Munchkin Step Diaper Pail Review
We like
- Lavender scented puck absorbs odors
- Childproof button allows for your child to be unable to open the pail
- The step-to-open mechanism allows for a one-handed disposal of diapers
- The sleek design fits into any nursery decor
- Voted one of the best baby items
- The bags are easy to change and they hold a lot of diapers
We don’t like
- A full bag prevents the lid from closing all the way
- Some parents have found the pail loses its power and needs to be replaced
How it works
Every new parent is never prepared for the onslaught of diapers that need to be changed. Newborns can need a diaper change up to ten times a day for the first few weeks of life. That is 70 diapers in one week. Although some parents choose to go the cloth route other parents decide to go the disposable route. Either way, controlling the scent of your home is crucial when there are that many diapers needing to be changed. In recent years, the most effective way to be able to control diaper odor in the home is by using a diaper pail where you can allow soiled diapers to add up until the bag is full and you can then throw the bag away in one toss. The main problem that a lot of parents have encountered with this type of system is that the odor of dirty diapers is hard to control when they are all being stored in one place. The designers at Munchkin along with Arm and Hammer have developed a diaper pail that not only provides a place where dirty diapers can be tossed out, but also a pail that controls the odor of dirty diapers in the most effective way possible. Many parents have been very satisfied with the Munchkin Step Diaper Pail Powered by Arm and Hammer for its durability, ease of use, and odor control.
How It Works
The Munchkin Step Diaper Pail Powered by Arm and Hammer is designed on a step, swirl, and close system. The pail has been praised for its aesthetic look. The pail is all white and trimmed with silver. It is very unassuming and it fits into all nursery decor no matter the color scheme of design. The pail resembles a normal garbage pail with its cylindrical look, hinged top, and step-to-open pedal on the bottom.
When you step on the pedal, the top lip swings open to expose a circular opening where you can dispose of the diapers. The opening reveals the top of the plastic bag that holds all of the dirty diapers. That opening is on a twisting mechanism that tightens or opens the bag. When you step on the pedal to open the diaper pail, the opening turns open. When you close the pail, the opening twists closed to hold in any odors that may be coming from the bag.
On the underside of the lid is a lavender scented Arm and Hammer puck that is the same size as the opening to the bag. Because of the similarity in shape, when you close the top of the pail, the puck fits into the bag opening and continues to absorb odors that may be escaping from the closed bag. As a result of this, whenever you open the pail, a burst of lavender comes from the diaper pail as opposed to the odors that are really lingering in that pail.
When you step on the pedal, the top lip swings open to expose a circular opening where you can dispose of the diapers. The opening reveals the top of the plastic bag that holds all of the dirty diapers. That opening is on a twisting mechanism that tightens or opens the bag. When you step on the pedal to open the diaper pail, the opening turns open. When you close the pail, the opening twists closed to hold in any odors that may be coming from the bag.
On the underside of the lid is a lavender scented Arm and Hammer puck that is the same size as the opening to the bag. Because of the similarity in shape, when you close the top of the pail, the puck fits into the bag opening and continues to absorb odors that may be escaping from the closed bag. As a result of this, whenever you open the pail, a burst of lavender comes from the diaper pail as opposed to the odors that are really lingering in that pail.
Disposing Of the Diapers
The Munchkin Step Diaper Pail Powered by Arm and Hammer is mostly praised for its one hand technology. Because of the step pedal feature, you can hold your baby in one arm as you dispose of the diaper with the other. In order to effectively dispose of the diaper, all you have to do is push the diaper into the opening and into the bag. Once you have done just that, you can then use that same free hand to push the lid closed in order to activate the twisting mechanism that will keep the bag tight and odors out of the air.
Sometimes, you will need to use some force to get the diapers into the bag. Some parents are unhappy about that because that means your hand will go past the opening and into the bag with all of the dirty diapers. It may be to your benefit to have a pump of hand sanitizer in your nursery if you feel that your hand cleanliness is compromised every time you put a diaper into the diaper pail.
