I waited a while to try the conversion myself because I was afraid of messing up one of my pristine Softbums. After a little searching I was able to find a used Softbums Echo on the Facebook buy/sell/trade page that needed new elastic and new Aplix...perfect! I ordered new elastic from the Softbums website and waited for my diaper to arrive.
So here is the diaper I received, elastic had zero stretch, Aplix didn't stick at all and the back snap was missing. The PUL was a little pilly also but this shouldn't affect function.
Using a seam ripper, CAREFULLY remove all of the Aplix on both the front of the diaper and the tabs. Be diligent not to poke hols in the PUL! Here is my diaper with all of the Aplix removed.
Next I went about deciding where to place my snaps. I decided that on each front tab there would be 2 snaps. The top snap is 1/2 inch from the top seam and 3/4 inch from the edge. The second snap is a full inch below it. I used a fabric marker (which by the way did not fade on the PUL) to mark where I was going to place my snaps.
Then to make sure that the front tabs had the snaps placed in the same area I folded the front of the diaper so that the tabs lined up with each other. I then used my awl to piece the hole through both layers.
I have KAM snap pliers and I used size 20 KAM snaps. I really wanted to do hot pink but unfortunately I didn't have enough so I went with plain white. You want to place the cap on the outside of the diaper (the PUL side) and a stud on the inside of the diaper. Repeat this process until all 4 studs are set.
I followed the same technique for the back tabs, setting the top snap 1/2 inch from the top and 3/4 inch from the edge and the second snap an inch down from the first. I also repeated the process of aligning the tabs and using my awl to punch holds in both tabs at the same time. Make sure that for this side the snap cap is on the inside of the diaper and the socket on the PUL side. I did 4 rows of snaps (actually I did 3 rows then realized I should replace the elastic and then completed the 4th row). Four rows of snaps on the wings will get you to the same setting as if they met in the front when secured with the Aplix. Once I completed the diaper I threw it in the dryer for a bit to seal up any holes.
Finally here is my 22 month old 21 pound daughter modeling it.
Converting this diaper makes it one of the trimmest diapers I have. I love that the side snapping make the front of the diaper much flatter and smoother and this is a great option for those diaper Houdinis who have figured out how to remove their Aplix. The only downside is that even after a run through the dryer you can still see the holes from where the Aplix was attached. Also because I set my snaps 3/4 inch from the edge, the wings stick out a bit, this can be solved by just moving them over a bit, so I might do 1/2 inch in the future. I probably will not be converting any new Softbums, but I will definitely keep this in mind as my Aplix wears out and needs to be replaced.
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