First time parents get MOUNTAINS of suggestions when it comes to baby gear. Trying to sift through the marketing and upselling can be overwhelming and frustrating, especially when everyone online just wants to sell you something without explaining whether or not you need it.
(If you’d like to read about ALL the baby products 6,000 moms did (and didn’t) recommend over my six months of research, you can read my essentials-only baby registry checklist article here!)
When it comes to diapers, I’ve already written articles about how much diapers will cost you (on average) for a year, and what are your options for cheapest diapers, but today I wanted to look into the best ways to get RID of diapers once they’re, ah, soiled.
As a mom of two (and one on the way), I’ve tried all kinds of diaper stink-busting solutions: disposables in a diaper pail, disposables in an outside garbage can, disposables in a mini trash can, and even cloth diapers. But I know I’m just one mom, and my solutions only show what works best for my family. I wanted to know what the average veteran parent thought, so I did the research. Here’s what moms REALLY think about diaper pails, what they do if they don’t use them, and which diaper pail brands most moms who did use them liked best.
Do you really need a diaper pail?
When I surveyed hundreds of moms on Facebook, a whopping 84% said diaper pails were either optional or totally unnecessary. Even among the 16% who considered them necessary, they often said they personally found them necessary (for reasons we’ll get to below), but didn’t think every parent needed one.
The truth is, whether or not you need a diaper pail depends on a few things:
- How sensitive your nose is
- What your budget is
- How many children you have in diapers
- What kind of food your baby is currently eating (and therefore, pooping)
- The set up of your home
- Your current garbage disposal systems
- And of course, personal preference.
Because there are so many different factors at play, let’s dig a little deeper into the diaper pail question.
Situations where diaper pails are worth it
Some parents will definitely get more use and value out of a designated diaper pail. According to the hundreds of moms who responded to my survey, here are the times and situations where you’ll be most glad you have one.
Sensitive nose.
We all can tolerate different levels odor. And while your nose likely won’t be as sensitive as a mom as it might have been during pregnancy, dirty diapers can still be hard on some people. Mom Chelsea said “I have a sensitive nose so I absolutely cannot throw diapers (pee is fine) in the trash. We were gifted the ubbi diaper pail [but even then] I put it outside the door.”
Low-waste families
Some parents subscribe to a low-waste lifestyle and try to reduce how much garbage they create. For those in this category who still need to use disposable diapers for one reason or another, diaper pails might be a good fit. Many of the alternatives to using a diaper pail involve wrapping individual diapers in bags or throwing out trash bags daily, which produces more garbage.
You may want to consider one of the diaper pails that allow you to use your own bags if you choose this option. The standard Diaper Genie requires you to buy lots of specialized insert refills to function, which not only uses lots of plastic in the bags but also the refill shell. Some diaper pail brands like the Ubbi let you use your own bags, so you could use something like these biodegradable ones a mom suggested on Amazon here.
Far away dumpsters
Families in apartments or whose garbage disposal options are far away might be more interested in a diaper pail. Again, most of the alternatives to a diaper pail involve frequent disposal outside the home. If you’re in an apartment building with a long distance to go for a dumpster, or no good solution for an outdoor garbage can, a diaper pail can help you store diapers in-house for longer.
Alternatives to a diaper pail
If you’re going to do without a diaper pail, you still need a system in place to deal with the stench of baby waste. Most parents agree this only really means diapers with #2 inside (as urine rarely builds up enough smell over the course of just a couple days to be a bother). And even some baby poops don’t smell as bad, depending on their diet.
Luckily, a ton of respondents described their stink-busting solutions in comments. (For more ideas about other diaper changing systems sourced from hundreds of families, you can read my article on whether or not you need a changing table.)
- The most common diaper system described was simply to get rid of poopy diapers immediately. Plenty of moms suggested throwing your garbage out every night. This means you don’t give diapers a chance to build up in smell and knock you out the next day. Mom Mikala said “I honestly just throw ours in the regular trash and take it out every night.” This alternative is especially good if you’re already throwing away a garbage bag every day, or if you have multiple kids in diapers to fill the trash cans faster.
- Tie stinky diapers in individual bags and throw them away in the normal, household garbage can. Some moms suggested using leftover plastic produce bags, ziplock bags, or doggie poop bags for this purpose. Mom Corrin said, “save yourself the gimmick and the money, mama!! Extra gross ones just go in a grocery bag.”
