Family FriendlyMay 2022

As many new parents start to realize, babies (and all of their STUFF) can get expensive! When you decide which diaper pail to put on your baby registry, remember that it’s not just the cost of the can itself – it’s also the can liners or trash bags that you’ll need to refill that add up to your baby budget.

There are a lot of great places to research the best diaper cans on the market (we like the latest Best List from Babylist). But there’s one thing many parents don’t consider – do I really have to use the expensive matching brand refills that go with my diaper can? For some brands, the unfortunate answer is yes. For example, it’s a bit tougher to use anything other than the Diaper Genie branded refill packs, since the whole point of the Diaper Genie is that the trash bags refill themselves.

For other brands of diaper pails, like the Ubbi, it’s easy to swap your expensive diaper can liners for a common sized kitchen or laundry household trash bag. This is a great perk, because the “matching” trash bags from the same brand as your diaper pail are usually more expensive than other household trash bags, and they may be harder to find.

Pro tip: choose the size of your trash bags based on how ‘full’ you want the can to be when you take it out. For example, I started by using the most common 13-gallon kitchen trash bags in my Ubbi since the gallon size is the closest to Ubbi’s stated 13-gallon capacity. I was also using the more premium “flex” style trash bags, because that is what I had around for my kitchen use. After a while, I would find that the can would be overly full, and that is not an experience you want when the trash bag is full of stinky diapers!

Instead, I saved even more money by switching to Color Scents medium sized 8-gallon trash bags. Drawstring trash bags are great for fitting any size diaper can, but with the Ubbi you can save even more by going with open top twist tie trash bags, which come in even more scent options for your nursery. My personal favorite is the 8-gallon Lavender & Sage, because it is a very calming scent perfect for your little one’s space (and controlling odors). By using the 8-gallon size, the trash bags still held a ton of diapers, but there was a little bit of room left between the trash bag and the can so that the stinky sack no longer gets stuck on the can or is hard to get out!

Diaper pail