I'm with the editor's comments. I never owned one. Our main trash can was easily within reach, so anything extra toxic went right out. Also as an adult without kids, its hard to imagine the extraneous body fluids one gets used to with having kids around. What may seem a bit distasteful now will probably not even register in about a year.

We had a diaper pail in our apartment (got it off freecycle because they're $$!), but the smell soaked into the plastic, especially as our son got older.

The thing that worked for us was to get a small trashcan and put it on our little patio outside.We use Trader Joe bags to line it and it can just be taken out with the trash. You don't smell it because the breeze takes it away.

We had a diaper genie in the beginning, but ended up just putting the diapers directly into our kitchen trash. The diaper genie contained the smell pretty well until we would empty it, and the smell was pretty gross. Now, our system is: at the changing table, we put the dirties into a small bucket, then take that to the main garbage, then we empty the main garbage every day (which we were doing anyway). We've never noticed a fowl odor since we empty it so often. Plus, in our tiny house it's one less thing to take up floor space in the kiddo's room.

I never had one for my now 28 month old. We just used the kitchen trash which has a lid and contains smells pretty well that we empty almost everyday. Works, and its one less thing to worry about keeping clean.

I had one for my son until he was about 2 months old. Once he got to a size 2, the diapers were just too big to fit many of them in a Diaper Genie. We just throw his diapers in the trash can now, which we really could have done from the beginning, and we take the trash out every day or every other day. Occasionally there will be a funky smell in our kitchen (where we keep our trash can), but that's easy to fix. :)

I had a diaper genie, because everyone told me they were so wonderful. However, I ended up giving mine away to save space in our small apartment, and to avoid spending the extra money on the special cartridges that the diaper genie require. If you take your trash out every day, you most definitely don't need a specific trash can just for the diapers.

We went without & just used a small lidded trash can that we empty every couple days. Whether using cloth or disposable diapers, poop should always go into the toilet anyways so it really eliminates the bulk of the smell.

We never used one with our son. We just used a plastic shopping bag to tie it up and toss. The smell never seeped thru.

We didn't and it's not a big deal. If you're breastfeeding the diapers aren't very smelly until they start solids. So you can put it off for 6 months. And even at that point wet diapers aren't a big deal, it's only the poopy ones that are an issue. At that point you can easily take them out individually (especially if you have a trash chute on your floor) or keep them in a covered trash can that you empty regularly. And hey, if you decide you want a diaper pail at some point you can always get one in the future.

With our first baby we got a diaper genie as a gift. It was okay, but I didn't like the way it looked in the nursery, and I hated having to buy refills. I recently got rid of it and just got a small, cute trash can with a lid, and big roll of trash bags for like $1. I will forever use a trash can now for the rest of my kids. Diaper genies are a waste a money. Some people love them though. Mine smelled really bad too.

I like my diaper genie, but I live in Ottawa, Canada, and it's winter right now, so it saves me from having to go outside to put my diapers in the trash can every couple of hours. If you put your trash out every day, you may not have a problem, and newborn poo doesn't smell that bad...you may change your mind once the baby switches to solid food, but until then you can probably do without.

I use a stepcan from Target.

Sounds like you're going to use disposables, so I think it's funny that you're concerned about that ONE piece of plastic in a landfill rather than the 6600 diapers you'll be contributing before your child turns 2.

And before I get jumped on, no, it's not a big deal to cloth diaper a baby in a small apartment with no in-building laundry facilities.

I use cloth but I still use a pail just for the convenience...it's just lined with a washable wet bag as opposed to a disposable liner. In retrospect, I probably would've just gotten a normal trashcan with a lid instead of a diaper-specific pail, but yes, I do find it useful.

If we were doing paper, I would probably just use a trashcan. Whenever we use disposables (if I get behind on laundry), they usually end up in the normal trash. Like someone already said, you won't even give it a second thought once you have your baby.

and, Katethegreat, I totally agree...

I don't think it is necessary. We have twins who are in diapers and we just use a regular trash bin with a lid and it works fine.

We have never used one... we have a small bin in the kitchen that gets emptied to the big sealed bin about twice daily... But I usually take my clean baby for a little walk after a diaper change to the outdoor bin drop in the diaper and then head back indoors... Never think about the diaper again!!! But often stop outdoors and take a look around the garden or settle on the patio together... I might never think to go outdoors otherwise!!!

I'm another vote for a regular little step can. Line with plastic grocery bags or something (I bought a box of smaller but similar bags from a Smart n Final type place).

I generally only take it out when there is a poopy dipe, which also helps me keep track of how long since the last bm. And that's only now that the poop actually stinks, which breastmilk-only poop does not.

We cloth diaper, and went with the step-on can (from Target) and a cloth diaper pail liner. We spray the can and let it air out when we do laundry, and it seems to do pretty well.

We use a Simple Human can we bought at Target. They come in several sizes and footprints. Definitely get one with a lid, no matter how you feed your baby. Poop of all varieties can stink, and so can pee. If I eat something strongly flavored, my breastfed daughter has to process the smelly ingredients, too.

Even if you switch to cloth at some point, the step can will be useful for used wipes and general mess.

we don't even use a trash can with a lid! just use a small trash can that can only hold a day or two's worth of diapers (small bathroom sized) and put the wet ones in those. For the "dirty" ones, tie them up in their own shopping bag (or reusable sack if you like) and the next one that leaves the house should dump it. After a year no smell at all...

I have a 6 month old and we dont have one. We got a small metal kitchen trash can with lid and have had no problems at all.

NEED? Probably not as long as you are diligent about it.

We have the Arm and Hammer brand one (Munchkin I think?) This is our SECOND diaper pail, first being the diaper decor, which at the end of its life, I nearly vomited every time I opened it. We have had this one just as long and haven't noticed a smell a bit. It gives a little poof of baking soda in it each time you close it.

So if you do end up going that route, I would recommend that one. Also, you can now buy the refills at the grocery store, as opposed to the diaper decor refills (which were very pricy) which I could only get at BRU. Hope this helps a little...

We used a diaper genie II (it was a shower gift) until we made the switch to cloth, at which point we also switched to a stepcan with washable bag inside.

We gave the diaper genie to a friend who was having their first. I bet if you ask around, a friend would have one they'd be willing to pass on to save you the cost if you decide to go that route.

If you are at all concerned about waste though, look into cloth diapers. They have changed a lot and aren't as scary as they were for our moms. :)

I got one with my first as a shower gift used it once till it got full, hated it when it needed changed which was all the time. We lived in apartment when she was young and just threw the stinky ones in the kitchen trash. Otherwise a small pail worked by the bed. Now with my second we use cloth. AWESOME!!! Love them love them love them. They are not gross either. You are going to be a mom and see lots of gross things btw.

We have a Diaper Champ (it uses regular garbage bags, which I like), which works for us. But, we live in a house and don't take trash out every day. Since you do, I think you could forgo. If you decide to get one, go for one of the ones that uses regular garbage bags, so you don't need special inserts.

I have a diaper decor and love it. It's not ugly, holds almost a week's worth of diapers and contains the smell great (and ours is more than 2 years old - now being used on the second kid). I always thought the diaper genie was weird and hard to figure out. Another thing I like about our Dekor is that it has a lock on it so my curious 16 month old can't actually reach into it. We live in an apartment but it's kind of a hike to the trash so we always find we avoid it as long as possible.
All that being said, if you really think you will be diligent about taking the trash out regularly, then just get a small regular trash (preferably not plastic which does soak in smells) and use scented trash bags and you'll probably be better off than most diaper-pail users out there.

If you take the trash out nearly everyday, i wouldn't worry about it.

Half the time we're changing out little mover on the floor in the main room (on a blanket). So we just end up throwing the wet ones in the regular trash can.

So I'd say don't worry about it, and use that space for something else :)

Human feces belongs in the toilet, not in the waste bin. If you switch to cloth diapering, you'll be doing that anyway. If you do the right thing even as a disposable-diaperer, the poop goes in the potty and whatever can you deposit the dirties in will smell WAY less.

Our Diaper Genie went into storage within a month of my daughter's birth.

But, our wipe warmer....well, that's a different story. We own five; they're all over our house, and if you go through the wipes quickly enough, they don't dry out and are great for cleaning up those eveyday messes.

If I were you, I'd reconsider!

If you end up going for a diaper pail go for the Diaper Champ so you don't have to buy the refills and can use whatever type of bag you have on hand. Plus, the contraption of the Diaper Genie can become quite awful if you have a child who decides to put a beloved toy in the pail and wants you to retrieve it. (It takes something sharp to cut through all those little links that are like a big stinky sausage).
I have a sensitive nose and can't handle the smell of just a regular trash can with a lid (even if you take it out every day the nursery smells awful the moment you walk in the door). Any can you use will end up being stinky over time if you don't wash it on a regular basis.