- Have a small trash can on the porch specifically for poopy diapers. This is the system my family has personally settled on after two kids and four years of diapering, but we’re not alone. “I have a small trash can outside on my back porch specifically for poop diapers. The diaper genie is a bigger pain than it has to be,” said respondent Sarah.
- Use a bathroom-sized garbage can with a sealing lid. You can keep this in the nursery, bathroom, or wherever you typically dispose of diapers.
- Deoderize your cans. Multiple moms mentioned using scented garbage bags or taping air fresheners to the underside of garbage lids. My sister also has taped a little cotton ball with essential oils onto the inside of the garbage can to help combat smells.
- While this isn’t technically an alternative, I wanted to point out that you can get diaper pails from the consignment store. They won’t sell nasty ones, so it’s not going to be gross. Mom Gaby said “I found a used one in great condition at a consignment store for $12 bucks! I love it bc you can pack the diapers in & they don’t smell.”
- And finally, you can try cloth diapers. Spray or scrape off the solid stinkies and then flush them away! Mom Ashley described her system by saying, “We…spray off the diapers and they go into a wet bag until I wash them.”
Best Diaper Pail Options
After looking through your alternatives and thinking about your situation, you still might decided getting a diaper pail is your best bet (or that even if you don’t need it, you’d still like the convenience). In that case, I wanted to share all the comments about best brands from my survey. I didn’t even ASK for product recommendations, yet 31 moms still offered their suggestions, and even mentioned brand comparisons they’d already done. Here’s their collective wisdom.
The Diaper Genie
The famous Diaper Genie just eked by in the popular vote with 11 moms raving about theirs. Mom Summer specifically mentioned that “I don’t think they’re *necessary* per se, but I have been using my Diaper Genie for over 5 years now with 3 kids and I love it!”
However, for all the love the Diaper Genie got, there were nearly DOUBLE the amount of comments (20 of them) where moms shared how much they hated them. The most common complaint was the expense of buying the specialty refill bags. (Buying Diaper Genie brand refills are generally $6 each, and even the popular knock-off brands will cost $2.50 a refill.)
Some moms also shared problems with odor leaking out, overly complicated pails, and stink building up because bags don’t need to be changed frequently. One particularly colorful description of a Diaper Genie came from Gustie, who said “Those diaper genie things are horrible. I had one with baby #1 and despite changing it daily, it grew maggots.”
I’ll add that I personally bought a Diaper Genie when my second child was born, thinking we’d need it more with double the diapers. But then the bag-ripping device broke, and then the sealing mechanism broke, all within the first few months. It currently sits unused in my toddler’s bedroom.
Ubbi Diaper Pail
The Ubbi diaper pail got ten unsolicited votes for “best diaper pail” in the comments section of my poll, and only one comment specifically against. These pails tend to retail for $20 more than their Diaper Genie competitors, but they’re made of stainless steel and not plastic. Some moms like Katie thought this helped fight odors better, saying “they’re made out of metal so the stink doesn’t absorb into them like a plastic diaper genie.”
Ubbi diaper pails also use normal garbage bags, which means you’ll only pay for the pail once and never need to buy refills, which was the favorite feature of most commenters.
Mom Madeline said “The Ubbi is the absolute best. We have a diaper genie, too, but the Ubbi is definitely better.”
You can check them out on Amazon here.
Decor Classic Diaper Pail
Dekor Classic pail had six different moms singing its praises. One of its best qualities is that after your baby is grown up, you can remove the specialized lid and just use it as another normal trash can. Mom Melanie said, “I bought a dekor diaper pail and was given a diaper genie, but the dekor one can be used for cloth or for disposable, and it holds more diapers than the genie, and contains the smell better too!”
Munchkin Diaper Pail
Finally, the Munchkin brand diaper pail got four upvotes, with three of those being moms who’ve used theirs through multiple kids or at least multiple years. Like the Diaper Genie, this pail unfortunately uses specialty inserts you have to buy regularly in addition to the pail. However, one mom reported being able to ‘hack’ the Munchkin diaper pail to use regular trash bags, though of course your milage would vary on this.
That’s all, folks! If you’d like to get more tips and tricks on raising a family on a budget straight to your inbox, feel free to sign up for my weekly newsletter below!
And if you want to read more from my “do you really need a…” series, here are a few to get you started: