Bambino Mio Duo Cloth Nappy Review.
Bambino Mio is a name you’ve likely heard if you’ve ever looked into cloth nappies. Their probably the most mainstream, widely known cloth nappy brand and can even be found on UK supermarket shelves. However when talking about Bambino Mio most people will think about their famous Mio Solo All in One nappy. An often controversial nappy in the cloth nappy world, either loved or not so much by many parents. For me I’ve always got on with them and found them a great entry way nappy to the world of cloth. Easy to use, simple to fit.
One nappy I had not heard much mentioned about was their lesser known Mio Duo two part nappy. Having tried it out I’m now in the position where I’m wondering how I could have possibly been using cloth for over 3 years and not discovered this great and versatile nappy.
The Mio Duo is a two part nappy comprising of a cotton pre-fold and a waterproof outer wrap. It works brilliantly for day and night time with no leaking and is good value for money, making it a great budget option.
Cost of the nappy. Value for Money.
The Mio Duo works out as a really good budget way to use cloth nappies. The wraps cost 10.99 which can be used 2-3 times as long as they are not soiled. A pack 4x inserts costs 14.99. If you brought one wrap to two inserts each nappy would cost you £9.20. This is great value in comparison to the average cloth nappy costing £15 each and up wards.
To make them even better value you can buy sets for £69.99 on the Bambino Mio website (find them here). These include 6x wraps and 6x inserts. I would personally buy two more packs on inserts with this many wraps which would cost £99.97 and give you 14 nappies. Therefore making each nappy £7.10.
This would be enough to cloth full time. Amazing value to start cloth nappies with.
Bambino Mio also offer the £69.99 to be paid in 3 monthly payments of £23.33. Suddenly making this a really affordable system to families worrying about the up front cost of cloth.
However it is worth baring in mind that the wraps are not birth to potty in size. Size 1 will fit your child until 21 pounds (around 1 year old). Over that you’ll need to buy size 2. This may make you wait on buying depending on the age for your child. However you can use the same inserts for both size one and two meaning when your baby out grows size one you just need to buy more wraps. If you decided to go with the 6 piece set 6 more wraps would cost you £65 still making it great value for money to over time.
Though I recommend 25-30 nappies to cloth full time I think 14 of these nappies could easily see you full time as you can use them for day and night time, they dry really quickly and the wraps can be used multiple times.
If I was starting cloth from scratch now I would definitely do this just adding a few all-in-ones or pocket nappies to bulk out my stash and be slimmer nappies perhaps for out and about.
Easy of use. How it works.
The Mio Duo is very easy to use. Simply fold the pre-fold along the sewn lines into thirds. Then fold again in half or thirds to a size that will fit your child.
Then place the nappy folded insert onto the wrap. Add a fleece liners to keep baby feeling dry. Now place nappy on baby much like a disposable nappy.
Though this makes is quiet a bulky nappy on young babies it works really well as concentrating absorbency in one area. For example I place the folded half at the front on my son because this is where boys need the most absorbency. Or at the back in my daughter is wearing the nappy over night because she sleeps on her back. The opposite if you have a front sleeper.
The wrap can be used for more than one use. When you change the nappy as long as it is not soiled you can simply remove the wet insert and replace it will a clean one. I would do this up to 3 changes before changing the wrap.
This makes it easy when travelling or out for the day as you carrying extra inserts which do not take up as much room in your bag as a full all-in-one nappy.
How well do they wash?
The Mio duo washes very easily. Though I think it is important to have a good wash routine when using cloth nappies, pre-folds are one of the easier materials to wash and dry. This is because they wash as a larger piece of flat material. This equals more surface area to get soapy and agitated, also making it thinner to dry quicker.
Do I need to use a nappy liner with the duo?
When using pre-folds like the Mio Duo you will need a fleece liner to wick moisture away from baby’s bottom to keep them feeling dry and avoid nappy rash’s. It is personal preference if you use disposable liners as well.
I personally dislike using disposable liners as pre-weaning poo can go straight into the washing machine and post weaning poo can be easily shaken into the toilet off of a fleece liner. Some parents do like disposable liners especially at the weaning stage when poop is in the in between stage. Not yet plopable but no longer water dissolvable so it needs to be disposed of.
The Fit.