We have a stainless steel closing top that we use for all our garbage, we usually empty it about once a day. The diaper pails were so much hassle and sometimes got to be more of a pain than just regular bags! Skip the diaper pail, save your money. Then if you find you ABSOLUTELY can't deal without it, pick one up on craigslist.
On a lot of baby items, it's just impossible to know what will fit your new lifestyle with a baby. We bought things as we went along, and it worked out just fine.

The above people are crazy. Yes, you need one. We have the Diaper Dekor and my son is 2, I cannot imagine living without it to be honest.

I mirror what most said above - we have a small lidded trash can in the baby's room and that works fine. I've worked in childcare when a diaper pail was a necessity, but for one babe I think a regular can is fine.

I also want to add that we LOVE our wipe warmer! It came as a hand-me-down gift and it is great. It seemed so dumb at first, but I am so glad we have it.

i did disposables at the beginning & have a diaper genie. it doesn't smell very good though. i switched to cloth around month 4 but would use disposables when traveling or if we'd have a busy day out.
i saved newspaper & bread bags and would use those for stinky diapers or really dirty wipes.
getting ready to have our second in march & i am not sure i'll even bring out the diaper pail.
good luck & best wishes!

I agree with another commenter that you are supposed to dump poop in the toilet, whether you are using cloth or paper diapers. That will really keep down on stink. Otherwise, just dump diapers every day. We use a regular old office trash can with shopping bags in it, and throw diapers away once a day. Yes, it is a little stinky, but smaller bags mean you will change it more often. Remember to wipe out the pail between every bag change, too, and it will keep stinkies to a minimum.

No - What worked for us was to use small plastic bags to wrap each diaper in (same concept as the diaper genie). We would use leftover grocery bags, but dog waste bags would work too.

This contained the smell really well, and we just put them in the kitchen trash that goes out daily anyways.

Wipe warmers? *headdesk* It's good for kids to learn to tolerate discomfort and learn to trust that adults will help them through it. You tell them the wipe is going to be a little cold, wipe them, and if they're uncomfortable, reassure them afterward.

I personally love my diaper genie for the upstairs nursery. I may be lazy, but I would hate to have to take the trash out every time he poops (which is frequently). It contains a lot of diapers, and if you keep the bag closed when changing, the smell can't escape. We have a small nursery, but it doesn't take up any more room than any other small garbage can. And wrapping every poopy diaper individually seems like a lot of wasted plastic bags! I'm sure you can find one used instead of buying new to avoid land-fill guilt. That's how we got ours. Congrats and good luck!

Just wanted to add that I have never understood the recommendation that poop be dumped into the toilet from a disposable diaper. There has rarely been anything in my 3-year-old's diaper that would "dump" out of a diaper into a toilet. Sorry, but it's all smooshed in there, nothing would fall out!

We tried a diaper genie for a while and used it regularly but found it was easier to just throw them away with the kitchen trash. Even if we didn't get it every day, every other day was just fine. Most of those baby extras are just ridiculous anyway. Diaper wipe warmer? Diaper disposal system? A million and one accessories that just take up room? Special nursery water that's twice the price and no different that regular filtered water? They're just taking advantage of a parent's good intentions if you ask me. Halfway through the first year of the first child you'll know just what you need and what really didn't matter at all. It's the first time parents that usually fall for the marketing pitfalls of parenting. haha

We got a very expensive and nice VIPP diaper pail as a gift, and I have to say it is awesome. Now, could I live without it? Absolutely. If you plan on taking the trash out daily and taking the really stinky ones straight outside, then you should be okay. But for those first few months when you are sleep deprived and exhausted, it is nice to not have to worry about it. The VIPP's are made of metal, the same kind they use in doctors offices, so they contain the smell extremely well. Either way, I'm sure you will survive. Good luck!

P.S. If you aren't sure about cloth vs. disposable check out gdiapers, that's what we use and they are the best of both worlds! Cloth exterior, disposable, but biodegradable interior.

I have two kids, aged 3 and 8 months. With the older one, we had a diaper genie. It was pretty great...for about 4 months. The cutting tool on it became dull, and it wouldnt cleanly cut the bags. So we have since used a small trash can with a lid. I put a little disk of compressed baking soda on the lid to absorb smells. Right now, we have an 8 gallon can and we empty it about once a week. As long as the lid is closed, the smell is contained.

