When it comes to diaper pails, there’s no shortage of choices. This can mean that putting the right pail on your registry can be very difficult. There are perennial favorites like the Diaper Genie, which is one of the most popular diaper pails on the market. However, many of the popular options are made of plastic. In our home, we decided to go with another option: The Ubbi Steel Diaper pail.

First Impressions

First of all, we need to talk about our experience ordering this diaper pail. Our experience was not the best. We decided that the easiest thing to do was to add the diaper pail to our registry and have it shipped from Amazon. Now we’ve never had an issue with shipping items from Amazon, so we thought nothing of having the pail shipped instead of going to a store to physically pick it up. On top of that, with all of the COVID restrictions, low stock and social distancing requirements it seemed safer to order the pail online. However, we hit a few snags during the ordering process. The first pail the warehouse sent was the wrong color. Not a huge deal, but a bit of an annoyance. The second pail we received (in the right color), looked like it had been run over by a forklift. Now on our third (and final try) the diaper pail came in (mostly) good shape, with a few dings in it, but nothing major. So my recommendation is that if you’re going to go with this diaper pail, buy it in-store and take it home yourself.

construction

Aside from the shipping disasters, the Ubbi Diaper Pail seems very well constructed. Unlike most other diaper pails on the market, its body is made of stainless steel instead of plastic which keeps it from absorbing smells and makes it easier to clean and maintain. The pail has a sliding lid that’s just big enough to fit a rolled up diaper. This sliding lid also includes a child-lock mechanism so that you can keep your little one from getting into the unit on their own.

Open the the full lid and inside the Ubbi Steel Diaper pail you’ll find a system of rubber gaskets that help lock in odors and keep the entire unit securely sealed. This isn’t such a big deal with your little one is young, but as they get older and start eating solid foods, an odor-proof lid system is an absolute must. Finally, the base and hinges all feel very sturdy and well-constructed and should last through multiple kids without any issues.

function + Economy

This is where the Ubbi Steel Diaper Pail really shines. The lids all slide smoothly and feel great. As an added bonus the larger lid (used to empty the pail) has a soft-close feature that will keep little ones from pinching their fingers if they happen to get their hands in the way while you’re emptying the pail. Now perhaps the biggest advantage to buying this diaper pail over others is the fact that you aren’t buying into a diaper pail system. With pails like the Diaper Genie you’re required to purchase special bags directly from them or their authorized retailers. These bag refills can run anywhere between $14-$20 for a few months supply. Now this might not sound like much, but over time this can result in hundreds of dollars in additional costs on top of the cost of the pail itself. The Ubbi Steel Diaper pail however doesn’t require any special bags so you can just use regular garbage bags that you already have at home if you like. In our case, we purchase our garbage bags in bulk at Costco to keep our cost low and they work perfectly in the Ubbi Steel Diaper pail.

final thoughts

With so many choices on the market, the Ubbi Steel Diaper pail comes in with a premium price tag, but while it’s more expensive than most of its competitors, it doesn’t lock you into a specific bag system that will have you spending additional money for years to come. The overall construction and simplicity of this diaper pail is what makes it really attractive for the design focused (or cost focused) parent who wants a durable, beautiful diaper pail that will last for years to come.

*Disclosure: Bear in mind that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you. I will continue to provide accurate, honest reviews regardless of any commissions or products received.