Also, if you do not push the diaper down far enough into the bag, the top of the pail will not close and you will have to really push past your wrist to get everything to push down into the bag.
Another downswing to that is that when you cannot fit any more diapers into the pail, the top will not close, and if your hands are full or if you are rushing out of the nursery, you will have to leave the top of the pail open until you can get around to changing the plastic bag. If the lid of the diaper pail is left open then the odor-eating mechanism of the puck on the underside of the lid is rendered ineffective and you will come home or come back into the nursery with an odor from all of the soiled diapers.
Sometimes, you will need to use some force to get the diapers into the bag. Some parents are unhappy about that because that means your hand will go past the opening and into the bag with all of the dirty diapers. It may be to your benefit to have a pump of hand sanitizer in your nursery if you feel that your hand cleanliness is compromised every time you put a diaper into the diaper pail.
Also, if you do not push the diaper down far enough into the bag, the top of the pail will not close and you will have to really push past your wrist to get everything to push down into the bag.
Another downswing to that is that when you cannot fit any more diapers into the pail, the top will not close, and if your hands are full or if you are rushing out of the nursery, you will have to leave the top of the pail open until you can get around to changing the plastic bag. If the lid of the diaper pail is left open then the odor-eating mechanism of the puck on the underside of the lid is rendered ineffective and you will come home or come back into the nursery with an odor from all of the soiled diapers.
Changing the Bag
Changing the bag of the Munchkin Step Diaper Pail Powered by Arm and Hammer can either be difficult or it can be easy depending on what type of bag you use and how effective your bag changing skills have developed. The diaper pail works with both ring bags and snap and toss bags.
For snap and toss bags, you simply snap the hard plastic ring into the opening of the pail and you dangle the bag into the bottom of the pail. To effectively see that the bag and snap ring are in place, you can open the front of the pail by a swing door. That way you can see inside of the pail and this way you can also change out the bag. With the snap and toss bag, when the bag is full of soiled diapers, you can unsnap the ring and fold it allowing the ring and bag to fall into the pail. When you open the pail, you can pull the bag out of the pail, snap the folded ring together tight and closed, and then you can toss the bag away with the rest of your garbage. You can then take another bag and snap it back into place for the next round of dirty diapers.
For the ring bags, Arm and Hammer makes a lavender scented set of bags that go along with the puck that is located under the lid of the pail. For the ring bags, you place the ring in the opening of the pail and then you pull down the first bag into the pail. Tie a knot on the bottom of the bag and then you are good to go. The purpose of tying the knot on the bottom of the bag is to make a sort of cone-like shape to the bag so that as the diapers hit the bottom of the bag, they will pull on the bag and pull it tight so that when the lid of the pail is closed, the twisting mechanism will tighten the bag as tight as possible without any leftover slack that may allow odors to seep out of the pail.
When the bag is full, open the front of the pail by the hinged door. Reach in and grab the top of the bag and pull down to pull out the next bag. Wrap the top of the bag around the ring cutter located under the opening of the pail and separate the two bags. It’s the same perforated edge system found on the produce bags in the supermarket.
When the two bags have been separated, take out the full bag and tie it shut and then toss it out with your garbage. To get the new bag going, pull the bag all the way down until it touches the bottom of the pail and then some. Tie a knot on the bottom of the bag in order to give it that cone-like shape again, and then you are good to go. Close the door and close the lid and then the bag is ready for the next round of dirty diapers.
For snap and toss bags, you simply snap the hard plastic ring into the opening of the pail and you dangle the bag into the bottom of the pail. To effectively see that the bag and snap ring are in place, you can open the front of the pail by a swing door. That way you can see inside of the pail and this way you can also change out the bag. With the snap and toss bag, when the bag is full of soiled diapers, you can unsnap the ring and fold it allowing the ring and bag to fall into the pail. When you open the pail, you can pull the bag out of the pail, snap the folded ring together tight and closed, and then you can toss the bag away with the rest of your garbage. You can then take another bag and snap it back into place for the next round of dirty diapers.
