Snappi Diaper Fasteners
We buy cloth diapers for our baby, as a greener, cheaper and healthier alternative to disposables. Several companies make cloth diapers with snaps or Velcro fasteners, but those can hit $20 apiece or more.
Flat diapers are much cheaper, and can be folded to fit any size baby, but there’s no built-in fastener. The traditional approach used to be safety pins, but it’s a daunting task to pin a diaper without stabbing the baby or yourself with the sharp point.
The Snappi diaper fastener is a rubber elongated “T” with plastic teeth at each of the three ends. The teeth hold the diaper securely, but are too short to go through the diaper and into the baby. Putting the Snappi on is about as easy as using Velcro, and taking it off is even easier. It’s simple to clean and has a lifespan of about six months.
We tried an off-brand version first, and it nearly sent us back to pins -- the teeth wouldn't hold, and the plastic bits that connect the teeth to the stretchable body of the “T” always separated from the rubber. The Snappi brand fasteners never gave us any trouble.
Available from Amazon
Favorite (15)
Tuli
Yes, these are awesome! We were struggling to use cloth diapers all the time until a friend of ours recommended these and they immensely help with the ease of use!
christopher
End your struggle and just buy disposables. Sheesh.
Hazel Edmunds
And I used pins for all four of my kids and never a wounding in sight! I can, however, see that these things are easier.
MarkG
Snappis are pretty amazing. With them diaper changes are faster than using disposables. They do hold extremely securely. After a year or so the rubber bit covering the teeth can start to pull away, but no big deal at $2 a pop. Also, christoper - I switched from cloth to disposables and regretted it. We'll be going back to cloth for our new baby.
elon
I can say—without relish—that I've used this little fastener every day for the past three years: The Snappi does what it's meant to, and well. Now, does anyone want to recommend a toilet training guide in addition to this one?
http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/001050.php
We're a bit late for the Diaper Free approach with our three-year-old, though we have friends who took that route with great success.
Paul
Greener? I was told that the cost of cotton, fertilizer, irrigation, washing, hot water, bleach, etc., cost the environment more. Please, what evidence for greener?
I was also told that it was healthier at night to move the ‘water’ away from my baby and so we used disposables at night and cotton during the day.
Scott
Elon: We used http://www.amazon.com/Toilet-Training-Less-Than-Day/dp/0671693808/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246659807&sr=8-1
It took two days instead of one, and those two days were pretty intense, but then we were done. Much less painful than some friends and relatives who spent months in the process.
Doctor
Folks, I have four children. We used disposables with the first three and decided to try out alternatives with the youngest one. G diapers are useless. With cloth diapers, the kid *never* gets rash (it was a persistent problem with disposables). The money savings is noticeable too. You are *supposed* to wash them in cold water with minimal detergent. These fasteners + flat diapers + covers is one winning combination, Bum Genius is another. Trust me, disposables suck on all accounts except the yuck factor.
Dan
Cloth diapers are not automatically "green":
http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/blogs/organic-parenting/green-eco-diapers-66031101
http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/blogs/organic-parenting/cloth-disposable-diapers-47051103
Tomi
I loved the Snappi. I tried out all sorts of cloth dipes with my son and non compared to flat pre-folds held on with a Snappi. Bravo, Snappi!
I am so sick of this argument about disposables V.S. cloth and which is more "environmental". Disposable diapers are almost NEVER used correctly, in a way that would allow them to be more "environmental". I know of one other mom who actually shakes the poop out of the disposable and into the toilet, per THE INSTRUCTIONS, which is what those studies are based on.
Another argument that just blows my is that cloth diapers need to be changed more often than disposables. Regardless of type, it is unsanitary and unkind to leave your little one in a soggy diaper, though I couldn't being to count how many times I've seen kids wearing bulging, pee-soaked disposable because the parent thinks it's time to change it only when it can no longer absorb urine.
