How to Apply Snaps to Babies' Pants

Save time by adding snaps to baby's pants.

Wrestling clothes on and off a baby multiple times a day is tiresome. Baby pants and overalls are cumbersome to put on a small baby or toddler. Purchasing pants with legs that snap open is best. The snaps allow you to put on the pants without worrying about the baby's legs going in the right leg hole; you just slip it on and snap it up. Diaper changes become so much easier with pants that snap. However, some baby clothes do not come with snaps. Vintage baby clothes are often more durable but do not have the modern snap leg design. Do not pass on acquiring these cute clothes because they do not have snaps. Add them yourself at home with a sewing machine.

Things You'll Need

• Baby pants
• Seam ripper
• Tape measure
• Pins
• Iron
• Sewing machine
• Thread
• Snap tape

Instructions

1. Turn the baby pants inside out.

2. Open up the seams in the inseam with the seam ripper. Start at the hem of the pants on the inside of the right leg. Rip the seams up to the crotch.

3. Rip out the stitches in the crotch of the pants with the seam ripper.

4. Open the inner seam of the other leg. Start at the hem of the pants on the inside of the left leg. Rip the seams up to the crotch. The pants should be open completely like a skirt.

5. Turn the fabric on each side of the legs and the crotch under 1/4-inch. Pin the fabric down and press with an iron.

6. Measure the amount of snap tape you will need for your pants. You will need one continuous piece that runs from ankle to ankle. Keep the snap tape pieces (male and female) together when you are measuring.

7. Lay the pants on a flat surface with the front of the pants facing up. Your pants should still be turned inside out.

8. Separate your snap tape. Lay the female side (the side the snap fits into) to the side.

9. Remove the pins from the pants.

10. Pin the male snap tape to the edge of the fabric. The outer edge of the tape should line up with the outer edge of the hem you pressed down.

11. Pin the female snap tape to the edge of the fabric. The outer edge of the tape should line up with the outer edge of the hem you pressed down.

12. Check to see if the snaps line up on the front and back of the inside of the legs. They will need to be exact or the pants will bunch.

13. Sew the tape in place with a straight stitch on your sewing machine. Backstitch at the beginning and end of each side of the legs. The pants should still be inside out when you are sewing.

14. Remove the pins and turn the pants back to the right way.

References

• Craft; Baby Pants Snap Mod; Arwen O'Reilly Griffith; November, 2009
• Project: Project; Snap Tape Tutorial; August 12, 2010