I gave up on my Diaper Pail long ago for the following reasons:
1. the awful smell
2. the awful smell
3. the awful smell
4. the expensive Diaper Genie inserts or extra cost of trash bags
Back in my rookie mom days, everyone had a Diaper Genie. The first few months were great, no smell, little maintenance! But then comes solid food. The smell just does not go away. I tried Lysol, bleach, you name it, but the stench always lingered. I realized I was spending an extra 5 bucks a week on top of diapers and wipes for nothing!
Along came baby #2 five years later. I discovered the Diaper Champ. “How brilliant!”, I thought. It takes regular kitchen trash bags, which I always have on hand anyway. No twisting required, just drop and pull. Again, the first few months were great. But then that old familiar smell returned. It just would not go away. So I ditched the Champ, it was a loser.
My WFMW solution for no diaper pail? Plastic newspaper sleeves. They are the perfect size for a dirty diaper, and they are FREE! I save the sleeves, insert the diaper, twist and fold, and chuck it in the regular kitchen trash. NO SMELL!!! The kitchen trash gets emptied every day or 2 in my home, so nothing lingers. Added benefits: one less trash can to empty, money saved on bags, and a great way to recycle!
I also stick a few sleeves in my diaper bag for when we are on the go. No newspaper? Try plastic grocery sacks. It works for me!
I LOVE that idea! I will definitely try it. When I used to work in a preschool we used latex gloves during diaper changes to eliminate the chance of spreading germs (which as a mom with two girls at home I don’t do ’cause it’s impractical but may still be a good idea anyways) and we’d pull the gloves over the diapers when we took them off and it sealed the smell in and we never had any odor problems that way either. Still, I love the free aspect of your idea and can’t wait to start trying it! Thanks!
That’s so funny. I got a Diaper Champ for the same reasons; cheaper bags, and easier use. But mine too has begun to let stinky diaper smells back into baby’s room. I’ve given up using it, and just toss the diapers in the trash under the sink. We take our trash out every day or two also, so I get any odors either. If it’s a really bad stinker, I’ll just tie it up in a grocery bag, since we don’t get a newspaper. But that’s a great idea!
It’s funny what years of motherhood will teach you. All that stuff you think you will need, but never use!
I once wrote about this very same thing. We did the whole Genie thing and it worked, until Alexis began eating real foods. After that we used a separate trash that we took out daily. When my friend told me about using plastic grocery bags, we began using those to dispose of the dirties. I wish every new mom would read this post and believe that it really is better to NOT have a fancy diaper pail.