In Depth Baby Product Reviews Led by a Pediatrician

Skip Hop Nursery Style Review

This tall and narrow pail is perfect for reducing smells in a small nursery
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Skip Hop Nursery Style Review (The top part of the Nursery Style has both a trap door diaper deposit and a removable accessories tray.)
The top part of the Nursery Style has both a trap door diaper deposit and a removable accessories tray.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Price:  $85 List
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Manufacturer:   Skip Hop
By Abriah Wofford ⋅ Senior Research Analyst  ⋅  May 6, 2021
73
OVERALL
SCORE
  • Odor Control - 60% 8.0
  • Ease of Diaper Disposal - 25% 5.0
  • Ease of Bag Change - 15% 8.0

Our Verdict

The Skip Hop Nursery Style is a steel-bodied diaper pail with one of the smallest footprints in our review. However, thanks to its height, it still can hold just as many diapers as some of the larger options in our review. The plastic lid has a lidded compartment with a trap door at the bottom that helps keep in the smell during each diaper deposit. There is even an additional bucket-style compartment that is perfect for storing wipes, diapers, and creams. The Skip Hop is a space-saving option that is a perfect dirty diaper receptacle for smaller nurseries. See it ranked against other top products in our article on the best diaper pails.
REASONS TO BUY
Compact
Low-odor
Steel body
REASONS TO AVOID
Lid doesn't always latch
Small opening

Our Analysis and Test Results

Skip Hop's debut product was the Duo Diaper Bag, designed in 2003 by parents Michael and Ellen Diamant. Unsatisfied with the bag options they could find at the time, Ellen designed something tailored to her needs as a mom. From there, the company expanded into producing many baby essentials with a core philosophy of “Must-Haves Made Better.” Skip Hop has been a part of the Carter's conglomerate since 2017.

Performance Comparison


skip hop nursery style - the top part of the nursery style has both a trap door diaper...
The top part of the Nursery Style has both a trap door diaper deposit and a removable accessories tray.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Likes


The Skip Hop Nursery Style is an innovative pail that offers many attractive features for smaller nurseries. It is one of the narrowest pails in our review, with a width of only 8.5". At this size, it will easily slip into tight spaces between walls, dressers, or cribs that would be too small for many other pails. The above-average height provides great diaper capacity to make up for the narrow profile. If you are short on storage space, the removable compartment on top of the pail can be used for extra diapers and creams. The unassuming grey color blends with most nursery decor.

The lid compartment is large enough for one diaper at a time.
The lid compartment is large enough for one diaper at a time.
The Skip Hop Nursery Style has a button that opens a trap door for...
The Skip Hop Nursery Style has a button that opens a trap door for stink-free diaper deposits.

We found the Nursery Style to be one of the top diaper pails for holding in the stink. The steel body of the pail is durable and does not retain odors over time. The deposit style is unique amongst the pails we tested, and we admire the innovative thinking behind it. There is a small lidded compartment where you place the dirty diaper. You then seal the lid shut, and press a button to open the trap door at the compartment's bottom. A small plastic window allows you to watch the diaper fall into the main chamber without releasing all the inside smells. We appreciate this process for its maximum odor containment and found that we had some of the least smelly diaper deposits while using the Skip Hop. It also creates a double seal that helps reduce odor even when you are not tossing diapers.

Once the lid of the Skip Hop Nursery Style is open, there is no way...
Once the lid of the Skip Hop Nursery Style is open, there is no way of stopping the smell.
The Skip Hop Nursery Style has an inner plastic ring that holds bags...
The Skip Hop Nursery Style has an inner plastic ring that holds bags in place.

There are many ease-of-use components that we like about this diaper pail. First, it has a lid lock that can help keep curious toddlers (and their toys) out of the pail. We also love that it uses regular trash bags, as opposed to requiring a proprietary bag system. This will help you save a bucket of cash over time, and it will be much easier to find refills at your local grocery store without having to order online. Changing the bag is a simple process, requiring you to undo the lid latch and remove the bag from an inner plastic ring. However, during this process, the entire lid opens right up to the open bag, and you are hit with a blast of week-old diaper stench.

skip hop nursery style - a simple sliding tab locks the lid of the skip hop.
A simple sliding tab locks the lid of the Skip Hop.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Dislikes


We love this diaper pail.. when it works. However, we, and many other users, found the trap door opening to be very small. If the used diaper is not heavy enough or not wrapped tightly enough, it will not fall through to the main bin. If this is the case, you will have to give it a manual push. This is disappointing as one of the most attractive aspects of the Skip Hop pail is the hands-free deposit method. Some users also complain that the pressure required to unlatch the lid is a bit excessive. However, we did not feel that it was too hard and almost prefer it because it is more difficult for little hands to open. Because there are many moving parts and latches in the lid of this pail, the upper portion may not be as durable as the steel body. Parts may not function as smoothly over the long term.

skip hop nursery style - the storage bucket must be removed from the top of the lid before...
The storage bucket must be removed from the top of the lid before each bag change.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Conclusion


The Skip Hop Nursery style is a diaper pail that does its job well. While it is more expensive than some other pails in our review, the use of regular trash bags reduces the lifetime cost by and bundle, and you end up spending less in the long run. With minimal smell and space-optimizing organizational features, we think it is perfect for parents with small nurseries or those who simply don't want to take up a lot of space with a large garish diaper pail.

Abriah Wofford
 

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