Shop Talk: Disposable-Diaper Pails

Baby Essentials

The very latest disposable-diaper pail ratings and expert shopping advice from the editors of Consumer Reports Best Baby Products

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It's a stinky job, but changing diapers is more pleasant with a good diaper pail. If you're using disposable diapers, you'll need a model that uses special liners or garbage bags. There are other features—the capacity, how it opens, what locks odor in—to factor into your choice, too. Here's how to make the right buy, from the Consumer Reports Best Baby Products editors.

Safety Checklist:

The floor pad should be less than one-inch thick so your baby's face can't get buried in it, and snug-fitting so he can't roll in between its edge and the play yard's side.

If your play yard has a bassinet, it's ideal if fabric hides its clips. Older kids may be able to spot visible clips and unfasten them.

Storage pockets for changing supplies should attach to the outside of the play yard so your baby can't reach the contents.

Look for a Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) sticker on the packaging or product. This signals that the play yard meets current safety standards.

Mom-Friendly Features

Capacity. Diaper pails claim to hold between 24 and 46 diapers, but they typically have space for a bit less, and that number decreases as your baby grows into bigger diapers. Larger pails need to be dumped less often, but they take up more space (and you may just want to get the dirties out as soon as possible!).

Child-resistant lid. Look for a pail that has a locking button or a device that makes it difficult for little hands to get in, such as a step-pedal opener (believe it or not, some diaper pails don't have this feature).

Ease of use. With the original Diaper Genie, you had to shove a diaper into a plastic-bag insert, then twist to dispose of it. The newer models do the twisting for you and can be operated with one hand or a foot pedal.

Liners or bags. Using bags you already have may be more convenient than buying liners designed for specific models.

Plus:

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