Parents of newborns and toddlers have to deal with many strange circumstances.

-How do you stop babies from screaming at waitresses?
-How do you keep your little one from diving over the couch headfirst to certain doom?
-Most importantly, how do you dispose of those nasty little stink bomb diapers that cover your beloved baby’s bottom?

Two of the most popular diaper disposal systems available are the Diaper Genie II and the Diaper Champ. Having used both of them, there are certain advantages to each system.

The first thing to consider is the ease of use. The entire system of the Diaper Genie II is based on a trap door that opens when you shove a diaper through and closes via a spring system when you remove your hand. For the most part, this keeps the odor in the body of the Diaper Genie. It’s easy to use until the body is full of diapers. Then you’re stuck with a diaper sitting on top waiting for you to replace the full bag with a fresh one. Also, while you’re putting a diaper in, you just might get squirted with baby mess if you’re not careful.

The Diaper Champ uses a ball-shaped lid with a handle that flips over to dispose of the diaper. When the lid is flipped, a piston is pulled down by the force of gravity, depositing the stink into the body of the machine. Until the Diaper Champ starts getting full, this is also fairly easy to use. Occasionally the lid gets stuck and you have to fidget with it to get it working. Also, wipes and diapers sometimes fly out when you’re flipping the lid, since they get trapped between the lid and the body here and there. Nothing like seeing soiled baby wipes drift through the air onto your clean carpet.

Secondly, how well does each machine trap the foul stench of baby poop? The Diaper Genie II combines its trap door system with scented bags, keeping the stink level fairly low. The Diaper Champ doesn’t fare quite as well, as the piston-lid system is far from airtight. Each system needs to be cleaned well between bag changes. Bleach them, spray them with disinfectant and use deodorizer or napalm if you have it. Anything is better than the putrid stench of a disposal system that hasn’t been cleaned for a week.

Thirdly, how cost effective is each system? The bags for the Diaper Genie II get pretty expensive, as they are a proprietary item. You’ll find yourself replacing them quite often. The Diaper Champ uses regular garbage bags, though you may want to invest in scented bags to help with the stench.

Each system has good points and bad points. I’ve had the Diaper Champ a bit longer than I had the Diaper Genie II, and I’m hoping to light it on fire soon. Even with regular cleaning, after a couple filled diapers I dread having to flip the lid. I bought the Diaper Champ after my Diaper Genie Ii completely fell apart. The trap door system disintegrated, which is pretty common from other reviews I’ve read.

Neither is a great system, since they both let out either stink or foul diaper liquids. The best and cheapest way to get rid of those diapers is to take your garbage out every day with the dirty diapers inside. Everything else just delays the inevitable.