For the ring bags, Arm and Hammer makes a lavender scented set of bags that go along with the puck that is located under the lid of the pail. For the ring bags, you place the ring in the opening of the pail and then you pull down the first bag into the pail. Tie a knot on the bottom of the bag and then you are good to go. The purpose of tying the knot on the bottom of the bag is to make a sort of cone-like shape to the bag so that as the diapers hit the bottom of the bag, they will pull on the bag and pull it tight so that when the lid of the pail is closed, the twisting mechanism will tighten the bag as tight as possible without any leftover slack that may allow odors to seep out of the pail.
When the bag is full, open the front of the pail by the hinged door. Reach in and grab the top of the bag and pull down to pull out the next bag. Wrap the top of the bag around the ring cutter located under the opening of the pail and separate the two bags. It’s the same perforated edge system found on the produce bags in the supermarket.
When the two bags have been separated, take out the full bag and tie it shut and then toss it out with your garbage. To get the new bag going, pull the bag all the way down until it touches the bottom of the pail and then some. Tie a knot on the bottom of the bag in order to give it that cone-like shape again, and then you are good to go. Close the door and close the lid and then the bag is ready for the next round of dirty diapers.
The Arm and Hammer Puck
The Arm and Hammer puck that is located under the lid of the pail fits perfectly into the bag opening. The puck will absorb any orders that may seep from the closed bag. The puck, however, does not last forever and after some time will need to be changed. Some parents have found that the puck needs to be changed quite often as there are plenty of odors for it to absorb. Refills for the puck must be purchased by you, so it may be to your benefit to purchase the pucks in bulk if available or it may be beneficial to buy a few at a time so that you can always have one on hand in the event that the puck has come to the end of its life. The puck is fit for and designed for Arm and Hammer pucks, so other alternative odor eliminating pucks may not fit into the Arm and Hammer puck holder.
The Ring Bags
The ring bags that work best with the Munchkin Step Diaper Pail Powered by Arm and Hammer are made by the Arm and Hammer brand. The rings will have to be changed often as you will be changing a lot of diapers in the first few weeks of your baby’s life, and you can easily go through an entire ring of bags before you know it. Just like the pucks, the bags are scented by the Arm and Hammer company with the lavender scent to match the puck. Also like the pucks, it may serve you to buy the bags in bulk or buy several at a time. One other aspect of the pail that gave parents some pause was the fact that the bags need to be replaced quite often, so having plenty of bags on hand will save you time in the long run although it will not save you any money.
Price
The price of the Munchkin Step Diaper Pail Powered by Arm and Hammer is not the cheapest diaper pail on the market; however, it is not expensive either. The pail falls in line with the price of a lot of baby products like strollers and jumpers and you get the same benefits out of it as you would other baby products at this price level. The pail offers convenience and saves time at the most necessary moments. The only thing that gets pricey with this diaper pail is that the bags and the pucks must constantly be replaced. It’s the upkeep of the diaper pail that starts to hit you in the wallet. Many parents have turned a blind eye to spending the extra money for the supplies because the benefits of the pail outweigh the negatives. If you can shop around online or in your neighborhood for deals on some of these products, many parents feel it is worth it to be able to have the pail as part of your daily routine because it really does help when you have to change a lot of dirty diapers.
Conclusion
The Munchkin Step Diaper Pail Powered by Arm and Hammer is highly praised by parents who pride themselves on a clean and odor free home even though they have children. The pail looks pleasing and is easy to use. The pail even comes with a childproof button that when pressed prohibits your child from being able to open the lid and allow the odor of the diapers to escape. Although the upkeep of the pail can be expensive since you will have to constantly change the plastic bag and the odor absorbing puck, the pail itself makes disposing of your baby’s diaper easy as all you need is one free hand to throw the diaper away. You can be holding your child during the entire disposal process. Priced middle of the road for baby products of this kind, the Munchkin Step Diaper Pail is a great buy for a parent with one baby or even more than one as the lingering smell of soiled diapers is the last thing that any parent needs.
