I was a little bit late to the party for the Mio Solo Nappy Challenge in which a number of bloggers put the new Mio Solo all-in-one reusable nappy through its paces. As you may know, I am a massive fan of the Bamino Mio classic two-piece nappy which I used very successfully with Lara and so Bambino Mio asked me and Holly to try out the Mio Solo cloth nappy. Here is how I got on with the different challenges.
1. The Stay At Home Challenge
At home you can change a nappy as frequently as you need so absorption isn't so much of a problem. I liked the stretchiness of the Mio Solo nappy - much more stretchy than any of its competitors so it has a really nice fit around the leg and will grow with Holly as her legs and tummy fill out. I liked the wrap-around overlapping velcro tabs which meant that on Holly's teenie tiny newborn belly I could still make a one-size nappy fit well with no leaks. I would say that it doesn't have as much flexibility in terms of size adjustment of the nappy itself compared to other brands of one-piece nappy but actually I quite like this because too many poppers tends to blow my mind and I never know what buttons I am supposed to be popping together!
2. The Out & About Challenge
I don't find the Mio Solo to be a very absorbent nappy - at first I thought this might be because it was still new and needed to go through the wash a few times but now, 9 weeks in and having been through plenty of nappy washes, the Mio Solo is still one of my least absorbent nappies (the Charlie Banana nappy beats it for leaks!) - for this reason I no longer take Holly out in the Mio Solo. In fact, I don't often go out with reusable nappies anyway because I'm a chicken when it comes to lugging dirty reusable nappies home with me.
3. The Overnight Challenge
I tried this once! We always use a Mio Boost super-absorbent insert at night, regardless of what brand of real nappy we are using that night. A Mio Boost or an equivalent booster insert means that you have peace of mind knowing that the nappy won't be totally dripping wet if your baby happens to sleep all the way through the night. I didn't have the confidence in the Mio Solo to go the whole night, even with the additional booster.
4. The Dad Challenge
I think Mr. B. feels the same way about the Mio Solo as I do - it looks fabulous on Holly but in fact the old style Bambino Mio nappies are more effective. Mr. B. always seems to opt for the one-piece nappies when he is doing a nappy change but he quickly took a dislike to the Mio Solo because he found it hard to get his big hand into the slot where you fold in the absorbent core. Like me, he found the core to bunch and stick to the waterproof outer lining, making it hard to get the core to lie flat in place.
5. The Washing & Drying Challenge
Now this is somewhere that the Mio Solo does really well. The flip-out core means that it is fast to dry because all of the fabric can be out in the open. I like some of the nifty features such as the ability to fold back the velcro tabs during washing (it always drives me around the bend that velcro nappy tabs get stuck to each other, or to my nappy bag during the wash cycle).
I will honestly say that I don't rate the Mio Solo as highly as the BumGenius one-piece nappies (review coming soon!) but that my number one favourite reusable nappy still remains the good old Bambino Mio two-piece nappy (which features a waterproof cover and folded cloth insert)... I would definitely choose the classic Bambino Mio any day even though you have to buy different sized nappies and wraps as your child grows.
You can buy the Mio Solo and Bambino Mio Two-Piece nappies online at the Bambino Mio website.
During July and August Bambino Mio are offering a £2.50 discount off their two-piece nappy covers for every used nappy cover you return as part of their "Great Exchange". The nappy covers are sent to developing countries through their charity partner, Real Aid.
1. The Stay At Home Challenge
At home you can change a nappy as frequently as you need so absorption isn't so much of a problem. I liked the stretchiness of the Mio Solo nappy - much more stretchy than any of its competitors so it has a really nice fit around the leg and will grow with Holly as her legs and tummy fill out. I liked the wrap-around overlapping velcro tabs which meant that on Holly's teenie tiny newborn belly I could still make a one-size nappy fit well with no leaks. I would say that it doesn't have as much flexibility in terms of size adjustment of the nappy itself compared to other brands of one-piece nappy but actually I quite like this because too many poppers tends to blow my mind and I never know what buttons I am supposed to be popping together!
2. The Out & About Challenge
I don't find the Mio Solo to be a very absorbent nappy - at first I thought this might be because it was still new and needed to go through the wash a few times but now, 9 weeks in and having been through plenty of nappy washes, the Mio Solo is still one of my least absorbent nappies (the Charlie Banana nappy beats it for leaks!) - for this reason I no longer take Holly out in the Mio Solo. In fact, I don't often go out with reusable nappies anyway because I'm a chicken when it comes to lugging dirty reusable nappies home with me.
3. The Overnight Challenge
I tried this once! We always use a Mio Boost super-absorbent insert at night, regardless of what brand of real nappy we are using that night. A Mio Boost or an equivalent booster insert means that you have peace of mind knowing that the nappy won't be totally dripping wet if your baby happens to sleep all the way through the night. I didn't have the confidence in the Mio Solo to go the whole night, even with the additional booster.
4. The Dad Challenge
I think Mr. B. feels the same way about the Mio Solo as I do - it looks fabulous on Holly but in fact the old style Bambino Mio nappies are more effective. Mr. B. always seems to opt for the one-piece nappies when he is doing a nappy change but he quickly took a dislike to the Mio Solo because he found it hard to get his big hand into the slot where you fold in the absorbent core. Like me, he found the core to bunch and stick to the waterproof outer lining, making it hard to get the core to lie flat in place.
5. The Washing & Drying Challenge
Now this is somewhere that the Mio Solo does really well. The flip-out core means that it is fast to dry because all of the fabric can be out in the open. I like some of the nifty features such as the ability to fold back the velcro tabs during washing (it always drives me around the bend that velcro nappy tabs get stuck to each other, or to my nappy bag during the wash cycle).
I will honestly say that I don't rate the Mio Solo as highly as the BumGenius one-piece nappies (review coming soon!) but that my number one favourite reusable nappy still remains the good old Bambino Mio two-piece nappy (which features a waterproof cover and folded cloth insert)... I would definitely choose the classic Bambino Mio any day even though you have to buy different sized nappies and wraps as your child grows.
You can buy the Mio Solo and Bambino Mio Two-Piece nappies online at the Bambino Mio website.
During July and August Bambino Mio are offering a £2.50 discount off their two-piece nappy covers for every used nappy cover you return as part of their "Great Exchange". The nappy covers are sent to developing countries through their charity partner, Real Aid.
