Snaps or a zip on a baby sleepsuit: which is easier?

The short answer

Snaps are more flexible and a zip is faster. With snaps you can open just the legs for a nappy change and leave your baby’s chest covered, which matters on a cold Lahore or Islamabad night. A zip closes in one pull and can’t be done up out of line, which matters at 3am when you are half asleep. Many parents end up liking both: snaps for newborns who need changing constantly, a zip for older babies who roll away the moment you start.

Where snaps do better

The downside is time. A sleepsuit can have a dozen or more snaps, and it is easy to close them one out of line. Our post on changing a nappy without taking the sleepsuit off has a simple method for that.

• Partial opening: undo the inside-leg snaps only, change the nappy, close them again. The top half stays on.
• A forgiving fit: snaps sit around a bulky nappy more easily than a zip, which runs in one fixed line.
• Nothing stiff down the middle: when a baby sits curled up in your lap or in a car seat, there is no zip track pressing into the tummy.
• One weak snap isn’t the end: the others still hold the sleepsuit closed until you get it fixed.

Where a zip does better

A zip is quick, and quick counts when your baby hates being changed. It lines up by itself, so there are no gaps and no twisted legs. The catch is that most zips run from the neck down to one ankle, so a nappy change means opening most of the suit, unless it has a two-way zip that also opens from the bottom.

Look for a fabric flap, often called a zip guard, at the top, so the end of the zip can’t rub or pinch under your baby’s chin. Pull the zip slowly over the nappy area and hold the fabric away from the skin as you go.

Choosing by age

• 0–3 months: snaps usually suit best. You change newborns often, and keeping the chest covered helps them stay settled.
• 3–12 months: either works. If your baby flips over as soon as you lay them down, a zip saves a few seconds of wrestling.
• 12–24 months: some toddlers learn to unzip themselves at night. If that starts, snaps are harder for small fingers to undo.

What to check on either kind

• Snaps should be firmly set, with no sharp edges, and should not twist or lift when you tug them.
• The fabric around each snap should feel reinforced, not a single thin layer that could tear.
• A zip pull should be firmly attached, and the zip should run smoothly without snagging.
• Check both again every few washes. Small parts that come loose are a choking risk for babies and toddlers.

What our pieces use

Our sleepsuits fasten with snaps. The Sky Blue Teddy & Stars Footed Sleepsuit has front snaps, so you can open it partly or fully. Our hooded jumpsuits, such as the Grey Bear Hooded Jumpsuit, have a full-length zip, which suits a going-out layer you want on and off quickly. Browse all our one-pieces in rompers and sleepsuits, and see our guide to rompers, sleepsuits, jumpsuits and dungarees for what each type is for.

Sources

The point about small parts as a choking risk follows general child safety guidance from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and RoSPA.

Quick answers