How to Replace a KAM Snap on Your Cloth Nappy (A 10 Minute Fix)

You are getting your little one dressed, you go to do up the nappy, and one of the snaps just spins. Or the cap has cracked. Or a socket has popped clean off and disappeared into the washing machine forever.

Take a breath. This is not a dead nappy.

A broken snap is one of the most repairable things that can happen to a modern cloth nappy, and it is genuinely a ten minute job at your kitchen table. Once you have the tool, you can fix every snap on every nappy, wet bag, training undie and swim nappy you own, for years. It costs less than a single new nappy.

Here is exactly how to do it.

First things first: check your warranty

Before you reach for the pliers, check whether we should be fixing this for you.

If your snap has failed within the warranty period and it is a manufacturing fault rather than wear and tear, that is on us, not you. Send a photo to our team and we will sort it out.

Repair it yourself if:

• The nappy is out of warranty
• The damage came from a snag, a rogue zip in the wash, or an enthusiastic toddler
• You want the nappy back in rotation today rather than a few weeks
  

Contact us first if:

• The nappy is still within warranty
• Multiple snaps have failed on the same nappy
  

A quick email costs you nothing. If it turns out to be a DIY job, this guide will still be here.

What size snaps do Mimi & Co products use?

All Mimi & Co products use size 20 snaps, also sold as T5 snaps. The two names mean the same thing. A size 20 cap measures about 12.4mm across, which is the standard for modern cloth nappies worldwide.

You will see them called a few different things on packaging:

• Size 20
• T5
• 12.4mm
• 1/2 inch cap

They are all the same snap. If a pack says any of those, you are in the right place. If it says size 16, T3 or 10mm, put it back, those are too small.

The three pieces (and which one you actually need)

Every finished snap on your nappy is made of two parts joined through the fabric:

1. The cap. The pretty domed piece you can see on the outside. It has a hollow prong sticking out the back that pushes through the fabric.
2. The socket. The female half, with a small dimple or hole in the middle. This is the piece the stud clicks into.
3. The stud. The male half, with a raised bump. This is the piece that clicks into the socket.

So one snap on your nappy is either cap + socket or cap + stud.

Here is the golden rule that saves everyone: look at the snap that the missing snap clips into, it'll be the opposite one you need.

What you need to buy

Two things: the snaps, and the pliers to set them. Most people buy them together as a starter kit, which works out cheaper.

You do not need genuine KAM brand snaps. Any size 20 / T5 plastic resin snap is made to the same dimensions and will fit and function identically.

Option 1: Amazon Australia (easiest, best value)

A starter kit with pliers plus a few hundred snaps in assorted colours is the best buy for most families, because you will never need to order again.

• Snap Fastener Kit, 408 sets of T5 plastic snaps with pliers and installation tools, 24 colours
• 640 piece T5 plastic snaps fastener kit with pliers, 15 colours
• T5 size 20 plastic snaps press stud and plier kit

Already own pliers? Buy snaps on their own:

• 100 sets of size 20 T5 plastic resin press studs in black

If a listing has sold out, this search for T5 size 20 snap kits will show you what is currently in stock. Check the listing says T5, size 20 or 12.4mm before you order.

Option 2: Spotlight (buy it today, in person)

If you would rather not wait for delivery, Spotlight stocks plastic snaps and snap pliers in the haberdashery section.

• Press studs and snap fasteners
• Fastener tools, including snap pliers
• Timber & Thread Snap Fast Plastic Plier Set
• Timber & Thread Plastic Snap Fast Kit

One thing to watch: Spotlight's range varies between stores and their packaging does not always shout the size. Turn the pack over and check it says T5, size 20 or 12.4mm before you buy. Also make sure you are buying pliers made for plastic resin snaps, not metal press studs, as the dies are different.

Option 3: An Australian specialist

If you want genuine KAM branded snaps in a specific colour to match your nappy exactly, Snaps Australia carries the full KAM plastic range locally.

How to replace a KAM snap, step by step

Set aside ten minutes and work at a table with good light.

Step 1: Photograph the row first

Before you touch anything, take a photo of the snap and its neighbours. You want a record of whether it is a socket or a stud, which way the cap faces, and where it sits in the row. Ninety percent of snap repair mistakes happen because someone guessed.

Step 2: Remove the broken snap

You are separating the socket or stud from the cap prong that holds it.

Slide the tip of a flathead screwdriver, a seam ripper or a snap removal tool between the fabric and the underside of the socket or stud. Twist gently and lever it upward. It will pop off, sometimes with a crack, which is completely normal since you are destroying a part you are throwing away anyway.

