Articles

Ormsby originally founded the company as “Montana’s Diaper Store” in 2003 as a small online retail store operating from the laundry room in her home. Montana’s Diaper Store grew each year and today, it is known as The Natural Baby Company.

Ormsby was among a number of outstanding businesses and business advocates in Montana who were recognized for their achievements at a celebration in Gallatin Gateway sponsored by the regional office of the US Small Business Administration. Continue reading →

GroVia, by The Natural Baby Company, is the rebrand GroBaby and makes everything you need to go completely green when it comes to cloth diapers. I’ve been testing their Hybrid Shell and Soaker set (as well as their Cloth AIO, more to come later), and I love it. This diaper is truly different from everything else on the market. It’s beautifully made and has awesome design. A lot of thought went into this diaper and I definitely appreciate that! Plus, the cotton is buttery soft, organic, and impressively absorbent. I love that the soaker snaps out and is easily replaced with a new, fresh soaker. Or if you’re cloth diapering on the go, there’s also innovative BioSoakers, which stick right into your GroVia shell and can be composted, flushed or just plain thrown-out. I’ve rarely had to wash my shell due to the gathered edges and absorbency of the soaker and less laundry is also a plus. Although the initial price tag may seem a bit on the higher end of cloth diapering, remember that you can use one shell with at least 2 soakers (in my case 3+, but this all depends on your baby), which quickly brings down the cost of cloth diapering to the lower end. Score. The soaker does take longer to dry than some other cloth diapers, but as I’ve mentioned before, this just proves to me that the soaker will soak up a ton!

Continue reading →

Once in a while you come across a diaper that is totally different from all of the others, GroVia from The Natural Baby Company is one of those diapers. Formerly known as the GroBaby with the rebranding comes some great new changes. GroVia aims to change the disposable diapering industry and make cloth diapering even easier for existing cloth diapering families, which is no small task.

Like most awesome cloth diaper companies, The Natural Baby Company was founded by a mom. Kim Ormsby started the business out of her laundry room, never realizing that her small ideas would revolutionize the industry. Since 2008, The Natural Baby Company has grown by introducing ultra useable and innovative products for natural parenting families. I was lucky enough to get one of the new GroVia All In 2 diapers for review. When I heard about the re-branding from GroBaby diapers to GroVia, I figured it was simply a name change but I was so wrong. GroVia made some marked and fabulous changes to their already great diapers.

I should start by saying that I was also lucky enough to pick up a GroBaby All In 2 diapers from the gently used section of my local diaper store, The Diaper Lab. Since we have had it the GroBaby has been on the top of my favorites list. I’m glad I got it because I was able to clearly see the improvements that were made when GroBaby became GroVia. So, let’s get on with talking about the fluff! Continue reading →

You heard right: Buh-bye Gro Baby — oh how we loved you. But wait, what’s that? A newer, better version of the well-loved, one-size cloth diapering system just launched under their new name, GroVia.

It’s the same great design as Gro Baby — which grows with your child and snaps together without stuffing or doublers – except for a few noticeable differences: There’s a better selection of shell colors and patterns (more light and summery!), and the organic cotton inner is so much softer. I haven’t tested its absorbency to its full capacity, seeing that it takes a good 10 washes to really be at its best, but you won’t ever want to use a disposable diaper after feeling this cloth pad. And like the Gro Baby system, GroVia offers their similar BioSoaker pads as a more convenient, eco-friendly option.

Don’t worry, Gro Baby users. All of your current shells and pads are interchangeable with the new GroVia system. Consequently, The Natural Baby Company is having a big sale on their Gro Baby inventory!

After trying a few different cloth and hybrid systems, Gro Baby was my personal choice for everyday wear (convenient, absorbent and cost-effective), so I can personally vouch for the design’s performance.

Find the revamped, renamed diapers at Gro-Via.com. Continue reading →

Mothers Day was extra special this year when celebrities and VIP guests were invited to the Silver Spoon Dog and Baby Buffet held at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza. The hottest must haves for moms with little ones with either two or four legs were featured buffet style. Celebrities such as Minnie Driver, Amy Smart, Marissa Jaret Winokur, Beverly Mitchell, Jodie Sweetin and Mackenzie Phillips were among the long list to enjoy the luxury event.

This entry was posted in Articles, Events, News on May 10, 2010 by .

On May 9, Audrina Patridge celebrated her 25^th birthday at Las Palmas. She was serenaded by her boyfriend Ryan Cabrera and joined by friends who enjoyed cocktails with ALMA Tequila and TY KU Liqueur. The amazing floral arrangements were by It’s a Blooming Business and cupcake tower by Sweet E’s Bake Shop.

Dean McDermott gives Tori Spelling a custom designed darkened diamond eternity band to symbolize their eternal love and in their tradition of renewing their wedding vows every year.

On May 4, Christina Ricci and some friends were in the L.A. Dodgers Dugout Club.