Btw--I loved my wipe warmer. It kept the wipes warm and moist which was nice for wiping faces and bums in the middle of the night. I'd still be using it if my 3 year old hadn't destroyed it. But I do agree that a lot of gadgets are just plain junk.

I nannied people who had one, it smelled absolutely disgusting. I think it's because they didn't empty it enough, but the smell was just awful.

I've never had one for my son, we used a small trash can and emptied it frequently. Now he goes through less diapers and we just put them in used grocery bags take them out every day or two.

The key is to just get rid of them as often as possible!

Oh, and does anyone actually dump the poop from disposables into the toilet? Really? I hate when people give others such a hard time about diapering. Please. I used cloth diapers for the first 6 months of my sons life and they were terrible. He had a permanent diaper rash which disappeared the instant we started using disposables.

We do cloth diapers, and we don't have a diaper pail or a smell problem. We just got a trash can with a lid and a foot pedal opener. We also use washable bin liners so we're not using tons of plastic bags.

We do rinse the poopy cloth diapers before tossing them in the bin (we have a diaper sprayer attached to our toilet). When we do use disposables, we always flush the poop before tossing the dirty diaper in our kitchen trash - which also goes out often.

we use a smallish plastic trash can with a lid that is easy to pop open & uses the same bags as our kitchen trash can; we bought it at babies r us & it was really inexpensive. just make sure to close up the diapers using the diaper tabs before you put them in and then you'll only have to empty the pail when it's full (closing them up makes a *big* difference, believe me).

i didn't want something that required bagging each diaper separately & found that using a lidded trash can has worked just fine to contain the odor so far (my daughter is 13 months). we had plenty of space in the nursery for a pail & it's convenient having it right there next to the changing pad. we changed a lot of wet diapers elsewhere in the house but for the poopy ones, we would always change them right there.

i also agree wholeheartedly with @jillandmo -- not to be too graphic, but only occasionally has there been anything that could be dumped in the toilet without it being a seriously challenging & messy undertaking.

USE CLOTH :)

I have a cheap garbage can from target that I put my reusable liner in. We wash every other day. It doesn't stink (we dump the BM in the toilet) and we have never had an issue with it

The wipes warmer is awesome if you use cloth wipes. We always have warm, clean wash cloths to clean up with. We can also give the baby a quick wipe down if she needs her face, arms or legs cleaned as well!

My diaper thingy is sitting unused. You might use one at first but as they get to be a few months old and begin to only "go" once a day (if that) you can just take it straight out to the trash in a timely fashion. So much more easy and pleasant!

We did the diaper genie with my sister, a diaper champ with my daughter, but eventually fell in step with the Dekor. I thought we could just get away with a trash can, but once you open the lid, it's an awful stench. My parents don't use one, but they keep their trash can in the garage where it doesn't smell. I like the double door system on the Dekor and hardly ever smell it unless it's full. Which is extra awesome right now since I'm all kinds of sick with my second pregnancy.

we never even opened it. when our son was little, even the toxic ones weren't so bad... as he got older, we'd empty anything nasty into the toilet and then wrap the diaper & toss it in the garbage (regular garbage) we never had a problem w/smells... AND our son knew from very very young - where his 'business' was meant to go (not that it made the potty training any easier)!

Diaper pail = unnecessary
Wipes warmer = cannot live with out!
We keep our house very cool in the winter and those wipes would be SO cold. I just didn't feel the need to torture my newborn with every diaper change. Imagine wiping your naked lower half with an ice cold washcloth 10 times a day!

You'd be amazed how much "stuff" you really don't need for a baby. They grow out of it all so fast anyway. Diaper genie is just one example. We had a diaper dekor that we ended up using as a recycling can. Start a college fund instead!

We used one for my first daughter, but got tired of paying for refill bags after the first year. We haven't used it since. I now have a 4 month old along with the 2 year old still in diapers. I don't miss it at all.

We had Diaper Genies for my two boys, now 5 and 3. The Genies get stinky after a while, so you end up replacing them after a year or so. If I had it to do over again, I'd have gotten a small bin with a lid and line it with several grocery bags. Just one of MANY things I would've done differently! Just remember to enjoy yourself and don't fret too much with the little things.

I have a 7-month old and 6-year old. With both boys I use nappy bags (scented) and then place them in the bathroom bin at all times. I never place them in the kitchen bin! A friend of mine does that (with or without the nappy bag) and her house wreaks of nappy odours. I cringe whenever I near her front door.

