Bambino Mio Diapers?

[alison]

Has anyone used these before? They're advertised as "hybrid diapers." There's an outer component, flushable liner, and a cloth "nappy" that I believe is the part that you actually wash. I'm not sure why there's a liner (in addition to the nappy itself) and if basically you have to both chuck out a liner AND wash the cloth nappy with each changing. If so, then aren't you basically using two diapers at the same time???

I've been going through the cloth diaper threads here, and feel like I'm sitting underneath the biggest pile of diapers. Totally clueless, but willing to learn!

Sounds similar to the G diaper. I have heard of some people having plumbing issues with those.

[HouseofWool]

I haven't heard of them. But - I do use a liner for S's diapers. I'm too cheap to get the flushables and use a Viva brand paper towel folded in half. This way I toss most of the poo. I also use disposible wipes - I'm too grossed out by the poo to use washable wipes...

[alison]

Sounds similar to the G diaper. I have heard of some people having plumbing issues with those.

Wow, those ones look really thick!

The part that actually goes down the toilet in the Bambino Mio is much MUCH thinner.

The G diaper seems closer to a disposable diaper (more to throw away), whereas the BM seems closer to a cloth one (less to throw away).

[spotty_dog]

Sounds like an all-in-two with an optional liner. The liner would help keep sticky poop off of the insert and make it easier to clean. However, you can already buy biodegradable liners by the roll so this isn't a huge breakthrough.

Hm, 12 diapers and 3 covers for $100 at giggle.com, good for birth to 11 pounds. I don't see any benefit over buying 12 newborn prefolds and 3 covers at greenmountaindiapers.com for ~$44. (You'll need about 2-3 dozen diapers and 4-6 covers at any given size, roughly speaking.) The only difference is the insert snapping in instead of just laying the prefold in the cover.

Ask questions. Tell me what makes sense to you from what you've learned so far, what you think you'd like from a diaper. I love this stuff, and I am pretty sure there are other cloth diaperers out there willing to help too.

[alison]

Ask questions. Tell me what makes sense to you from what you've learned so far, what you think you'd like from a diaper. I love this stuff, and I am pretty sure there are other cloth diaperers out there willing to help too.

Your post was so helpful!

My mom said that we don't even really have to commit one way or the other, and can use cloth at home and disposable for when we travel. Still, her question about this sort of got me thinking about what the difference would be between the two. I want to go with cloth diapers primarily for the financial and environmental reasons. Plus, I think that they simply look more comfortable. Dh's main argument against cloth diapering is that he thinks they're messy. My main argument in support of them is really corny. I can't believe I'm going to write this, but I did tell dh that "if disposable diapers were so comfortable, then wouldn't we as adults wear paper underwear instead of cloth ones?" Yeah, so that gives you an idea of how uninformed we are!

My mom mentioned that when I was a baby, they wanted to use cloth, but that they used to be held together with safety pins, and she didn't like that idea... So, they had relatives send diaper covers from Japan that were far more advanced than the American ones and then cloth diapered me. She says it was a much cheaper alternative to disposable diapers and because she was a working mom, they had the cloth diapers brought in and sent out to a diaper service.

I'm willing to do the washing at home, so we don't necessarily have to go with a diaper service.

I just don't get what the whole extra liner business is all about. You don't have to put that in your cloth diaper, do you?

[spotty_dog]

My main argument in support of them is really corny. I can't believe I'm going to write this, but I did tell dh that "if disposable diapers were so comfortable, then wouldn't we as adults wear paper underwear instead of cloth ones?" Yeah, so that gives you an idea of how uninformed we are!

Believe it or not, that very argument is used all the time against skeptical family members! It sure makes sense to me. As for the mess -- as far as I can tell, disposable diapers are more likely to leak poop. So you're either washing diapers or you're washing clothes.

I just don't get what the whole extra liner business is all about. You don't have to put that in your cloth diaper, do you?

Nope, totally optional. I never used liners with Eddy in 2.5 years of diapering. They theoretically limit the amount of poop that goes into the washer, thus quelling some squeamishness. Less poop can sometimes mean better cleaning too, especially once you get to a stage where the baby is eating more than just a liquid diet (breastmilk poop in particular dissolves very easily in water.) But another way to do that without having to buy the single-use liners is to get a sprayer attachment for your toilet. That way you can spritz the poops into the bowl without touching them. I'm probably going that route once Natalie starts solids.

[MarissaNicole]

I also use disposible wipes - I'm too grossed out by the poo to use washable wipes...

Washable wipes - I had no idea there was such a thing! I don't care how good for the environment it is - there is no way I could use such a thing!

[spotty_dog]

Disposable wipes - I had no idea there was such a thing! I don't care how good for the environment it is - there is no way I could use such a thing!

