Let me introduce you to Imogen, my daughter. She is 14-months-old, 20-some pounds and about 31 inches tall. Those numbers, though both a scale and tape measure were involved in obtaining them, are probably more estimates than fact. We recently did a test drive of the
GroVia Kiwi Pie fitted diaper.
I always knew I wanted to cloth diaper, even before I was pregnant. I wanted to reduce waste sent to landfills and the precious resources required to produce disposable diapers. My husband wholeheartedly agreed with me (as long as he didn’t have to use a diaper pin).
And then we became parents. Saving the Earth sounds great, but not as great as saving money or getting your child to sleep. My dedication to cloth diapers has less to do with avoiding the environmental effects of disposables, and more to do with avoiding the latter’s effect on my wallet, and my daughter’s bottom.
My pre-parenthood ideals fell by the wayside early on while trouble-shooting leaks and diaper rash. Eventually we figured out what works for us, and more importantly, what doesn’t work for Imogen: inserts or liners composed of synthetic fibers, and letting her to eat too many Clementines.
GroVia Kiwi Pie is a one size, fitted diaper for babies starting around 10 pounds. It’s comprised of an outer wrap and two inserts. Saying it’s soft is an understatement. The inner body is 50% MicroModal—a natural fiber from beech trees—and 50% cotton. The combination is unbelievably silky soft.
To prep the diaper I followed GroVia’s instructions to wash on warm with detergent and tumble dry, repeating three times. This seemed to be an accurate amount of preparation and the MicroModal stayed soft to the touch. The only thing that frustrates me is that two of the three components usually need extra time to air dry or another round in the dryer.
Fit
Rise snaps provide for two size options “Small Fit” and “Large Fit.” GroVia doesn’t include any information to indicate on the packaging what weight, height or age might qualify for each size. However, there is ample information on how to assemble the diaper for each size, which is something other brands have lacked in my experience. It’s pretty obvious, too, when you pull up the front to your baby’s torso whether you’ll need to shorten the rise, and it’s quick and easy to adjust.
As mentioned, one of our challenges with diapering has been leaks. Imogen has always been a long, lean baby, and if we have a leak, it’s almost always around the legs. Trying to get a leg seal has been impossible with some of the brands we’ve tried.
The Kiwi Pie provides a great fit. We could secure the outer wrap around her waist without a noticeable gap around the legs. But there is definitely room there to spare, as well as plenty of waist snaps left for growth spurts (or babies blessed with those adorable, chunky legs).
The rise is shorter than a prefold and the AIOs we regularly use, and I have seen other internet reviews mentioning a shorter rise. This hasn’t been an issue for us. It should be noted this is the first time we’re using both a GroVia product and a fitted diaper, so I can’t compare the Kiwi Pie to a different brand or style of fitted diaper.
We have three covers we usually use with a prefold: two Bummi’s Super Whispers Wraps and one Prorap Classic. Both styles worked fine with the Kiwi Pie. To test how well clothing fit over the diaper I pulled out a pair of Imogen’s tightest leggings, and we didn’t have any problems getting them on over the diaper.
Absorbency
GroVia says the MicroModal fiber is 50% more water-absorbent than cotton. I’m uncertain how to test that statement while the diaper is being worn by Imogen. I did play around with the idea of pouring water into the diapers to get an accurate and quantitative reading. But I’m a working mom, and that’s two diapers that would need to be washed again without having a change to be worn. Here are a few less scientific ways I could compare absorbency*:
1) Leaks happen to us in the daytime if a diaper isn’t changed within three hours.
Wearing a Kiwi Pie for more than three hours: Yes, there was a minor wetness along the leg of the cover. But I am certain not nearly as much as we would have had with a cotton prefold or cotton AIO.
2) According to GroVia’s instruction, babies wearing the size large rise should wear all three pieces at once.
Wearing the Kiwi Pie outer wrap alone—not using the two inserts—for about two and a half hours: Not a problem. No leaks. (Again, this is not what GroVia recommends.)
3) When we use the cotton prefolds we double up the tri-folded layers in the front (so it’s actually six). There is a bulge no matter how tightly the cover is done up.
Even with all three pieces, the Kiwi Pie has less bulk up front, but provides the same or more absorbency.
And finally I got my hands dirty. And according to them, after a diaper change (we average two-and-a-half hours in one diaper) the Kiwi Pie feels less drenched as a prefold but probably the same as our cotton AIOs.
Overall, I think this is a great product. It’s very soft and it’s very absorbent for a natural fiber. I don’t like having to do an extra dryer cycle or set it out for further air-drying, but that is a fairly minor issue and something we deal with anyway when we wash our AIO diapers. The assembly process is easy and the prints are pretty cute even if they are hidden in a cover.
*For us, the best test of how well the MicroModal absorbs compared to cotton would be overnight. We recently stopped using AIOs overnight and have switched to Huggies Overnight disposables. I love a full night’s sleep, but I’m not in love with buying disposables. I’m tempted to experiment with other cloth diaper options, but my husband isn’t. Little does he know, on his next overnight work trip I’m going to try the Kiwi Pie while he’s away. Should the diaper hold up to 12 hours of leak-free wear, I’d say it’s definitely 50% more absorbent.
Nicole is a business journalist based out of Minneapolis where she and Imogen enjoy reading books, playing with scarves and spending time with daddy.
