Cloth Diapering

We at GroVia want to offer an apology regarding a lack of acknowledgement of the efforts of Black Women Do Cloth Diaper in a recent blog post.

Black Women Do Cloth Diaper is a group of women—smart, impassioned women of color with diverse backgrounds and approaches to parenting—women who have given their time and energies to call the cloth diaper industry as a whole to the carpet and challenge us all, including GroVia, to make highly visible changes to approaches to diversity and inclusion. We also want to express our gratitude for the work these women have done to challenge, inspire and mobilize other women of color to both begin using cloth diapers and to call on brands to represent women, families, and babies of color in advertising.

GroVia will continue to take actionable steps with future lifestyle photography, ad campaigns, social media campaigns, and social media outreach efforts. This is about doing right by the diverse families who support our brand and the diverse cloth diapering families of the future.

Sincerely,
Kim Ormsby and Team GroVia

When you think of cloth diapers, what do you think of?

Hippies? ‘Granola moms?’
These names are all associated with white women and rarely include women and families of color.

I am here to tell you that families of color love to cloth diaper. But between advertisements and community events, it has been difficult for me to find representation that included babies and families that look like me and my children.

So where does my story begin?

I started cloth diapering to help my family save money. My family had relocated to a new city, and for the first time, we were living off one income. A friend of mine recommended cloth diapers, and I immediately turned up my nose. “Why would I touch poop ON PURPOSE?”

After a week of leaky disposable diapers and poop, I decided to give it a try. Let’s just say… we have not looked back. When I decided to cloth diaper, I applied for a cloth diaper loan through my local cloth diaper bank, and I received one GroVia Hybrid diaper in Blackberry. It instantly became my favorite diaper, and every time I found one I purchased it.

Something was missing.

Let's chat about normal cloth diaper wear/tear.

I was washing North's diapers this morning and thought it would be nice to discuss wear, as we often see (Facebook, Babycenter, and all over cloth diapering groups) varying expectations as to what a diaper should look like after months/years of use.

First, there is a bit of a misconception that diapers will wear the same for all people.

Sadly, this is not true. Stash size, detergent, wash routine, water type, and machine type ALL play a part in how a diaper wears. If only we could standardize all of these things, it would make things SO MUCH EASIER :-)  Second, a diaper is a garment and just like any piece of clothing that gets worn and washed over and over again, it will show wear and will eventually wear out. But, what is considered normal?

Cloth diapers, just like your household towels and favorite t-shirts, will eventually begin to show signs that they are well loved parts of your family’s daily life. Here are some tips for keeping them in great condition for as long as possible:

Tip #1: On Hybrid Hook/Loop Shells, ALWAYS use the Tuck Under Tabs before laundering!
Avoid laundry “diaper chains,” damage, and premature wear and tear. The Tuck Under Tab is one reason the GroVia Hybrid is so beloved by cloth diapering families. Just trust.

Tip #2: Hang or lay your GroVia Hybrid Shells flat to dry.
By the time your Soaker Pads, Prefolds, and All in Ones have finished tumble-drying, your Shells will be dry or almost there. Not exposing them to heat from your dryer protects elastics, snaps, and Hook/Loop materials from becoming worn or warped.

Tip #3: Have a large enough rotation.
One Size diapers are worn around the clock by a single child for sometimes more than two or even three years! Having a large enough rotation—at least 36 diaper changes per child in diapers—will prevent the need to repair or purchase replacements before your child is out of diapers.

With the launch of GroVia's new O.N.E diaper drawing near we are seeing a lot of questions asking how O.N.E is different than the GroVia Hybrid diapering system.  We've put together a brief piece with photos to help guide you through the differences and hopefully help you with your buying decision (although to be honest I have both Hybrid and O.N.E in my stash and LOVE the mix).

O.N.E by GroVia is an all in one diaper.  What does that mean?
It is a diaper that contains both absorbency and a waterproof outer.  When it is soiled the entire diaper is washed.  It contains a unique and patent pending closure system that integrates both hook and loop and snaps.  So the user gets to choose whether the diaper closes using snaps OR hook and loop.  Or, if the hook and loop eventually wears out (let's face it, this is what happens with hook and loop on diapers) you can simply purchase a new hook and loop kit for your diaper OR just use the diaper with its snaps.

So what’s the deal with the claim that using cloth diapers during infancy can help a toddler potty-train more easily?

It’s (mostly) true!

Disposable diapers and some modern cloth diapers pull moisture away from the skin to keep babies comfortable after they have used their diapers. This can certainly have its advantages, and there’s a reason we offer Stay-Dry products! When my own babies are going to be in the car or in a busy situation, I like to use Stay-Dry Soaker Pads.

I'd like to ask you something.

Do you think the baby on the left is chubby?

Little Betsy is seven months old and closing in on 18 lbs. She’s in the fifth percentile for height… and the 75^th for weight. Note the rolls and the chins. You kind of want to bite her, right? There’s no getting around it: my beautiful baby girl is fat. I've never had a baby this fat. I thought this level of roll-age was mythical.

Would it surprise you to hear that Betsy wears GroVia One-Size All-in-Ones every day?

GroVia Bamboo Prefolds have quickly become one of our top selling products. Why? They are absorbent, silky soft, and a very inexpensive way to add to your cloth diaper stash!

We are often asked about sizing. Why don't you put a weight range on your prefolds? The answer is this: Weight ranges for prefolds just don't work. They vary too greatly depending on how the prefold is being used, trifolded or fastened. Most people simply trifold their GroVia prefolds in their GroVia Shells, so I've crafted today's post to focus solely on this.

They are cute and tiny, so how in the world do newborns pee so much?? Looks can be deceiving! Your newborn will nurse 8-12 times per DAY for the first month, and 7-9 times per DAY during the second month. Well, what goes in must go out, which means A LOT of very wet diapers during those first couple of months.