Grovia All In One Birth to Potty

Comfort including fit: 9/10

Ease of use: 10/10

Reliability: 10/10

Value for money: 7/10

Overall: 9/10

 

“The GroVia ™ All In One’s combine a sewn in, super absorbent Organic Cotton inner with a soft layer of waterproof TPU outer- no inserts, no stuffing- Simple!”

The promise is simple, absorbant good fitting nappies. I have to say, I agree that they have ticked all those boxes. For us, they really are the best fitting nappy. Elka has a small waist but big thighs, the side snaps are such a great fit, they don’t gape at the front like most nappies do (even disposables). They are made from a stretchy, silky soft waterproof TPU. You can always remember which popper to snap to which I can never remember with the front ‘ebay cheapies’ or other front popper types.

 

The down sides to this nappy. Well, I haven’t got any yet, but my concern is that the cotton will wear down quicker than my other nappies, its a thick cotton but looking at preloved nappies for sale on eBay etc, they look as if they start balding around the legs.

If you don’t like bulk, these will definitely be your go-to, they are slim yet highly absorbent easily last five hours. As with all super absorbent nappies they can take a little while to dry, however they are quicker than bamboo, yet with equal absorbent ability. In terms of reliability, I haven’t had a leak from them yet, I personally think a lot of this is mostly down to the great fit but also the lovely heavy cotton fibre inner.

The designs are super cute, really vibrant prints and colours, plenty of unisex designs. As these are American, there are only a few outlets to buy from in the UK (http://www.fill-your-pants.com mainly) so they are quite expensive. I got one by chance as it was on a  Real Nappy Week offer. There aren’t so many people selling them on eBay in the UK either, but hopefully they will become more popular which will help bring the price down.

 

V4 tots bots easyfit frugi print review

Comfort including fit: 8/10
Ease of use: 9/10
Reliability: 10/10
Value for money: 8/10

Overall: 8/10

These nappies are certainly an improvement from the leaky V3 that tots bots previously released. Firstly, each nappy comes with it’s own booster. The booster is made from the same bamboo and minky ‘binky’ and cotton towelling (it feels like a cotton towel) that is used on the inlay. As you can see in the photos the booster has a inner padding of microfibre.

I love how long these last. I changed Elka at 12ish and it nappy lasted till 5.30pm without any leaks (probably could go for longer). I would say Elka is a medium wetter in the day. I have used the V4 at night but boosted with two little lamb bamboo boosters as extra (Elka is a heavy wetter at night). Many people use them as night nappies without boosting but I would say this would only work for light wetters lasting twelve hours.

In terms of price, these are supposed to RRP at £16.99 which I think is expensive, but you can find deals (babipur have some great offers at the moment) you can also sell on to others, tots bots have one of the best resale value of the well known cloth brands. If you are thinking of buying second hand you can get a better price on eBay, there are plenty of resale groups on Facebook however.

I do love the frugi prints, they are fun and colourful. My main gripe is that there is some colour pixelation which makes the print look a little cheap. This is more noticeable on certain prints, the sealife for instance (see photos below)

This issue isn’t so present on the birdie print. However, the print isn’t as vibrant as the other story prints (change in the PUL?). It’s great to be able to match the nappy with frugi’s clothing line. It’s a shame however that most of the matching clothes are popper tops which would hide the nappy underneath.

The fit of these are the same as other tots bots. Elka is a fairly slender baby nearly a year old, I popper the front on the mid setting and the Velcro gives an easy to fit across the top. I find with all tots bots that the Velcro edging is sharp, the edge has only cut her leg once but it’s not particularly good that it’s ever cut her. I’ve heard of some mums giving up their tots bots Velcro because it was such a problem.

Down the rabbit hole..

This post is just an introduction. My name is Lara, I am a mother of one nearly a year old daughter called Elka. I’m UK based.

Three months ago, I spoke to some mums about turning to cloth (reusable nappy/diaper). I did my research (highly recommend reading  this FAQ by the nappy lady) and thought I’d give it ago. 

Three months on, we are fully cloth. I love it. Yes you have a great green conscious doing it, but what they don’t tell you is how addictive it all is, there’s the full sets of patterns, limited editions and custom mades. 

This blog will explore hints, tips, review and news on reusable nappies, I’ll also share my experiences of brand goods for baby and mother/parents hopefully help any interested parents out there!