You mean washable wipes? Um...If you have a big pile of poop on a cloth diaper, and a little streak on a damp washcloth you used to tidy up the bum afterward, it's the washcloth you're squeamish about washing? Seriously though, once you're using cloth diapers it's a lot easier to use cloth wipes. Saves accidentally tossing the wipe in the wash and having to pick lint out of everything.

[alison]

I feel so much more relaxed about this now! $100 for a starter set at giggle is nuts. I guess a big part of this will be hit or miss when it comes to figuring out which products work best for us and the baby...

I think having picked up my fair share of huge mounds of steaming dog poop has prepared me for what the baby will produce.

I'm a nesting freak right now, because my mom reminded us that I was born a full 5 weeks early. That potentially gives me (at 27 weeks) just 8 weeks to figure some of this stuff out!!!

[alison]

You mean washable wipes? Um...If you have a big pile of poop on a cloth diaper, and a little streak on a damp washcloth you used to tidy up the bum afterward, it's the washcloth you're squeamish about washing? Seriously though, once you're using cloth diapers it's a lot easier to use cloth wipes. Saves accidentally tossing the wipe in the wash and having to pick lint out of everything.

I'll do washable wipes. It can't be much worse than your average skid mark, no?

[SuzySunshine]

Alison, we use disposable when we travel and I mean when we're on a real trip, not just when we go out for the day like to the mall. The reason we do is that we really don't have a good way to transport the dirty cloth diapers. We use the BumGenius 3.0 which are adjustable. We spent about $500 at the onset and haven't spent anything else except for the disposable liners. Which are like $7 for a roll which lasts a LONG time because if they're not dirty you just wash them with the diapers.

You don't need the liners as long as they're on breastmilk because those dirty diapers can go straight in the laundry. Once they start eating you need to dispose of the dirty portion into the toilet. A has some very disgusting dirty diapers and we started with a diaper sprayer but its just messy IMO. The liners just go right in the toilet, they're very thin, really thinner then toilet paper and we have no toilet issues and we still use the sprayer when a dirty is not solid and gets onto the diaper.

We also use the washable wipes and I made them myself.

[HouseofWool]

We do disposibles when traveling and when Sophie was in daycare. It was just too much to manage that on top of everything else.

We use prefolds and a wrap. If you go this route, you can either fasten the diaper or just lay it in the wrap. I prefer to fasten with a snappi. No pins and I get a pretty good fit with a decent chance of the poop staying in the diaper and off the wrap.

The biggest money-suck are the covers or wraps. Personally, I went with proraps. They are relatively inexpensive, they NEVER soak through and they hold in a decent amount of poop. They are best for long waisted babies - which Sophie is. There are other more expensive options out there, but I don't see the point of paying extra for a cute print that I will be covering up with clothes.

I use the liners because I am squeamish about the poop. Our washer empties into a utility sink and I can see the poop residue in there after washing, so anything I can do to reduce the amount going into the washer (without having to touch it - ewwww ) is a benefit. I'm cheap and use a Viva paper towel either folded or cut in half. DS who is 6 likes to help separate and stack them up to use.

Washing the diapers and covers is just one extra load of laundry every 1-2 days. No big deal if you are at home. I run a rinse cycle then wash with powdered Tide, a little baking soda and some white vinegar in a Downey ball. A second rinse cycle and then they go in the dryer or in the sun if they are stained (it really does work - it shocks me).

At 4 months, we have 2 dozen diapers and 6 covers along with a small assortment of pockets and all-in-ones. 99% of the time we use the prefolds and covers. I don't like having to fish the inserts out of the pockets to wash them. And the AIO's that we have tend to soak through the PUL cover. However, all of these were aquired through craigslist as were my first batch of proraps.

When we had to move up a size to the medium covers, I purchased them new. A dozen diapers and 6 covers ran about $80 bucks and will last me approximately 3 months, at which point, we will need the next size up for the cover, but will still be able to use the same diapers.

DH was not thrilled with the cloth diapers at first, but is passively on board now. As in, he uses them and will wash them, but doesn't evangalize. Yesterday he mentioned that he took her out for several hours with at least one diaper change in the cloth diapers instead of disposibles.

I am consistantly surprised at how much easier cloth is than I had expected. I like the cost factor. When we figure that we are planning on one more kiddo, it become ridiculously cheap.

[alison]

Great, thanks! I think I'll try cloth, and see how it goes. I'll try a few different brands and see which one works for us.

I see that there are variances in sizes -- do you think it's worth it to buy the newborn size. Is it like clothes, where some babies can go right to the 3-6 month clothes and skip the newborn stuff altogether?

[SuzySunshine]

The nice thing about most of the newborn diapers is they have a cut out for the cord. We kept A in disposables until her cord fell off because the BG's rubbed it. A doesn't move through diaper sizes near as quickly as she does clothes. The newborn diapers tend to be less bulky then the bigger sizes, like with the BG's the newborns use a thinner insert.