Babies. Everyone loves them but gosh they make a mess. A newborn baby averages twelve nappies a day; a one year old isn’t doing much better. Throwing these used nappies in the bin is an option, but it’s an unattractive one – firstly because of the smell, and secondly because if there are dogs or older children around, you can guarantee one inquisitive bod is going to tip it over.

Nappy disposal units would appear to be the most sensible option for getting rid of used nappies. But where to start – there are so many to choose from; bins for cloth nappies, bins for disposable nappies, bins with locks, without locks, with foot pedals, scented... unscented... The list is seemingly endless.

The most obvious place from which to begin, when looking for nappy disposal bins, is to look at the type of nappy you are using. If you’re using a cloth nappy, the main purpose of the nappy bin is to store the nappy without emitting any smells, in between washes. If this is what you’re thinking of, then the bin probably doesn’t need to be very big, because washes will have to be done on a near daily basis. If, on the other hand, you’re using disposable nappies then the bin needs to be larger, and able to cope with a greater number of nappies without emitting any smells.

Smells are prevented by the sanitising liquids and deodorants that are built into the nappy disposal units. If you’re using cloth nappies, you may want to check what detergent and sanitary product is being used in case it could potentially irritate your baby’s bottom. For disposable nappies, this is less of a concern, but then, because the bin is bigger, the issue of storage is more of a problem. In the bathroom would be ideal, so you can pop the nappy straight in after removing it, but do you really want to look at a big plastic bin whilst you’re having a bath?

Once you’ve decided on the type of nappy disposal unit you want, the best thing to do is to talk to other parents who also use one and find out their personal views. Retailer and manufacturer recommendations are all well and good, but at the end of the day it’s the mums and dads next door who are going to be using them and can give you the really good advice.