With that half gone, push the cap out from the back. The prong will slide back through the hole it originally made.

If it will not budge, snip the very top off the domed cap with small side cutters or nail clippers, then push the remains through. Go slowly and keep the blades away from the fabric.

Do not yank at it with big pliers. The fabric will tear long before the snap gives up.

Step 3: Check the hole

Look at the hole left behind. It should be small and neat, roughly the diameter of a pin.

If the fabric has frayed or the hole has stretched wider than the prong, do not set a new snap there. On a waterproof PUL layer, an oversized hole will leak. Send us a photo instead and we will advise whether it can be saved.

Step 4: Load the pliers

Your pliers came with two or more small dies, the little discs that push into each jaw.

• The concave or rubber die goes on the side that will sit against the domed cap. It cradles the dome so it does not get flattened.
• The flat die goes on the side that will press the socket or stud.

Getting these the wrong way round is the single most common mistake. It squashes the cap and the snap will not close properly.

Step 5: Push the cap through

Push the cap's prong through the existing hole from the outside of the item, so the pretty dome finishes on the visible side. The prong should now be poking out the inside.

Wiggle it until it sits flat. No fabric folds, no twisted layers.

Step 6: Add the socket or stud

Drop the matching piece over the prong, checking your photo from step 1.

• Socket: the dimpled side faces away from the fabric, so it can receive the stud.
• Stud: the raised bump faces away from the fabric, so it can click into a socket.

If it faces the wrong way, the snap physically cannot do up. It happens to everyone once.

Step 7: Squeeze and hold

Line the assembled snap up in the pliers, cap in the concave die, socket or stud in the flat die. Check that the pliers are square to the fabric, not on an angle.

Squeeze firmly and hold for a full three to five seconds. Do not tap or pump. That steady pressure is what melts the prong tip out into a mushroom shape that locks the two halves together.

Step 8: Test it properly

Give the new snap a solid tug in every direction. Try to twist it. It should not spin, wobble or lift.

If it spins, it is not set hard enough. Put it back in the pliers and squeeze again for another five seconds.

If it still spins after a second go, remove it and start again with a fresh snap. Do not leave a loose snap on anything your child wears. A snap that comes off in use is a choking hazard, and this is the one step in this guide you should never rush.

Then do it up and undo it a few times. It should feel exactly like its neighbours.

Five mistakes to avoid

Buying the wrong size. Size 16 or T3 snaps are common in craft aisles and they will not fit our products. Size 20 or T5 only.

Setting the snap on an angle. Crooked pliers means uneven pressure, and one side of the prong will not lock. Square up before you squeeze.

Squeezing too briefly. A quick pinch feels like enough. It is not. Count to five.

Making a new hole instead of reusing the old one. Every extra hole in a PUL layer is a potential leak. Always reuse the original hole where you can.

Skipping the tug test. Sixty seconds of checking prevents the one outcome nobody wants.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to use genuine KAM snaps? No. Size 20 and T5 are industry standard dimensions, so any plastic resin snap sold in that size will fit and work the same way. Genuine KAM is only worth chasing if you want a specific colour match.

Can I use metal press studs instead? Please do not. Metal press studs need different tools, they can corrode in a nappy wash routine, and they are harsh against skin. Plastic resin snaps are used on cloth nappies for good reason.

My prong will not reach through all the layers. You have hit a thick spot, usually where several layers and the elastic meet. Buy long prong size 20 snaps, sold alongside the standard ones, which are made for exactly this.

Can I change the colour while I am at it? Absolutely. Plenty of parents deliberately mismatch their repairs, and a rainbow of odd snaps on a well-used nappy is a badge of honour rather than a flaw.

Will replacing a snap void my warranty? Modifying a product yourself can affect a warranty assessment, which is why it is worth emailing us first if you think the fault might be ours. Once you are outside warranty, repair away.

Can I do this on training undies and wet bags too? Yes. Everything we make uses size 20 snaps, so the same tool and the same technique work across the whole range.

One tool, years of repairs

The reason we happily walk parents through this rather than pushing a replacement is simple. A reusable product should be repairable. That is most of the point.

A set of pliers and a bag of size 20 snaps sits in a drawer costing you nothing, and every time a snap gives out over the next few years you fix it in ten minutes instead of retiring a perfectly good nappy. That is thousands of nappies kept out of landfill by parents with a $20 tool.

Still stuck, or not sure whether it is a repair or a warranty claim? Send us a photo. We would much rather help you save the nappy.

Shop Mimi® Cloth Nappies