It’s hard to keep your home or nursery tidy and smelling fresh with stinky diapers sitting in the trash. That’s why diaper pails are quite handy. They’re not like your usual trash can because they’re built differently. The diaper pails have unique mechanisms to absorb bad odors and keep them sealed away, so you don’t have to breathe in through your mouth instead of your nose.
Make sure to check out our Pottery Barn Nursery Must-Haves so that your nursery will smell good AND be cute!
Should You Get One?
Diaper pails are not a necessity and it is not on our 50 Baby Registry must-haves list, although some moms would say differently. You could keep a regular trash can in the nursery and brave the smell after you pop a dirty diaper or two in there. Taking the dirty diapers outside is another way to keep your house smelling fresh. But let’s be honest, no one wants to take a dirty diaper outside at 2 in the morning.
These pails were designed to make things easier for you. That means no more worrying about how bad the room is going to smell. And no more contemplating taking the trash out almost daily to keep the stink down to a minimum. The diaper pail motto should be, “toss it and forget about it!”
Keep in mind, a diaper pail can be useful for parents using cloth diapers or disposable diapers.
Things To Consider When Buying a Diaper Pail
There are different types of diaper pails, and knowing which one to choose can be challenging. Here are some things to take into consideration to help you narrow it down.
- How it’s set up: Some of the diaper pails have a squeegee layer where you push the diaper through. Others have a trap door mechanism or a hole where you can toss the dirty diaper.
- How the diapers are removed: Not all pails are the same, so the process of removing diapers can vary. Usually, the bag is pulled out of the top, but some of the newer diaper pails come with a side door for easy removal.
- Liners vs. no liners: Some diaper pails require refill liners made specifically for them, while the others can use standard trash bags. The liners can be more expensive than regular trash bags (unless you get them on sale).
- Budget: If you prefer to stick to a lower price range, then going with a simpler diaper pail would be ideal. Or, you could go with a high-end diaper pail with the latest stink-free features.
Best Diaper Pails
Without further ado, let’s go over the pros and cons of the top 5 diaper pails that many families love to use!
1. Ubbi
The Ubbi is a fashionable and chic diaper pail with a sleek steel appearance and unique designs. In fact, there’s a wide variety of colors and prints to choose from, making it easier to find one that will match your nursery. The steel container traps odors so you won’t have to worry about the smell seeping out as it does with plastic.
The good news is the Ubbi can be used with either a cloth liner or a regular kitchen trash bag, and it’s easy to remove once it’s full. It’s large enough to hold multiple diapers, which means you won’t have to change the bag that often.
The only downside to the Ubbi is that you have to use your hand to open the lid on the top rather than using a step pedal, or any other hand-free feature. However, there is a child lock on the lid to prevent your child from sticking their hand in there (thank goodness).
- Stylish and spacious
- Price: $55-$80
2. Diaper Genie
Diaper Genie from Platex is a well-known diaper pail brand, chances are you’ve already heard of it. The classic design uses a clamping mechanism, and it’s own bag twisting method to seal off individual diapers as they enter the container. The twist-off guarantees no stink escapes when you open the lid to toss another diaper in there.
Removing the diapers is easy, it’s like pulling out a chain link of diapers. Since the diapers are deposited individually, there isn’t that much room for you to cram multiple diapers in. You’ll have to change the bag once it’s full.
Keep in mind that you will need to make sure the diapers are sealed up tight, so they don’t leak anything nasty while you push them through the pail’s squeegee layer. And you’ll need to purchase liner refills that are made specifically for Diaper Genie.
- Excellent smell-sealing action
- Price: $35-$38
3. Munchkin Diaper Pail
The Munchkin Diaper pails make it easy to change the bag and reload. All it takes is a step-lever that pops it open, then it’ll snap and seal the smell away. It also sprinkles baking soda each time you insert a diaper in the pail to keep it smelling clean and fresh.
You don’t have to worry about pushing a dirty diaper through any kind of squeegee mechanism. Instead, you can insert it through a trapdoor. The top of the bag snaps shut each time you close the lid (after sprinkling baking soda on it, of course).
You’ll have to purchase liner refills and baking soda refill cartridges, which may cost more money in the long run. We love the Arm & Hammer lavender-scented refill rings! You can try and use regular trash bags, but they may not be as effective.
- Easy bag removal
- Price $65-$80
4. Diaper Champ Deluxe
I love this budget-friendly option. It has a simple design with a rotating flip-top lid and you can flip the handle and put the diaper into the top. Easy-peasy. Plus, you can use any kind of trash bag.
There are no special features to hassle with, although you’ll need to change the bags every couple of days because the container is smaller than some of the other pails on this list. Plus, the smell doesn’t stay sealed as well as it does with the Diaper genie (some stink may escape each time you open the lid), but it’s much more effective than a regular trash can.
Tip: If you like the idea of using baking soda to help absorb and remove odor, you can insert an open box of cheap baking soda at the bottom of the diaper pail. It’s a great way to save money, and you won’t need to buy scent cartridges.
- Simple and easy to use
- Price: $35
5. Dekor
If you’re looking for a totally hands-free diaper pail, then you’ll like the Dekor. It has a side door for easy bag changes, which means you don’t have to stuff soiled diapers through any squeegee layer, or anything else.
There’s a trapdoor mechanism inside the container that quickly opens when it senses a diaper weighing down on it. That’s not all, it also comes with a foot lever, so you can open it without using your hands. And their special bags come with an ahh-mazing sweet baby powder scent.
The only reason Dekor is at the bottom of the list is installing the special bags can be difficult. You’ll have to read the instructions or watch a video to do it correctly. Some people don’t want to mess around with something that complicated, especially if they just had a new baby.
- Hands-free
- Price: $44- $46
Get this trendy diaper pail here!
Hopefully, after reading this article, you have a better idea of which diaper pail you want to use. Remember, life with a new baby can be challenging, but changing diapers doesn’t have to be!
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