On May 7, at a L.A. Dodgers game, New York Jets Quarterback Mark Sanchez announced over the PA system it was “Time for Dodgers Baseball”.

On May 4, Robert Downey Jr. grabbing coffee at Infuzion Café in Santa Monica.

Dean Cain drinking new Gatorade Natural at an E League Super Saturday game in L.A.

Eve buying a Global Glam dress by Dolce Vita at the W Hotels’ store at the W Hollywood. Continue reading →

This entry was posted in Articles, Events, News on May 9, 2010 by .

It's only natural to want to make the world a better place for your child. These 8 women did something about it — from designing eco-friendly diapers to creating an environmentally safe, completely ingestible toy cleaner.

THE CHALLENGE Find a convenient alternative to disposable diapers — a major household contributor to landfills.

THE EARTH-FRIENDLY SOLUTION A hybrid cloth and disposable diaper system.

When Kim Ormsby had her first baby nine years ago, she balked at the idea of using cloth diapers. Who needed more laundry to do? But after six months of going through about 10 disposables a day, she tried cloth. Turns out they weren't bulky and didn't require pins, like the ones from her childhood. The extra laundry was manageable, Kim was saving money, and she was glad not to add more trash to local landfills.

Recognizing all the benefits, including environmental and financial, Kim was sure other parents would be interested in becoming cloth converts. So when she was laid off from her engineering job after 9/11, she saw her freedom as the chance to turn her inspiration into reality. She used her credit card's $15,000 limit to set up an online cloth diaper business. She developed a customer base, which spread the word, and in 2006, her husband quit his job to help secure loans and create the company, complete with a retail store, a corporate office, and a name: The Natural Baby Co.

Cloth was still a hard sell to parents who liked the idea of being eco-conscious but preferred the convenience of disposables. So in 2009, with help from a designer, Kim launched the Gro Baby system, featuring a waterproof outer shell that gives parents the option of attaching a cloth insert or an eco-friendly disposable one; the shell can be used up to four times before needing to be washed. The system, now called GroVia, is sold at hundreds of retailers, including Whole Foods and Costco. An organic cloth set costs $25; a box of 50 biodegradable disposables is $20. "What's great," Kim says, "is that instead of washing cloth diapers after each use, you usually only have to wash the insert, so your laundry loads are lighter. That means using less water, detergent, and energy."

Over a year and a half ago I jumped into the world of cloth diapering for my girls, then 10-months old and 2.5 years old. My oldest was soon potty trained. My then 10-month old is now 2 years old and fully potty trained. Now my son is on diaper testing duty. We've tried A LOT of brands... even did a diaper challenge.

The latest diaper to be put to the test in my diaper challenge are Gro Baby Diapers.

A relatively new cloth diap newcomer, Gro Babys are a system of diapering that combines cloth and eco-friendly disposable inserts (aka Bio Soakers) that both go into a reusable shell. It's a similar concept to gDiapers, but much much better. In fact Gro diaps are now among my most favorite (up next to BumGenius, FuzziBunz and Green Acre Designs cloth diapers).

Gro Baby Diapers are high quality and good construction and really simple to use. Just snap in a cloth insert into cover (which is not only soft and durable but very absorbent) and put on. (See photo in slideshow) The cover can be used 2-3 times, depending on your little ones soaking abilities and the frequency of changes.

You can go back and forth between the cloth inserts and the disposable ones. On the topic of the disposable inserts- called Bio Soakers by Gro Baby- they're surprisingly great. I expected at first use that they'd slide around or not stay in place but quite the opposite. They stick too well. They don't leak or move around but they do leave sticky residue that can be challenging to get all off. I've also tried the disp inserts with other covers (including BumGenius, DryBees among others). They stay perfectly and don't get the shell wet. But they do leave sticky residue that you have to work to get off. However, they're so much better than cloth when your little one gives you a big poop present.

On the topic of poop, my son put the Gro Baby with cloth insert through the poop test the first time I put him in them. They performed well. The cover got poop on it so there was no reusing it prior to washing but with just a little poop wiping down with a baby wipe, tossing it into the reusable diaper bag and washing it the next day... the Gro Baby still looked brand new, no poop stains whatsoever. Now a month plus later - they're still looking brand new. There's not even any lint stuck in the velcro tabs, which is hard to believe. That's because you just fold the tab down to the diaper cloth, not a special tab. That makes it really easy to keep nice and clean.

As for overnight - I haven't been brave enough to try overnights with the Gro Baby as both the cloth and disposable inserts are only good for my little soaker man for two hours... and he's sleeping through the night for the most part.

Overall, Gro Baby is now one of my favorite diapering systems. If I was just starting out, I'd start with Gro Baby because of its versatility and options to use both the disposable and cloth inserts.

Read more about all the Gro Baby features at thenaturalbabyco.com.