So, in addition to the economical advantages of CORRECTLY laundering pre-fold diapers, you are also limiting your child's exposure to the substances that actually make disposables super-absorbent. Whether or not those substances are actually harmful is something else to debate, and is a major factor in the decision many people choose or switch to cloth.
j fos
the fact that you would jump to conclude that cloth diapers are greener makes me lose respoect for your opinion. you can't just assume they're better than disposables.
in fact, they're less green than disposables b/c of the water and elcetricity used to clean them. and if you use a nappy service it's even worse b/c they wash them mult times before you get them back, incrasing they're carbon footprint exponentially.
on a blog like yours i would expect so much more thought to go behind such an important decision.
no longer bookmarked... sorry dude. read up.
Grumpenstein
Holy cow! So much venom over cloth diapers. The snappi is a great tool, for whatever reason you may choose to cloth diaper your kid. They're simple and effective.
PS: The amount of water used to wash cloth diapers... about one toilet flush per day.
Charndra at Part Time Diaper Free!
Yes, a snappi is useful - easier than pins once you get the knack! I stabbed myself a few times with pins - YOUCH!
The sun sanitizes and 'bleaches' cloth diapers, and actual bleach will reduce their effectiveness and lifespan.
It's quite accepted that cloth uses 40% less resources than disposables - AND that with cloth YOU have more control over your ecological footprint - you can line dry, cold wash and so on. Even doing this SOME of the time is a good idea.
Of course it saves money - and you can gradually buy cloth dipes at the rate you are saving on throw-aways - and then your saving will grow and grow.
What about some diaper free time outside in fine weather> Or giving baby a potty break at each change to reduce the number of diapers needed to use and wash - that's environmentally friendly too.
Elimination Communication is a fun way to gradually reduce your need for diapers - by using one less dipe at a time. Part-time, with diaper backup - very eco-friendly!
Charndra
Google "Part Time Diaper Free!"
http://www.parttimediaperfree.com
Charlie
Diaper wraps seem easier and safer. My kids, even as infants, would have had these things painfully attached to the dog in a fortnight.
If you're wondering about the hateraide towards cloth diapers, well, it's like this: if you feel guilty you look for rationalizations (which are cheerfully supplied by the petro-diaper industry) to make yourself feel less guilty, and for something you can push in the faces of those people who make you feel inferior. A very human thing to do.
Jess
I used cloth & pins for all three of my kids. I never stabbed a baby, (but I did get myself a couple times). When using using pins, people often try to pin through too many layers of diaper. You only need to go through the top two layers for the diaper to stay in place.
Nevertheless, this looks like a cool tool and I certainly would try it if I was still diapering.
Davey
Interesting psychowar going on here over a topic one might have thought was about as innocuous as anything can get. Guilt, like Charlie says? Kneejerk intolerance of "hippies" that fail to buy up every bit of "progress" the corporations market? The Yuk Factor escalated to OCD? Some psych major could turn this thread into the beginnings of a thesis.
bob
Hilarious that the calmly stated dissent from the initial statement that disposables are greener is seen as 'psychowar' and an attack. Unclench, gang. You're living down to a stereotype that harms the 'green' cause far more than you apparently realize.
BTW, my kid uses disposables and has never had a rash. Also, to the person who claims it's appropriate to wash cloth diapers in cold water with little detergent - that's seriously gross. You know that just because they look clean doesn't mean they are clean, don't you?
Rick
These look interesting, and anything to make cloth diapers easier to use is good in my book. My wife and I thought about using cloth diapers, but started off with disposables and just always continued with them (we have 3 children, including one still using regular diapers, and one using pull-up trainers). The difference in convenience is really significant, unless you pay for a service for the diapers. Also, cloth diapers require more work, since they're not as absorbent. My mom used a service for my baby sister when I was about 10 years old, so I know this first-hand. I don't buy the green argument, although I concede it might hold water (no pun intended). You have to admit: they don't help our landfills.
Danny O'Brien
Snappi are great. We used both cloth diapers and disposables, and saw very little difference in convenience or cost (we seemed to get less rashes from cloth, if I remember -- we used disposables mainly when travelling). But snappis definitely helped on the side of making cloth diapers manageable.