Let's talk diapers!

margareth-2

I live in an apartment and am thus concerned how bad diapers can smell.  Is it worth getting some sort of diaper pail, or would just a good trash can (I was thinking it would be ideal to be able to hold onto it and use it for general stuff post-diapers) suffice?  Any experience on diaper disposal welcome!  I wasn't going to add a diaper pail to my registry but maybe I would regret not doing so... If so, what kinds are the best?  THANKS!

Souptin

I have a diaper genie and I LOVE it and use it still with my stinky pooping 2 year old. Well worth the investment of the device and the refills of the bags.  If you are going to go with a regular garbage pail get a good one with a tight lid seal- foot pedal for sure- you dont want to force your face near that when you lift the cover off.

lap018

Oh dear lord at least get the pail! I got the tommy tippee diaper pail and even though we just use scented garbage bags to put in there instead of the refills they sell, I think the diaper pail should be something you register for especially because it has a lid that locks into place. (This will be very useful when your kid is older and can get into things) I could not imagine having just a trash can in there but maybe others have had success with it. 

kelseyrayay

I use a grocery bag and take it outside to the big trash can 

Souptin

Also- baby poops don't start to smell that bad until after solid foods are introduced. That's when shit gets real.

zetega

@Souptin pun intended?

I've heard that the locking lid is a must. I'm planning to cloth diaper so something like the diaper genie is a no go (can't wrap up dirty cloth diapers in individual bags without bad results), but it does look effective!

sarahufl

We have a small can in with regular trashbags. We use the Arm & Hammer bags for poop to keep some of the smell out and just take it out frequently. It stinks, but poop will stink regardless. I just hate the giant bags that the diaper genies fill up- with our set up, we just take it out every other day or so.

mcdoug211

We used just the regular trash and never noticed a smell. It's definitely worse when you start adding solids!

eeyorefan215

I got a diaper genie from a friend. Wasn't stinky at all - and she had used it for 2 kids. If you are worried about cost, PetCo sells a Litter Genie for about $15 and it does the same thing as the Diaper Genie. It won't hold quite as much (about 1/2 the capacity of the Diaper Genie), but works just as well. 

Sprite2012

We cloth diapered 95% of the time, but when we did use disposables, we just tossed in the kitchen trash.  Our trash gets taken out daily, so unless you were going through 25 diapers/day, I don't see the big deal.  I wouldn't put discarded plastic diapers in my child's bedroom, if that is the other option...

lap018

We take our trash out maybe once every week, most of our trash is recycled so our actual trash doesn't build up fast enough to take it out every day and if we had a weeks worth of dirty diapers sitting in the kitchen trash can, that's not somewhere I'd want to eat. There's really no need to condescend those of us who use diapers pails and "put plastic discarded diapers" in our children's bedrooms. My 19 month old has never gotten into his diaper pail and his room rarely stinks (only if he has recently pooped and the smell of changing him is lingering) it's what works for us and I am so glad cloth diapering and doing the kitchen trash has worked for you, we are sharing experiences not pony riding  @Sprite2012

SquattingGryphon

I bought a diaper genie from a local store that sold gently used kids' clothing and accessories. My DH made fun of me for basically "spending money on a second hand garbage can" lol. But anyways, I found it super helpful to have.

Souptin

@lap018 same with us! between recycling and green bin my household trash is slow to build up. My 2 year old has never gotten into the genie and his room also does not smell.

Jamiern01

We have a diaper champ and love it. It uses regular trash bags so I don't have to buy refills. The nursery does not smell unless we have just changed DD. I got it at a second hand baby store and only spent about $10. Worth every penny!!!!

Sprite2012

@lap018  I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by what I wrote.  Like, at all.  I'm sorry it read condescending.  I think the reason for OPs question is to find out if a diaper pail is worthwhile.  In reading PPs, it seems most people agree.  I offered a different perspective, because I DID use disposable diapers and I DIDN'T have a diaper pail.  I didn't use them full-time, however, which is why I mentioned cloth.  I, personally, would not put diaper trash in my kid's bedroom.  The only trash in my house is in the kitchen and bathrooms.  Plenty of people use diaper pails, and I know most don't stink.  And I know the lids are locked, so a kid getting into them would be unlikely.  I just have enough chores to do on a daily/weekly basis, emptying a diaper pail would add another to my list.  That's all I meant by my post.  I'm sorry if I offended anyone.

FWIW, our trash compacter is tiny and can only hold so much.  It has to go out daily.  Our recycling bin is a different story.

ColoradoHiker

We have just a small diaper bin in DS' room, but now we put all poop diapers in the kitchen trash can.  Their diapers really don't smell bad until they start eating regular food.  I'm considering getting a diaper pail this time, but the cost of the refills is what stopped me before.  It looks like there are some options now that use regular trash bags, so I may look into that!

lap018

@Sprite2012 it's cool! I took it the wrong way, it's been a heck of a week at my house and I am on the defensive! It's good to have different perspectives! 

harleyquinn0621

I got lucky and won a diaper genie in a raffle at babies r us.. however, we planned on buying one... i didn't want to chance my apartment smelling like poop and I did not want to have to run each and every diaper individually out to the outside trash 

MyNamesTaken

We got a Munchkin diaper pail and really like it. It holds a ton and sprinkles baking soda to absorb the smell. We did it the opposite of others here though. We would throw pee diapers in the bathroom garbage and poop in the diaper pail since they were way smellier.

myohmy34

+1 for the diaper genie. Target has refill bags that are a little less expensive than the diaper genie ones. 

