For our final day of the Bambino Mio challenge, I decided to bite the bullet and put the nappy on The Boy for an overnight sleep. I used the boy fold that I’ve always used as this is for extra absorbency and the nappy would have to survive about 12 hours and The Boy has a tendency to roll onto his front while he’s asleep. I used the additional Mioboost which is specifically designed for overnight and long journeys, and I got everything prepared before I needed it so I was confident that I had it right before I even attempted getting it on The Boy.
The Boy has a bedtime routine which works well for us all: We go upstairs around 7 and has some nappy free time to play in his room, then I sort the bath out and he’s in his PJ’s drinking his milk by 8 and usually asleep by half past. Last night The Hubby was home from work by 5.30 so I had his assistance with getting The Boy all sorted out for bed which made it easier to prepare the nappy before I needed it. The Boy has been throwing mega temper tantrums about nappy changes recently, screaming and wailing, kicking and hitting, turning red and purple and wailing so hard he can’t catch his breath, real tears and snot and everything – it’s been quite spectacular, quite scary and quite annoying all at the same time!
So while The Hubby was bathing The Boy, I got the Bambino Mio nappy all sorted out, with the Mioboost as well, and chose a sleepsuit as we’ve just started using the next size up and they’re quite baggy on him. Once again I was doubtful at the sheer size of the nappy once the Mioboost pad was in the Miosoft as well, but I decided as The Boy had been busy all day and was quite tired, and I figured it was as good a time as any. I’d been putting off this challenge because I was apprehensive about what might happen, but realised that it was now or never!
Once The Boy was finished in his bath, The Hubby brought him back into his bedroom to get dried and dressed and eyed the nappy. “You’re putting that on him? Overnight?” He asked. I nodded. “It’s the final part of the Bambino Mio challenge.” I told him. He went to pick it up and I stopped him. “I’ve got it folded perfectly; I don’t want you messing it up!” I said. I dried off The Boy and got him into his Bambino Mio nappy, vest and sleepsuit. When I lifted him up from the changing mat I couldn’t help but giggle at him, which made him giggle too. His top half looked so small in comparison to his huge, bulky bottom! The Mioboost seriously adds to the bulk of the Bambino Mio nappy! But what the hey, I figured, better a bulky bum than a leaky nappy, right?
What struck me as odd was that it didn’t seem like it should be comfortable – it feels heavy, solid, like there’s a lot of fabric and not much space, and it makes his legs stick out differently to a disposable nappy – but these issues I have mentioned before, and they’ve never seemed to bother The Boy before. I admit with the Mioboost the nappy seemed even heavier and more solid, but The Boy didn’t seem unduly worried; When I put him on The Hubby’s lap for his final feed of the day he didn’t wriggle about any more than usual getting comfortable and I kissed him goodnight and left them to it.
An hour or so later, The Hubby came downstairs with an empty bottle and told me that The Boy had gone to sleep without issue – as normal.
Every hour or so from then until I went to bed I kept checking the monitor and he hadn’t moved any more than normal, nor did he seem restless or wake up at all, so I presume he was comfortable enough. When I went up to bed I checked in on him and put the covers over him and he was dry and snoring softly.
As much as I anticipated a disturbed sleep, thinking that the Mionappy would leak, or that The Boy would end up getting too wet and uncomfortable and waking up, he slept through til 6.30. Now this is early for him – usually he’ll go from – so when he started up at 6.30 it was with very bleary eyes that I staggered into his room.
The Boy was also bleary eyed (he’s not good with early starts either), so I shushed him but didn’t speak too much (a tip I learned from Super Nanny if you don’t want them to wake up properly don’t interact too much!) I put him on the changing mat and undid his sleepsuit ready for the nappy change. I was greeted with a very soggy, very full Mionappy – but between it and the Mioboost it had absorbed 99% of the wee and the rest of it had simply made the inside of the Miosoft damp. The vest and sleepsuit were completely dry – no early morning wash, change of PJ’s or bed covers required! So I just changed him as usual, swapping the dirty Mionappy for a clean disposable, gave him some formula, and put him back to bed, where he slept for another two hours before waking up wanting breakfast. I dropped the Mionappy, Mioboost and Miosoft into the washing machine with some towels and some Miofresh and The Boy started his day with Weetabix.
I was very impressed by this performance of the Mionappy! I’d not had a fantastic week with the Bambino Mio nappies but it hadn’t been awful, I put a lot of it down to me being inexperienced and not knowing what to expect, and if I were to continue with using them I’m sure I’d get the hang of it quickly and become more confident with using them. For now, the Bambino Mio supplies will be used as and when I feel comfortable with them, like when we’re indoors or with family or friends where I can change The Boy easily. I’m not confident enough to deal with them in the supermarket, or while I’m out in town for the day!
I can see why the reusable nappies route works for some people, and I can see why it doesn’t work for others. For me, in all honesty, it hasn’t made me a complete convert, but it has opened my eyes to the alternatives, and made me realise there are many more options available than I initially thought. I will definitely be looking at all the reusable options more closely, and for Baby 2 maybe we’ll start off younger and use them more frequently, who knows!
I haven’t used any other brands of reusable nappies so I don’t think I could fairly say that I’d recommend Bambino Mio over any other brand as I don’t know what other brands are like, but I would recommend that a friend who was considering reusable nappies has a look at the Bambino Mio range as I think it appears to be one of the most straightforward types of reusable nappy to use, and with the added advantage of the Mioboost I’m happy for The Boy to use this nappy time and again because as difficult as it was initially to get to grips with, now I’ve dealt with a nappy a day for a week I feel I could cope with using this option more often. I’m considering purchasing another couple of Mionappies so that I can use them more often when I’m at home with The Boy to make it easier on the whole washing and wearing front, as with only two you’re kind of limited!
Although I had some initial difficulties, perfecting the fold and getting the right size Miosoft for The Boy (he had to be awkward!) overall the nappies have been absorbent and apparently comfortable, though I think perhaps the design of the Miosoft could be altered slightly to include a stitch or two underneath the Velcro band that the tabs attach to, just to stop it rolling over when the child is being active would be a great benefit. When washing a dirty nappy I always used Vanish powder in the wash and the staining didn’t always come out first time – but I tried my mum’s recommendation of some lemon juice in a water spray bottle, lightly sprayed the damp Mionappy while it was hanging on the line in the sunshine and a couple of hours later it was brilliant white just like a washing advert which was great! Though there are a great range of designs for the Miosoft covers I’d like to see something funky, brightly coloured and jazzy rather than the spots in soft pastels and citrus colours that seem to be in fashion at the moment for baby stuff (I had the Citrus originally, then the smaller size sent was in Berry, both lovely, but I think the funky Heart Print is lovely and bright, though perhaps not so suitable for The Boy!). Once the sizing was right and I got the hang of the folding it all worked well and I give the Bambino Mio nappies a solid four out of five!
This is Summer Mama and The Boy signing off from our Bambino Mio Real Nappy Challenge! With much thanks to all the lovely team at Bambino Mio for sending us the Real Nappy Challenge pack and all your support & advice.
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