Diaper Closure Choices

Information on Diaper Closure Systems:

Cloth diapers don't come with the little sticky tabs that disposables have, so you gotta' have some way to hold those babies on your baby. Some options include diaper fasteners, ranging from the good-old safety pins to snappi (TM) and boingo (TM). Other diapers come with closures on them: velcro/aplix and snaps are most common, though you can also find some that tie on or even button on.

If you are comfortable using pins or snappis than I would definately recommend getting diapers without closures when possible. You get much greater sizing flexibility since you can fold down the rise to exactly where you need it and close them at the waist exactly where the best fit is. They are also cheaper that way and that makes some reversible, so you get two looks for the price of one.

However, if someone other than you (hubby, grandparents, daycare) will be changing many of the diapers, you will want to be sure they are ok with pins or snappis too, most prefer velcro or snaps. Or if you have arthritis or some other difficulty with your hands or fingers, or you find your baby too wiggly for a good fit that way, you might prefer something with closures built in.

Velcro works just like disposables so it is very familiar to people, and it does allow more accurate waist adjustment than snaps since you can adjust it infinitesimally. However, it wears out over time (generally 12-18 months) and has to be removed and replaced. It also has a tendency to snag on EVERYTHING in the laundry, even WITH fold-back laundry tabs the velcro still finds ways to grab things at the edges. Snaps will outlast the fabric and are attractive, but do limit sizing flexibility somewhat since they adjust incrementally.