we have 2 shells, would be great to have another to help with the stash!! I’m a big fan of their prefolds, but I agree they did shrink a lot. I would choose one of their prints! I love the panda, but would really like the balloons!

    Reply
  169. 172

    Viv Sluys says

    I would like hook & loop, Sweetgrass with stay dry insert. It’s kind of odd that these come in plastic packaging…

    Reply
  171. 174

    Ashley W. says

    I’ve been looking into GroVia. You’re review helped quite a bit.
    I’d go with the hook and loop closures in “Surf” with an organic soaker.

    Reply
  173. 176

    Alicia Dithmart Lundquist says

    OK. So snap, organic, and Sweetgrass…but I’m sorry, I can’t really focus right now YOU MET GILLIAN ANDERSON?!? /dies

    Reply
  183. 186

    Brandi Stevenson says

    This would be awesome to win, thank you!
    I’d choose Poppy or persimmon with snaps because my daughter had mastered Velcro! And stay-dry please!

    Reply
  186. 190

    Lynn B says

    I would choose aplix, Pudge and organic cotton. Don’t know what gender we’re having yet and that’s an adorable unisex print!

    Reply
  191. 195

    Cassie purvis says

    Thank you for this great review!! I just had my first baby, and am just starting to learn about cloth diapering – trying to decide if it would work for us!!

    Reply
  207. 211

    Laura Thiele says

    I love the snap closure style and the poppy print is super cute…I also like the stay dry over organic because my l/o sure can pee a lot

    Reply
  215. 219

    Gloria says

    I love grovia hook and loop. So smooth and strong. Would love a new print if I win!! And either soakers =)

    Reply
  216. 220

    Theresa L says

    I prefer snaps over velcro any day. Maybe it’s the fall-ish weather or the country girl in me or just cute baby butts but I’m LOVING the wheat print (sweetgrass) in your picture. I think I’d prefer organic over stay dry

    Reply
  217. 221

    Sarah says

    I love the sweetgrass print and snaps all the way! I love closing up my cloth diapers after they are clean just so I can “unclick”. Now that I’ve typed that, I realize I am going to have to replace my snaps more often… Worth it. 🙂

    Reply
  220. 224

    Courtney says

    I can’t decide!! I love drift and poppy, I have a sweet grass already…but I also love all of the solids as well! I prefer snap closures and I like the stay dry inserts! I love grovia so anything would be great, really!

    Reply
  230. 234

    Denise Elliott says

    Pudge is my favorite but I also like the surf and blackberry with hook and loop closure and the stay dry soaker pads

    Reply
  231. 235

    Genevieve White says

    Hook & loop, drift, and organic. I love Grovia! We have two or three of them 🙂 And I prefer the hook and loop, even though it doesn’t last as long, because it makes fitting a lot easier!

    Reply
  232. 236

    Carissa Joslyn says

    xfiles was always my favorite show! I grew up watching it with my dad, and still love it! Also GroVia’s were my FIRST cloth diaper ever! mine was AI2 I believe, regardless, we still have it and i love it. it’s also the only one of my diapers that is a grovia, simply because I haven’t had to money to buy one. I would love to try more of their products!

    and that’s awesome you got to meet Scully after all these years! 😀

    Reply

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