Snaps: the magic that makes modern cloth diapers easier and one size! While these beasts can be very difficult to break intentionally (I’ve tried!), every once in a while, you get that one snap in a hundred thousand that is a little odd, broken, or installed incorrectly that requires a repair.
In my case, after almost 2 years of cloth diapering, I finally got a bad snap… on one of my favorite (they’re all my favorite at this point but this one is SO PRETTY!!!) diaper covers after just one wash and use. But after I began cloth diapering, I anticipated this kind of problem in advance and invested in Kam Snap Pliers from Diaper Junction, and she conveniently also sells snaps of different colors for you to also grab the color you need.
for your repair! And better yet, the Kam Snap Pliers are the only tool you’ll need for getting your broken snaps off and new snaps on!
For less than $20, you can get what you need to do your repairs and have snaps left over for the awesome ideas of ways to incorporate snaps around the house! (Look at everything, think snaps, get excited!)
Getting the snap off is a snap! *crickets* Simply hold the snap sideways in the pliers, apply pressure, remove the cap and the whole thing usually falls apart. Sometimes it needs a little help from a butter knife, pliers, or pair of scissors to remove, but it comes off! I don’t recommend squashing it twice with the Kam Snap Pliers because, from personal experience, doing so can force potentially broken pieces into the fabric and create tears/holes. But, honestly, anytime you use any tool, use precaution not to damage the fabric. Usually, when squashed, it doesn’t look like it has come apart which is why I suggest pulling the cap side of the snap. It usually pops right off as opposed to pulling on the male/female side of the snap. Not sure why, but that’s been my experience as well. Also, I don’t recommend using regular pliers for squashing the snaps off considering you can just use the Kam Snap Pliers. They just make the job so much easier; you get so much leverage that you lack with standard pliers.
Of course, then, replacing the snap is also a snap! *crickets leave* Choose a cap and either a female or male snap. Most tabs and the top of the rise need male snaps and all other snaps on a diaper are typically female, but make sure!
Poke your cap through the hole, making certain it’s facing the right way (I’m bad at this, I get all excited and mess up here all the time even though it’s so simple), place your (fe)male piece over the exposed tip, apply the pliers with the cap nestled in the well, and give it a squeeze!
In less than a minute, you can repair your snaps yourself!
Or check out the Kam Snaps website for cute snaps to replace your tab snaps with to customize diapers! (Be wary that you’ll likely void your warranty on the diapers though!) This is a project I may update my post with a picture or seven later to show some cute ideas once I go snap crazy on my older covers. Their shipping costs are very reasonable as well, and my order I placed was processed and shipped same day! They are a quality, affordable company! And no, I’m not getting paid to say that, I just think they’re that awesome!
I cannot recommend trying to save yourself the pennies by ordering generic snaps, though. The one you see pictured in the GIF is generic, and the quality is beyond inferior to name brand. They work in a pinch but are prone to either being too tight, too loose, or just nonfunctional. You will set yourself up for more frustration if you choose generic. Considering you can get specific colors from Kam Snap for just a little more than $2 for a full set of 50, just get the good stuff!
You can watch the YouTube video here for a good visual on the process of removing and replacing snaps!
Unfortunately, if you use GroVia diapers, they use exclusively made snaps. I don’t know of any snaps that you can acquire that are compatible with theirs. If you know of some that do, let me know!
Do you know another easy method of removing snaps? Have any questions? Did this work well for you? Comment below and let me know!
Thanks for reading!
Normalize Cloth 
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