Munchkin Step Diaper Pail Review

The Munchkin Step Diaper Pail is probably one of the highest-rated diaper pails currently available on the market and with good reason!

Read on to find out what we thought about it and for a thorough review, as well as a handy FAQ guide with all you need to know about the Munchkin Step Diaper Pail.


This Munchkin Step Diaper Pail is a step-powered hands-free design for storing your used diapers. You can store them in your nursery before emptying them either into your trash on bin day or into your washing machine if you are using cloth diapers.

It’s an award-winning design to keep nasty smells out of your house when dealing with diaper changes. It is a reasonably expensive model but wins out with its odor-busting design. 

Pros:

  • If you are using cloth diapers, you can store them here as well! No need for that nasty chemical liquid smell that is often associated with storing cloth diapers whilst you wait for a full enough load for the washing machine!
  • Comes with an in-built puck of Arm and Hammer baking soda to help neutralize odor and keep your home smelling fresh
  • Lavender scented so you don’t get hit with a chemical waft every time you open it
  • The spout and the self-sealing system keep smells locked inside when you open it up
  • Different attachments to enhance your experience, including Arm and Hammer Snap, Seal and Toss bags, Arm and Hammer refill rings to keep smells neutralized, and Toss Disposable Diaper Bag
  • Opens with a foot pedal which is incredibly useful when your hands are busy handling baby!
  • Compared to some other Diaper Pails such as the Diaper Genie Elite, it’s a really reasonable price
  • Award winner for best containment of smells from a diaper pail by Good Housekeeping! Which is really the only thing you need to know…
  • The pail comes with five bags included and has options to buy more with your purchase
  • Made from plastic and super easy to clean- both inside and out

Cons:

  • You have to buy the specific branded bags for maximum efficiency, and these can become quite pricey, especially if you are changing them often
  • Because the Arm and Hammer bags are relatively big, it can be easy to overfill the diaper trash bags- this can mean that you end up having to ‘squish’ your diapers, which is the last thing you want when in the middle of a diaper change!
  • To avoid having to squeeze your diapers through the relatively small chute, be sure to wrap up or fold over your diapers before pushing them into your Munchkin Pail
  •  Requires you to push the diaper through the ‘teeth’ in the hole, which is a bit more effort but is also why it is so good at containing smells
  • Loud opening and close when you release the lid

Frequently Asked Questions

Below is a handy list of FAQs around diaper pails, the Munchkin Diaper Pail, and how useful they are. Read on to have your questions answered!

Munchkin Step Diaper Pail Review

Why Use A Diaper Pail?

It’s true that you don’t necessarily need a diaper pail in your nursery, you can simply use a good trash bin to empty your diaper waste into. However, you may find that unless you are directly dumping your diaper waste into an outdoor bin every hour or so, the smell of baby waste might start seeping out of your trash and into your home.

Anyone who has dealt with babies and the frequency of diaper changes will attest that the smell can get quite intense, quicker than you might imagine. 

What Makes the Munchkin Step Diaper Pail Special?

There are tonnes of different diaper pails and they all do basically the same thing. What makes the Munchkin special is the odor neutralizing baking soda puck, the lavender scent, and the tight-fitting seal.

These features along with gripping teeth to push through your soiled diapers, large heavy-duty bags for storing lots of diapers, and large size make it a convenient and useful investment for your baby’s changing routine. 

Do Diaper Pails Stop Smells Escaping?

Yes, for the most part. If you are using it pretty often and find yourself opening and closing it a lot, you will probably find a poo-y waft every once in a while, it’s just going to happen.

But compared to emptying into a kitchen or regular bin that only gets emptied once a week, it really does make a big difference.

Overall Thoughts

Some find it pretty loud to open and close during nighttime changes, and a few parents really did not enjoy having to push through the diapers rather than simply dropping them in.

This, it seems, is the price you pay for a diaper pail that really locks in any yucky odors. So it is up to you what you think is the most important feature to go for. In terms of doing what it says and locking in odor, it gets a full thumbs up!

Having loads of useful features and the odor-neutralizing action of baking soda and lavender really packs a punch with this product. 

Click here to have a browse of other Munchkin products available and here to purchase the Munchkin Step Diaper Pail.  

Stephanie Creek