The fit with the Mio Duo is very similar to a disposable. Especially as it is a Velcro nappy. Remember reusable nappies do not need to sit so high on baby’s back and will seem highler on baby’s belly. Try and get the elastic as much as possible into babies knicker line, though with this particular nappy is less important and harder to do as it is a bulkier nappy between the legs.
This is a bulky nappy. More so on smaller babies but as they are not moving yet I do not see this as a problem. Remembering that extra bulk is not bad for babies especially newborns as it places their hips in a healthy position. As they get older, moving more the insert will be folded less to fit them and become slimmer.
The nappy also has nice wide sides leaving a good amount of growing room in the width.
Read: “Do Cloth Nappies Walking and Crawling?”
Containment.
The containment given from the Mio Duo is extremely high. The inserts hold a lot of liquid and the insert plus the double gusset on the wrap will hold any no.2. I have never had a leak day or night from this nappy.
The fact that the insert starts off folded for smaller babies works well as they wee more when small and still on an all liquid diet. As they get older you won’t need to fold but the nappy should still provide more than enough absorbency without boosting.
Read: “Dealing with the Poo. Cloth Nappies for Beginners.”
Comfortable for baby?
Despite the Mio Duo being a bulky nappy this is not uncomfortable for babies. The insert is a soft cotton, and the elastic are nice and soft leaving no marks on baby. I will say make sure the front panel sits nicely on babies tummy otherwise the top rolls down a little which would means the Velcro panel could rub on babies tummy. However you would notice if this happens and a simple adjustment would fix this.
Can the duo be used overnight?
The Mio Duo works incredibly well for night time use. The large amount of absorbency will easily see you through the 12 hours sleep.
For years I have tried many combinations for night time, settling with a fitted nappy and a Airflow or wool wrap, not changing from this as it would often result in leaks. Until I discovered the Mio Duo now using these exclusively at night for my 3 month old.
The Mio Duo is also much cheaper than most fitted nappy and wrap combos.
Sustainablity credentials.
As a company I’m pretty happy to buy from Bambino Mio who are open about their supply chain and work with NGO’s to help spread the word about disposable nappies.
A choice to buy organic cotton or bamboo would be my only complaint if they asked.
How does the Bambino Mio compare other two part nappies.
Pre-folds in general are a good budget option compared to other two part systems, for all the reasons I’ve already mentioned. Good containment, easy to wash, quick drying. You could use a pre-fold in any kind of wrap but for me I’m more than happy just sticking with the Bambino Mio duo wrap. I find other wraps hard to get over a pre-fold insert like this, whereas this wrap is nice and roomy, easy to use and comfy for baby.
Other two part systems work in the same way and can be a lot slimmer will their own clip in inserts for example. I have never personally got on with this type of nappy as I find them more expensive, opting for pocket nappies instead. Of course this is personal preference.
I think the Mio Duo is the best two part system when it comes to value for money, night time use and absorbency.
The duo or the solo?
The Duo is definitely my preferred choice however I do like have some Mio Solos in my stash particularly for other care givers as they are the easiest nappy I have found to use. Great for sending to nursery or grandparents and a great gateway nappy for new to cloth parents. However the Duo is much more versatile.
Conclusion.
In conclusion I am a massive fan of the Mio Duo using it more than any of my other nappies. I do not use it all day long as I do find it bulky. I use the Duo for night time, nap time, when I know we are going to be out for a long time and perhaps it won’t be as easy to change and for long car journeys. It really is my most versatile nappy.
Pros
Amazing absorbency. Especially for little boys as you can concentrate absorbency at the front.
Great value for money. £7 a nappy when brought as a set is cheaper than any of market leaders.
Works really well for night time.
Washes well.
Dries quickly.
Lovely prints to choose from.
Cons
Very bulky. Not a problem but if your new to cloth can be a bit to get your head around.
Velcro fastening, only because I personally prefer poppers which last longer.
You need to add a fleece liner. I think fleece liners are essential, some one new to cloth might not realise this. It would be nice if they sold fleece/stay dry liners as an added option rather than just disposable.
The boosters you can buy with them are too bulky, though I doubt you’ll really need to booster unless the child is much older. If I did boost however I would use something slimmer.
Just getting started with cloth? have a read of my getting started series.
How many cloth nappies will you need to go full time and ditch the disposables for good?