Becky012016

*our trash system is for disposable wipes, not diapers since we cloth diaper. 

I always thought the poop would smell bad but it's the pee that smells worse to me. We just use a grocery bag and tiny trash can and take it out once every 3ish days since wipes don't really take up much room. If your system starts to smell its super easy to just take the trash out and fabreeze the room, so any choice you make for your system can't be all that bad. 

moto_mom

I have a diaper genie and like it. I use a no name brand refill bag though to save some bucks.

When empty the genie, I spray it w/Lysol disinfected spray and put a couple dryer sheets in there. I also usually put LO's poo diapers in a scented bag before putting it in the genie too. I'm pretty overkill through and my sense of smell is insane rn.

margareth-2

very helpful, thank you!  so many decisions lol......

beccam1230

I loved our diaper genie! With as much as a newborn poops, it was totally worth it for me to have one in DS's room. We don't live in a big house, but it's 3 stories and I realllllly didn't want to have to run each diaper out to the trash, and it definitely contained the smell.

Incandescent

I use a grocery bag and take it outside for poop, for pee I have a little plain trash can, but a diaper genie is amazing and would totally recommend getting one. It's so much easier than going outside every time, and the small trashcan in her room freaks me out. I feel like she's going to get into it, and choke on the plastic bag.

Inanigloo

We cloth diapered and used a decor plus with a liner. It really cut the smell to nothing. The odd time we used disposables, we put the dirty diaper in a grocery bag before putting it in the garbage bin. But the diaper pails are worth the investment in my mind. 

JNR6510

I definitely intend to purchase a diaper genie. One of my friends used to foster babies under 2, and she would always just toss the diapers in her kitchen trash bin. It didn't get taken out every day and always made the house reek, even with scented trash bags.

I love the litter genie suggestion! It doesn't have to hold a ton of dirty diapers and spending less definitely sounds great!

iheartichi

We have a trash can with a pedal and lid in DSs room. We just put pee diapers in there, he's 2. He likes putting trash away and likes putting his wet diapers in there, too to help out. Never stinks and we take that out once a week. Poops go out to the big can outside, or the kitchen can if we're about to take it out. Now that he knows how to open every trash can in our house, we have to watch what he "throws away". I've found DHs keys, some leggos, a flashlight and some socks in the past couple weeks. 

jessieR358

We don't have a diaper pail or trash can in my DSs room. We keep "sassy" diaper bags in the room and bag up all diapers and put them in the kitchen trash. That gets taken out at least once a day and the smell is never an issue. 
We use honest diapers and I don't think they smell as much as some diapers. 

iheartichi

jessieR358 said:

We don't have a diaper pail or trash can in my DSs room. We keep "sassy" diaper bags in the room and bag up all diapers and put them in the kitchen trash. That gets taken out at least once a day and the smell is never an issue. 
We use honest diapers and I don't think they smell as much as some diapers. 

What's a sassy diaper bag?

mbates87

@margareth we actually did not buy one with our first kiddo and I don't think we will this time either. Well play it by ear when the new little one gets here. For DS, he was breastfed and only pooped once every five days. With breast milk it never smelled. Now that he's on whole milk it is more frequent and putrid, but we find that double bagging it in grocery store bags and sticking in the garbage works just as well!

JNR6510

@mbates87 It's not healthy for a baby to be pooping only every 5 days. Have you had a pediatrician check his bowels? My brother had problems like that when he was born which turned out to be a kink in his colon which prevented poop from properly passing through the intestines.

Souptin

@JNR6510 5 days for an EBF infant is totally normal, they can go up to 10 days between poops without concern.

mbates87

@JNR6510 my son is 18 months old and is very heathly. We had asked the pediatrician back then because we also thought it weird. They said not to worry as long as he has a regular schedule. I only BF for 6 months and he had the same poop schedule that 6 months (once every 5 days). When he drank formula he went like 4 times a day. Now on whole milk he usually goes once maybe twice a day. Each transition his body has adjusted and come up with a new schedule. Thank you for your concern! 

BostonBaby1

We also live in an apartment and can only take trash out 2x per week. No dumpster. We have the Munchkin Latch Arm & Hammer in a large from Target. Poop diapers go in there and pee goes in the regular trash. Pro tip- when the poops get more solid, flush before putting in the pail. We have no odor.

margareth-2

Good to know! 

Kimby883

I have a regular trash can with a charcoal filter that I bought from Amazon. It works better than my diaper genie and I don't spend $20 on refill bags every 3 months. 

margareth-2

Interesting! 

lilpoots

@mbates87 your baby is just really efficient at absorbing all the nutrients from the breast milk. 

We used a diaper decor plus with a cloth liner for cloth diapers and then switched over to the compostable bags when we did disposables after 6 months. 

jessieR358

iheartichi said:

jessieR358 said:

We don't have a diaper pail or trash can in my DSs room. We keep "sassy" diaper bags in the room and bag up all diapers and put them in the kitchen trash. That gets taken out at least once a day and the smell is never an issue. 
We use honest diapers and I don't think they smell as much as some diapers. 

What's a sassy diaper bag?

Oh sassy is the brand. I buy them on amazon. They are powder fresh smelling and you can tie them. We keep a little box on the changing table and bag up the diapers and throw them away. 

klcarr19

We use a regular trash can with locking lid and scented trash bags. It doesn't stink up the room at all. Plus, I like that I don't need special bags to refill. I usually put Poop in a grocery bag to tie off to cut down on the scent though