I received this product free for review. All opinions remain my own.
I’ve mentioned before that GroVia shells were my first cloth diapering love. I remember receiving my first shells, thinking they were adorable, and wondering “how the heck does this whole cloth diapering thing work?” Who would’ve thought that three years later I’d be running a blog more or less devoted to the topic, and approached by my “gateway” brand for a review of their latest innovation?!
Last year, GroVia ran a Kickstarter campaign to get funding for their new design, named “O.N.E.” I was so intrigued by the project that I signed up as a backer. (I received an adorable t-shirt in exchange for my backing bucks, since I found out afterwards that they wanted me to review the diaper.)
This is the project outline that led GroVia backers like myself to contribute a whopping $60,000 to the project:
While the O.N.E. does share many design features with other one-size diapers on the market, such as adjustable rise snaps to fit from birth to potty learning and snap-in soakers in a blend of fibers, it also proposes a bit of a game-changer: the possibility of having hook & loop and snap closures in the same diaper. Many WAHMs have designed hook & loop closures that attach to various brands’ snap closures, but GroVia is the first big brand to include a hook & loop (aka Velcro) option. Personally, I loved hook & loop closures when Cub was tiny, but came to prefer snaps further down the line. My husband refuses to use snaps, and many day cares prefer the ease of hook & loop, so the idea of a set of diapers with a removable hook & loop option seemed pretty smart to me.
GroVia is also marketing the O.N.E. as a “no prep” diaper: its polyester and cotton blend inserts do not need to be washed multiple times before reaching maximum absorbency (this was a draw-back of their original all-in-one design). The price point is also notable: at $21.95 USD each, it’s on the lower end of brand-name diaper prices, especially for a diaper that is meant to need no additional boosters or repairs to be used for multiple children. Complicated wash routines and fancy, expensive (and often useless) cloth diaper soap can be a major deterrent for many prospective cloth diaper buyers. Even before GroVia released O.N.E., they were one of the first major manufacturers to join the side of reason and openly promote a simple wash routine with mainstream detergent. They’ve tacked this approach into the marketing of O.N.E.:
“Complicated wash routines are a thing of the past with the O.N.E. The unique cotton blend soaker material means no shrinking and the ability to wash just like you would any other piece of clothing. You can even use bleach!”
GroVia O.N.E. Specs:
The cut of the GroVia O.N.E. shell is very similar to the shape of their Hybrid Shells (I will update with a comparison once we’ve moved and I have my shells back in hand!).
Unlike a lot of other brands, GroVia holds fast to a single row of closure snaps. I tend to personally prefer a double row of snaps because I can stagger them to get the perfect fit at the hips and tummy.
The O.N.E. kind of defies categorization in terms what kind of diaper it is. It’s definitely not a pocket, and it’s not an AI2 because the shell isn’t really meant to be reused for multiple changes as you would a BestBottom, Flip or even a GroVia hybrid. I’d like to start calling it a “Snap-in-One,” (kudos to Carolyn at Padded Tush Stats for introducing me to the term) because once you snap in your insert, it’s essentially one piece.
So far we’ve done fine for day-time use just with the single, large soaker. When we’ve been going out for longer periods of time and I want to avoid changing him in a public bathroom (neither his nor my favourite activity), I’ve been adding the small booster too. No leaks to speak of as of now, including in the car seat and stroller.
When a diaper is relatively new on the market, I like to compare it to more well-known designs to give parents a sense of how the sizing will compare. The rise is slightly higher than on a BumGenius 4.0:
And almost identical to a Funky Fluff 2.0 while being wider at the crotch:
Things I love about the GroVia O.N.E.:
- Very good price point for a high-quality, no-additional-boosters-needed, one-size diaper;
- It goes hand in hand with a simple and effective wash routine;
- The soakers have a stay-dry top layer and the absorbent layer is cotton. While I’m partial to natural fibers, I also prefer stay dry next to Cub’s bum, so this is a great combo all in one piece;
- There’s a hidden single-layer of microfiber in the diaper shell itself for extra absorbency;
- The hook & loop “add on” helps give parents the best of both worlds;
- Crossover snap (or hook & loop closure) for a great fit on eensy weeny babes;
- The overall fit, including the rise, is great on my son despite the fact that he is at the high end of the weight range.
Note that at the waist I snap one side tighter right now. (I do the same with most of our one-size brands.)
Things I love less:
- I prefer a double row of snaps at the waist for a more adjustable fit;
- I’m not crazy about the inner lining of the shell being fleece: I find this can lead to stink issues when parents don’t have a good wash routine. That said, since users can feel free to wash with a mainstream detergent and even use bleach without voiding their warranty, maybe this is moot;
- When the hook & loop strip is snapped on, I’m not as crazy about the fit at the waist. Because it attaches to only every second waist snap, the strip seems a bit loose. Perhaps it would be more secure if the hook & loop strip had the same amount of snaps as the diaper;
I’m lazy and I think if we were full-time hook & loop users, I’d get annoyed re-snapping the hook & loop on after each wash. (However, this step is crucial to keeping your diapers in good condition.) I find when I remove the diaper after using the hook & loop strip, it comes off on its own like this, which is practical:
…but it’s important to keep all your strips in one place so they don’t get lost!
Conclusion:
While I have no complaints whatsoever about this diaper’s performance, I’d like to wait to test it on the new baby coming in July before I declare it the O.N.E. diaper for use from birth to potty learning. I will also be able to better comment on its durability once it’s been in rotation for longer!
After the initial shipment to Kickstarter backers, the general public release of the O.N.E. sold out fast. If you’d like to get your hands on a O.N.E. or two, keep you eyes on GroVia’s social media and their official fan group for release dates. The current estimate for a new batch of solid colours is the end of July, 2015.
Have you tried a O.N.E. yet? If not, will you be stalking the next release date?
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