GroVia AI2 Review and $20 Gift Card to Lovely Eco Chic #Giveaway (Ends 4/23 US/Canada) #happybirthdayJR

Saturday, April 14, 2012

GroVia AI2 Review and $20 Gift Card to Lovely Eco Chic #Giveaway (Ends 4/23 US/Canada) #happybirthdayJR

Mary from Lovely Eco Chic is one of the sweetest ladies I've met in the cloth diapering world. I've spent a lot of time just chatting with her over email and when she agreed to sponsor a review and giveaway for JR's birthday event, I was so excited!

I love Lovely Eco Chic, not only for their wonderful customer service, but because they don't just carry products to carry them. They have requirements, and while some people may not like that they don't carry more "mainstream" diapers and products, I like that they thoroughly stand behind each product they sell. If they don't love it, they don't carry it. They also specialize in local and long distance diaper rentals!

I was sent a Grovia AI2 shell in Vanilla and one of the new Stay Dry Soaker Pads. I took this diaper on my trip to Florida, and it was worn on the airplane, so it had to go through a vigorous test!

My Initial Reaction:

(what I received)

(inside of shell)

(waterproof backing on soaker pad)

(soaker snapped into shell)

I really liked the look of this diaper from the beginning. It seemed to be of high quality and was cute! Vanilla is the perfect gender neutral color and matches every outfit in JR's wardrobe. The soaker was soft and trim, but looked like it would be very absorbent.

My review:

I brought this diaper with us on our trip, so after prepping it, the first time it was used was on an airplane, and I changed JR on my lap. For whatever reason, he freaks out when I lay him on a changing table, and the bathrooms on airplanes are loud, so instead of traumatizing him, I just changed him on my lap. It was easy to use and fit him very well. I have a hard time finding quality diapers that fit him well just because of his odd shape. He has no waist but chunky thighs. I was able to get a snug fit around his waist and a good fit around his legs without it leaving red marks.

It was super absorbent and this one diaper lasted for over 2 hours on one of our flights and another 30 minutes in the car before he was changed. No leaking or wicking, thanks to the waterproof backing on the soaker pad.

It also easily contained poo messes. JR's tummy was a little upset from all the excitement of meeting all of his cousins, aunts and uncles and other extended family. The generous size of the soaker pad was a lifesaver. It caught everything and left the shell dry and clean.

What I liked:

• Very good fit
• Absorbent soaker pads
• Fun colors and prints
• Easy to use
• Very Trim
• Super strong aplix

What I didnt like:

• The "laundry tabs" (or lack there of) seemed to cause the aplix to curl after just a few washes
• The soaker pad is generously sized, but would tend to bunch up quite a bit. Didn't affect performance, but seemed uncomfortable.
• The stay dry layer on the soaker pads seemed to pill up very quickly.

Final Thoughts

Normally, I'm not a lover of AI2 diaper systems, and even though I really like this diaper, I would probably buy 1 soaker and 1 shell and use it more as an AIO system. I have used the GroVia AIO diapers, but I was not a fan of the fit of them. So to make this diaper fit us better, I would use the AI2 as an AIO. I will definitely be adding some more to our stash, as it seems like a great diaper, especially when out and about.

All in all, I would give this diaper 4 out of 5 stars.

Buy It

You can purchase GroVia Shells for $16.95 each and two of the Stay Dry Soaker Pads for $17.95 from Lovely Eco Chic

Now on to the giveaway!

Lovely Eco Chic has offered a $20 gift card to their store for one lucky Diapers, Dogs and Deployments reader! Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter. Click read more to be taken to the entry form.

This giveaway is open to US and Canadian Residents 18 years or older. Giveaway ends on 4/23 at midnight EST! All entries will be verified and the winner has 24 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.

What goes into our thoughts on product selection?

You will notice our selection of products is not your typical selection. In fact some may say it's limited. We are OK with that. Be hind each product you can purchase at Lovely Eco Chic there is a lot of thought, tests and research.

We keep in mind these values when selecting products:

1. Our the people making these products treated fairly?
2. Our the products sustainable?
3. What kind of carbon foot print will we leave behind?
4. Are they easy to use?

We send products off to testers as well as testing our selves.  We do blogger reviews. We research the companies we work with.  The larger companies we like for them to be part of  Give Back program. Eg. Autism Speaks, the Smile Project, March for Babies.

Our most recent research is with "disposable" options. Most of us have heard that diapers sit in the dump and never compost. There are some companies out there who are making changing in this area. Flip has a bamboo pulp liner you can use in their diaper covers. GroVia has a Bio soaker and a disposable diaper. Bamboo nature has a line of disposable options from birth right through potty learning.

We have done our own research from the ground up. First we composted liners. Flip will compost 100%, Grovia bio soakers will compost all but the elastic.  I chatted briefly with Bamboo Natural all the reasons composting diapers is not OK at home.

We took it a step further. If your business is poop you should get to know it. I took a tour of the sanitation district and what happens after we flush the toilet.  I'll get the main question out of the way. Yes it was a stinky tour.

Cloth diapering or disposable diapering it's been recommended to flush the solid waste. The solid waste then is taken to be treated. They have great machines that then separate your solid waste from the liquid waste. The solid waste is then spread on top of  the dump where your household canned garbage goes, to assist with the decomposition of our trash.

Here's one of the only times you will hear me tell you it's OK to throw away. Biodegradable disposable options such as Nature Bamboo and GroVia actually help break down the waste in the dump. There are nematodes that assist them in the process that live off our waste and your babies waste. No it's not clean or reusable how ever the carbon foot print you leave behind using a paper option is not nearly as bad as the main stream diaper manufactures.

I support 100% any parent who is trying to do a better job to keep their baby Green. The truth is day cares and preschool don't have a lot of knowledge about cloth diapering, some wont allow it and you may have to fight a battle. I did! If this battle isn't your priority Lovely Eco Chic will be carrying disposable options for you to choose from. Choices that I can sleep better knowing you have good product available to you.

Disposable choice will be posted with in the coming months both as a shop purchase and as a No thinking option where you sign up and we ship on a regular schedule. This is to prevent that quick trip to the local super market and the non biodegradable options you may only have the choice of.

Hopefully this help some of you! Please register on the home page for the new letter and you'll be the first to know the  Earth Friendly Disposable options have arrived.

~Mary