I really like my Diaper Champ, but we empty it once a week. But, I do think that if you empty the trash every day, you should be fine. And, actually, it would be a pain in the neck to empty the Diaper Champ every day.

Necessary? No. Nice to have? Yes.

We have the Dekor and it's great for our needs. My 2mo doesn't have particularly stinky diapers, but once he starts solids ...

We also have a wipe warmer -- not for keeping the wipes warm (I mean, once they're out of the warmer, they're room temp/cold again in seconds) but for keeping the wipes WET.

My daughter is almost 2.5 and we use a Diaper Genie. I agree that they are by no means necessary, but a "nice to have." We haven't had issues with smell, etc., and since we generally only need to take out our garbage once a week, we just empty it then. It's fine. But I have plenty of friends who just throw it in their kitchen garbage.

Erica, you supplied the clue to the right move for your family with your final comment. As someone that takes the garbage out nearly every day, you've no need for a dedicated diaper pail. I'm sure you can figure out a routine that works on your own.

As for the wiper warmer, as I'm sure you gathered, it's only necessary if you live in a very cold apartment.

Congratulations on your impending motherhood. Enjoy the journey.

We cloth diapered with our first and had a big pail with a filter. I used a diaper service (highly recommend it), and the bag went out once a week. In retrospect it would've been nice to have a pail with a foot-activated lid. Now that she's really only wearing diapers at night, they're disposables, and I have a Dekor. I love that I can use my foot to open it. My sister had one and recommended it. She said it doesn't stink at all. Well, she has a newborn, and I have a toddler. So I will say, once you have a kid eating real food, when the trap door is open the thing stinks! But it's a nice size, keeps her hands out, and is inoffensive looking. So I'm glad I have it. I don't think it would've been big enough for a week's worth of cloth diapers. But disposables shouldn't be a problem.

That said, it sounds like you don't really need anything fancy. If you can keep on top of the diapers daily, any old garbage can will do.

NO PAIL!!! wow those things r nice for the first couple of months then they STUNK a STANK no cleaner would remove. we use the plastic grocery sacks (still not so enviro friendly but its what we do )

I see people ragging on wipes warmers so often, but as someone who used cloth wipes and lives in a pretty drafty house, the wipes warmer has been seriously helpful. Especially at first when there were lots of diaper changes in the middle of the night - and a nice warm wipe kept the baby from waking up even more.

To the original question, we use cloth diapers so we had a pail. If you're using disposable diapers, I don't really see a reason for a dedicated pail, as long as you're emptying the trash on a regular basis.

As some other people said, the smell can depend on breastfeeding vs. not. I breastfed and the smell wasn't that bad. We hardly ever end up using our changing table (just use the couch, floor, table, etc) and so the diaper pail got very little use. If you take out your trash regularly, you should be fine without.

I breastfed and my son's poopy diapers still smelled gross. We have a Diaper Champ handed down to up from my cousin and love it. Since we buy the bags from Costco and use the same size as our kitchen trash can the cost is quite affordable. If you're concerned about wasting plastic then emptying the diaper pail every day means you'll go through a lot of trash bags. No matter how well you wrap up poopy diapers the smell and stuff inside can leak onto the trash bag liner meaning that you often need to replace the liner each time you empty it. If you have a Champ you won't need to empty it every day which means going through fewer trash bags. As for the waste of plastic from one, they are quite sturdy so I plan to pass ours onto someone else or sell it when we are done with it. Why send it to the landfill if it still works just fine?

Poop goes in the toilet. It is illegal to put poop in the trash-- it spreads bacteria and contaiminates groundwater.

So, assuming that you are putting the poop in the toilet, flushing it, then you won't have an odor issue. Just store in a trash can and change every day or too. And if you can, don't put a changing table in the bedroom. Try to do it in the bathroom.

We never had smell issues with our first (disposables) or our second (cloth) but every single person we know who keeps a big ol' bag of feces in their house does.

Act ethically for your child's health and mine too.

@eeka
"Wipe warmers? *headdesk* It's good for kids to learn to tolerate discomfort and learn to trust that adults will help them through it. You tell them the wipe is going to be a little cold, wipe them, and if they're uncomfortable, reassure them afterward"

Just a minute while I go back in time, and explain to my newborn daughter that the freezing wipes I'm using, in the middle of winter in a mostly unheated house are actually good for her. I'm sure she'll totally understand as I talk her through it. *eyeroll*

Honestly, Eeka, you are SUCH a hater. Why do you come on to AT at all? To troll for reactions?