As the first-time mother of a 10 week old, I have changed a lot of diapers in the past few weeks, many more than I ever calculated while pregnant. I was thrilled to get a Diaper Genie at my baby shower because I had heard so many good things about it. My plan was to start out with one Diaper Genie and get a second one if I liked the original well enough. I still have only one Diaper Genie, and although I think it does a good job, I am not convinced that a regular diaper pail would not work just as well.

The main reason I added the Diaper Genie to my wish list was the appeal of disposing of dirty diapers without exposing my tender nasal passages to the rank smell of every other dirty diaper I had changed that week. For this purpose, the Diaper Genie has worked wonderfully for me. I have changed several very stinky diapers in the past few weeks, and once consumed by the Diaper Genie, the smell is a thing of the past.

Something that I did not expect was the small size of the Diaper Genie. I recall my mother having a diaper pail the size of a kitchen trashcan, able to hold diapers through the entire week until trash day came around again. When I opened the wrapping paper and saw the box with the image of the Diaper Genie on the front at my baby shower, I was surprised at how small the box was, and the Diaper Genie inside was just as small. Since I was using size zero diapers, I wasn’t all that concerned at first. But now that I am using size 1 diapers, I notice the Diaper Genie filling up more quickly, requiring frequent emptying and frequent replacement of expensive inserts. It makes me wonder what will happen when I move up to size 2 diapers in another month, or even larger sizes over the next two years until I enter the realm of potty training. I have my doubts that the Diaper Genie will carry me through from one trash day to the next without at least one emptying in between.

So in my opinion, a Diaper Genie works great for eliminating the smell of disposable diapers during the first few months of your new baby’s life. Beyond that, however, I believe a large trash can with a tight lid and an air freshener nearby would work just as well, and require emptying less times, especially as your baby requires larger diapers. Also, if finances are a concern, which is often the case when a new baby comes along, a trash can and a box of large trash bags are certainly less expensive in the long run than a Diaper Genie and inserts.