Babies go through an enormous amount of diapers, and it’s important to have a good way to dispose of them. Diaper pails are designed specifically to contain solid diapers and the odor that comes with them, keeping your nursery smelling fresh and clean.
These pails come in a variety of sizes and styles, making it difficult to decide which one to get. I’ve gathered the seven best diaper pails to narrow down your choices and help you make an informed decision on which one best suits your needs.
Why it’s great: The Playtex Diaper Genie Complete set comes with everything you’ll need to control diaper odors in your home. It’s large enough that you can probably get away with only changing it out every two days or so. It has a pedal to open the top, making diaper disposal hands-free, which is great when you’ve got a messy diaper to deal with. The Diaper Genie has a built-in carbon filter, which is one of the best ways to eliminate odor. It also has a Double Air-Tite clamp at the top of the bag to trap odors. It requires special bags that are easy to use and designed to be cut and tied, giving you some leeway in the sizing/how much you want to fill each before taking them out. This set also comes with a bag refill.
Keep in mind: This one can get costly since you’ll have to purchase specific refill bags.
Good for: Parents who want the best odor-controlling diaper pail.
Why it’s great: If you’re worried about the environment but need the convenience that regular diapers offer over cloth diapers, this pail is a decent compromise. Munchkin plants a tree for every pail purchased. This diaper pail is also easy to use, with a hands-free step pedal to open the top. Similar to the Diaper Genie, this pail has a self-sealing system that automatically seals the bag when the lid closes, keeping odors locked in. Plus, it comes with a baking soda freshener for the inside of the lid. It’s also the only pail you’ll find that gives you an option on what kinds of bags to use. It’s compatible with both rings and snap, seal, and toss bags.
Keep in mind: The opening for diapers is kind of small, so you may have to squish diapers to get them in, which is a pain if you have a particularly messy one.
Good for: Parents who want to help the environment with the purchase of their pail.
Why it’s great: One of the most annoying things about diaper pails is that once your child is potty trained, they become obsolete. However, this Dekor pail converts to a regular trash can, so its usefulness lives on after the diaper stage! It also comes in white or gray, giving you more options to match your decor. Like the first two options, this one also has a pedal that makes disposal hands-free. The opening is large enough that you won’t need to squish the diapers in, and it has triple odor control to help keep smells contained.
Keep in mind: The bag refills can get pretty costly, but you can use regular trash bags if you prefer.
Good for: Parents that want a diaper pail they can use as a trash can in the future.
Why it’s great: This diaper pail is made of powder-coated steel and comes in multiple colors and designs, so you can choose the one that matches your nursery best. The great thing about steel is that it doesn’t absorb odor like plastic will, so you won’t have any lingering odor between bag changes. It also has rubber seals to keep the odor locked in the pail. This pail doesn’t require any special bags, so you can save some money in the long run.
Keep in mind: The opening is smaller, and a little bit of odor does leak out when you open the lid.
Good for: Parents who want a durable and stylish diaper pail.
Why it’s great: This diaper pail is another steel design, which helps contain odors and also won’t absorb them into the pail. There are a couple of really great things about this Skip Hop diaper pail. The first is that its rectangular shape is both space-saving and makes it easier to fit right next to the changing table. It also has a built-in storage compartment to hold all your diapering essentials. Plus, you can use regular trash bags, so it’ll save you money on refills.
Keep in mind: The diaper caddy shown in the picture is sold separately.
Good for: Parents who want a diaper pail with storage for changing accessories.
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Why it’s great: This diaper pail is both inexpensive up front and uses regular trash bags to save you money in the future, making it the perfect choice for parents on a budget. It’s small and compact with a basic design. It comes with a deodorizer disc to help combat odors, and you can either purchase refill discs or just use baking soda when it stops working. It’s easy to use, with a button to open the hole on top, but you can also just lift the lid if you need to.
Keep in mind: This one is on the smaller side, so it doesn’t hold as much, and the opening is on the small side, as well.
Good for: Parents looking for an affordable and convenient option.
Why it’s great: When people think of diaper pails, they think of the large cans that stay in the nursery. However, what are you supposed to do with dirty diapers when you’re on the go? This portable diaper pail is the perfect solution. It expands for more space and folds down compactly when not in use. It can hold up to 12 newborn diapers, which should be more than enough room to get you through your trip. The lid opens with one tap, making it practically hands-free, and it has a charcoal filter for odor control. The bag also seals, so no odors escape when the lid is open.
Keep in mind: The opening is stiff in the beginning, making it hard to get the diapers in until it gets broken in a bit.
Good for: Parents who need a diaper pail for road trips, hotels, and outings.
The Playtex Diaper Genie Complete Pail is our overall top recommendation. It's the highest quality product we have found with the most affordable price making it the best value on our list..
A diaper pail is a trash can that’s specifically designed to hold diapers and contain odors. Most have a specialized bag and seal system that locks in odors to keep nurseries smelling fresh. While there are plenty of different designs, these are usually made to easily open hands-free, so you can hold your child while disposing of their dirty diapers.
You don’t have to have a diaper pail, but dirty diapers will stink up regular trash can fairly quickly. Compound that by adding up to ten diapers a day, and you can expect your house to be rocking a pretty foul odor. Another option is to take each individual diaper out to your garbage can, which can get pretty annoying. Diaper pails contain odors to the can, so your house still smells fresh and clean, even when you’re standing right next to the pail!
There are plenty of different styles and systems, but pretty much all diaper pails have tight seals that help contain odors. Regular trash cans are designed with loose-fitting lids, so a tight seal does a lot to control odor all on its own. Plus, most diaper pails have some sort of extra odor control. Steel pails aren’t porous like plastic, so they won’t absorb odors. Many plastic pails come with deodorizing discs or fresheners that stick to the lids. Others have charcoal filters built-in to help control odor.
While your baby’s first diapers won’t smell that bad if you’re breastfeeding, if you’re formula feeding or starting solids, expect some foul odors, so you can start using a diaper pail whenever you feel you need to contain these odors. However, even breastfed babies will go through a whole lot of diapers, and you’ll need to dispose of them somehow, even if they don’t smell that bad. So, you might as well start using a diaper pail as soon as you bring your baby home from the hospital.
Since diaper pails can vary a lot in how they work, there are a few things you should consider before you make your decision. Odor prevention is probably going to be your top concern, so take a look at how each pail deals with that to figure out which one you think will work the best for your needs. You’ll also want to consider what kinds of bags the pail uses and how much they cost. Pails that use specialized bags often work better at containing odors, but they’ll cost you a lot more in the long run. Also, consider how easy each can is to use. Pails with pedals are the most convenient, but opening with a finger or a tap isn’t that terrible, either.
Diaper pails are pretty essential when you have a baby in the house. While there are many different styles of pails, and they all come with slightly different features, you’ll have to decide what the most important factors are to you. That’s why you’ll find a variety of options on this list, so you should easily be able to find one that suits your needs the best.
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