I received this product at no cost to facilitate my review. All opinions remain my own.
The GroVia All-in-One (AIO) was my first experience with an AIO diaper, three years ago when Cub was wee. (Who knew that three years later, he’d still be in diapers…?) At the start of my cloth diapering journey, I only used GroVia and Bummis shells with Bummis prefolds, so I knew absolutely nothing about different styles of diapers. I didn’t know what a pocket diaper was, and all I knew about an all-in-one diaper was that it was one piece. The reason I chose GroVia AIOs was because I already had their shells. I knew nothing about the different styles of all-in-one diapers on the market like I do today.
GroVia AIOs didn’t work well for Cub: I always got leg leaks. In fact, I ended up selling them all. Now having used this one on Little Miss Cub, with a wealth of cloth diapering knowledge under my belt, I just think I wasn’t using them properly on Cub. I haven’t had a single leak with our Citrus (AWESOME COLOUR) GroVia AIO, and I wouldn’t say she’s a heavier wetter than her brother, just on a smaller growth curve. At the time I was having issues with my GroVia AIOs, I didn’t even know there was a whole world of cloth diapering Mamas and Papas on the internet who could’ve helped me troubleshoot. Look how far I’ve come!
The GroVia AIO is designed very differently from the majority of all-in-one diapers on the market. Rather than the typical front-waist closure using wing tabs (like a disposable diaper), the GroVia snaps at the hips with super stretchy tabs.
Am I a huge fan of side-snapping diapers? No, not especially. It’s mainly a personal preference, but I suspect it was this trickier-to-master closure that gave me issues on Cub when I didn’t know anything about getting a proper fit for a cloth diaper.
Both the diaper lining and the sewn-in insert and snap-in booster are made from 100% organic cotton. The insert is attached at the back of the diaper, “tongue style,” which cuts down on diaper dry time. The snap for the booster is located at the tip of the sewn-in soaker.
The elastic casing at both the back waist and the legs is significantly wider than other cloth diapers in our stash.
The GroVia AIO is quite trim between the legs, and is cut straight across at the front tummy, without a front waist elastic, similar to the GroVia ONE and GroVia shells.
To reach maximum absorbency, you need to wash and dry a GroVia AIO a lot. (The instructions say 5-6 times.) I admit I only washed and dried ours twice before putting it on the Little Miss, but I was sure to change her quickly those first few times.
For all the leaks I had with Cub, I have had a grand total of NONE using the GroVia AIO on Little Miss Cub. (And even when the diaper wasn’t fully prepped, we had no leaks!)
I believe our longest stretch so far, with booster, was five hours. The key to this second-time-around success? Fit! I have a sneaking suspicion that I was not securing the diaper tightly around his chubby thighs for fear of hurting him. I doubt I got the right “seal” in his groin, so the pee just rolled on out. Now, as a fearless and experienced cloth diapering Mama, I stretch those closure tabs out and snap the bottom snap first, pulling the front panel of the diaper up and to the side as I do so. I also didn’t know that I could stagger my snaps: tighter at the hip, then one row looser at the tummy. This is a great option if you are concerned about comfort, particularly when baby is in a seated position.
GroVia has a great video showing how to get the right fit with their AIO. I watched it after we’d been testing ours for a while, and it’s exactly how I’ve been using it (and exactly how I was NOT using it on Cub when I was experiencing leaks).
Getting The Best Fit With Your GroVia Organic AIO from GroVia on Vimeo.
What I love about the GroVia AIO:
- Tongue-style soaker with snap-in booster means dry time isn’t as long and laundering is easier. That the second insert can be removed means you can cut down on bulk on smaller babies.
- Super trim fit. Although I don’t think I’d agree that it’s the only diaper on the market to fit under skinnies as the GroVia site states, it’s definitely one of the trimmest we’ve tried. The side snaps mean there is zero bulge at the front, and there is nothing fluffy about a GroVia AIO butt.
- Big ol’ sturdy snaps: GroVia and Bummis are the only brands I know of that use these big, hefty snaps. I find them much easier to use.
- There is no bunching at the front waist, even on a lower rise, thanks to the side snaps and the smooth cut of the front panel.
- Mighty absorbent, despite trimness.
- Those stre-e-e-e-etchy tabs help get a really secure fit, and the double column of snaps means you can really customize the sizing as I discussed above. The stretchy tabs make it possible to use this diaper as a “pull up” style training pant.
- GroVia is one of my favourite companies because of their social initiatives and the obvious devotion they have to their fans.
What I love less about the GroVia AIO:
(Note that many of these cons can also be viewed as pros.)
- Cotton feels very wet against baby’s skin: for some babies, the lack of a synthetic stay-dry layer may be an issue (but the lack of synthetics could also be a selling point for others).
- The cotton inner definitely stains easily, however, the sun works miracles on poop stains.
- It’s only fair to acknowledge that GroVia diapers are made overseas. As you know I always give bonus points to made in the US or made in Canada diapers.
- The price point is definitely high ($32.99 Canadian), but there’s no doubt that this is a high-quality, well-constructed and long-lasting diaper.
- Of all the diapers I’ve ever reviewed, I’d say that for the newbie cloth diaper user, GroVia AIO has the steepest learning curve in terms of getting a good fit. It is definitely the least like a disposable diaper, which is what a lot of parents are basing their experience on.
- The side closure isn’t my favourite style, but keep in mind that the side closure is super adjustable (once you know how), and contributes to the overall trimness of the diaper. Also, when you’re changing a standing toddler, side closures can be your best friend.
Using your GroVia AIO as training pants
What might make me a side-snapping diaper convert after all is that the stretchy side panels make GroVia AIOs perfect to use as pull up trainers. Just snap the diaper looser than you would normally, and pull them on and off just like underwear! You can see GroVia’s How-To Video here.
Bottom Line:
I really wish I’d known about the online community of cloth diapering parents when I was struggling with my GroVia AIOs on Cub. I sold off my dozen diapers at a bargain basement price, thinking they didn’t work for us. GroVia has an awesome official chat group if ever you do need to troubleshoot any of their products!
Shop & Connect:
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Central Alberta’s The Cloth Diaper Source carries more than cloth diapers: they’ve got lots of maternity accessories, too! They offer free shipping in Canada over $99 and a low flat-rate of $6.99. They also offer free delivery in Red Deer, Lacombe, Sylvan Lake, Blackfalds, Ponoka and Innisfail. US Shipping is also now available.
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