Gro Baby Bio Soakers Review

A while ago, The Natural Baby Company sent out kits for bloggers to review including a Gro Baby shell and a package of their new bio soakers. I had never used the Gro Baby system before, and was interested in trying it out. Here are my thoughts:

Pros:

Overall, I think the Gro Baby concept is great! There are times (traveling, didn't wash diapers soon enough, going out for a whole day) when we use disposables because its more convenient. I could see using something like this while traveling because you would only have to wash the shell. It could be hand washed and hung dry. A system like this is still easy to use, but more environmentally friendly and safer for baby. The inserts only contain 3 grams of SAP gel compared to the 10-20 grams in disposables. They are actually compostable - I don't think there are any disposables that can claim that.

We liked the trim fit of the diaper, it is comparable to a disposable diaper and not nearly as bulky as most cloth diapers. The outer shell that we received was a bright orange which both girls thought was great. I also like that the shell is one size and can snap down to be quite small. Even though it is trim, the soaker did not leak and held everything in well enough.

Cost:

A box of 50 soakers costs $20 plus shipping, making the soakers 40 cents each. We buy Pampers when we use disposable diapers. These run about 28 cents each and are one of the more expensive disposables. The cost of the Gro Baby bio soakers is a bit much in my opinion.

Cons:

The shell left red marks on Julia no matter how loosely I put it on. I tried several different times, but she ended up with quite a few red marks at her waist and legs. The mesh inner of the shell also left a sort of mesh print on her tummy somehow. We found the soakers to be very sticky, almost too sticky as they left a residue on the shell that I couldn't get off.

I really wanted to like this system, but for the above reasons I don't think its something we will reach for often. I was interested in trying out the organic cotton soakers, but I think that the shell would still leave red marks on Julia. We do appreciate being given the chance to try these out. I'm sure its a great option for others, just didn't work quite right for us.