03/11/2012
Sizing/Fit
While Grovia Trainers are a one-size cloth trainer, they are not adjustable enough to fit every child. The trainers are advertised as being able to fit an 18lb child. Perhaps a chunky 18lb child would fit into the trainer with no issues, but getting a good fit on a slender 18lb may be a problem. We purchased the trainers to fit our 22lb 19 month old, and they were too big. We ended up having to set the trainers aside for two more months until our daughter had filled out enough to use them (now currently a little over 23lbs, and 22 months old). Grovia could easily make sizing more versatile by adding a second row of snaps to size the rise of the diaper, thereby making it possible to achieve a tighter fit around the legs. Now that our daughter has grown into the trainers, they fit very nicely and we haven’t had any problems with leaks.
Comfort
The Grovia Trainers have two very flexible side panels that allow a child to pull the trainers up and down. The side panels are very stretchy and comfortable for an active toddler. The fabric of these trainers is designed to feel more like underwear, which makes the fabric is soft and comfortable on skin. The trainers have very minimal bulk, which makes them a wonderful choice for an older child who is preparing to transition to underwear.
Absorbency/Ability to Contain
The Grovia Trainers have medium absorbency. There is an absorbent h**p layer sewn into the trainer, which is enough to catch some big toddler accidents. If you have a heavy wetter, or were planning to use this trainer for overnight or naps, you would need to add extra absorbency into the pocket of the trainer. It is easy to unsnap and stuff the pocket of the trainer with additional absorbent inserts to bring the absorbency up. The pocket of this trainer is smaller so you can’t stuff it with too much, but I have been adding one large BumGenius insert to give the trainer a high amount of absorbency.
Durability
The craftsmanship of these trainers is very good. I had some concerns about the durability of the side-flex panels, because they are made with smaller elastic that I worried could become stretched-out and loose over time. The benefit to these side flex panels is that they will probably “grow” with your child and stay comfortable as they begin to stretch with your child’s growth. So far we haven’t noticed any stretching in our side flex panels, however I could imagine that months of heavy use may cause stretching (I will keep you updated!)
Dry-time for line drying
We are used to pocket diapers with removable inserts, so the dry time on a pocket trainer with sewn-in absorbency was a huge adjustment for us. These trainers took about twice as long to dry as a traditional pocket diaper, so plan ahead to line dry, or dry them on low in the dryer.
Style
The Grovia My Choice Trainers are adorable! Grovia advertises various colors of side flex panels that give your child a “choice” of what color they want. This idea was really appealing to me, because it gives my toddler a choice of colors and gets her involved in decision-making (which helps distract, and prevent tantrums). We purchased some of the trainers in “Cloud” which is a dark gray color, and “Vanilla”, which is a lighter cream color (shown in this post). We also purchased additional blue, and green side flex panels to add some color. I personally like the colored side flex panels better on the Vanilla trainers. The Cloud trainers seem a bit odd with the colored panels, but the grey alone was very stylish.
