Alternatives to diaper pins?

As the progression of my needs for wearing protection continue to become,,, challenging(?)...
I've been doing my shift from disposables (for wearing at home), to cloth.
My problem is the growing loss of muscle control/ability to manage my fine motor skills with my hands/fingers, makes trying to use regular styled diaper pins an effort in futility, or at the very least, a lesson in self-harm.

Anyone have any advice on alternative ways of fastening cloth diapers, that doesn't require poking holes in myself and bleeding all over the damn place?

B.

Boingos or Snappi fasteners. Both are available from Changing Times Diaper Co.
I use the Boingos with my prefolds everynight.

for when i want to use cloth diapers i will usually use Boingo diaper fasteners. they look small but actually stretch pretty good to hold a diaper on and can be attached with one hand if needed. you can get them just about anywhere including eBay but here is a link for a set. http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/boingo-diaper-fastener.html I would recommend getting at least 2 sets for an adult cloth diaper as it gives you 2 fasten points on each side vs the 1 like baby diapers which should allow a better fit.
These should reduce the possibility of hurting yourself as they do not use a single sharp point like pins but a bunch of smaller teeth to grip onto the cloth material.

Boingos are my favorite pin alternative--although I do still prefer pins. I've never found it necessary or even helpful to use two of any fastener on each side, but I suspect body shape plays a big role in how each of us chooses to fasten our diapers. The trouble with Boingos is that, if your diaper does loosen at all, and if the Boingos aren't hugged against the diaper fabric by a close-fitting cover or by your outer clothing, they'll pop loose. When you're standing, gravity helps keep your diaper taut at the waist, and so the Boingos stay in place. When you lie down, though, the waist of your diaper is very likely to loosen, especially if you've been wearing it a while or if it's wet. Babies generally wear PUL covers, which work to hold the Boingos against their diapers. Adults mainly use the baggier pull-on plastic pants, and those are a bit Boingo-unfriendly.

I don't like Snappis at all. They probably work ok if you're very small, but otherwise...no. The span of the outer claws is not much more than what's needed for a baby's diaper, and that middle claw really can't support the whole crotch area of an adult diaper. You'll find that the edges of the crotch are loose and gappy. And because Snappis put tension down the center line of the crotch area, you'll have more liquid rolling to the sides and escaping the diaper. It's just not a great design. That might not matter as much with close-fitting PUL pants, but with plastic pants it could spell disaster. Some people like to use Snappis one on each side, but that's what Boingos are for. Just get those.

On my phone, so this'll be limited:

See my post,https://www.adisc.org/forum/showthread.php/109359-Cloth-diaper?highlight=pins

I devised the cling-on (with ball-bungee) method with someone like you in mind.
The fiddly bit of that method, fixing the clips to the cloth, can be done before the diapering process, do that you can position yourself for best steadiness and strength of your hands; the actual fitting/closing of the diaper with the ball-bungees is then a case of pulling one bungee over and slipping onto the ball of the opposing bungee. That can be done quite exaggeratedly, so fine control shouldn't be an issue. A pull-through or grabber would also help, to begin the fitting, if needed.
Of course, once the clips are clipped on, you can configure your own way of drawing them together ( you may that the bungee fixing in the photo differs slightly from what I said above)

If your grip is up to it, you could also try the mini-bungees for an even simpler process, albeit with grip issues for the less abled ( I'm working on a solution).

When I read the title of this thread, I got the image of Homer Simpson using a staple gun. :smile:

With cloth diapers it is possible to sew Velcro strips in the joining areas for a multi adjustable diaper fitting.

Diapers should last just as long or longer then those that have diaper pin pricks or a stapled complex and
the best part TSA airport security metal free !

I'd like to thank all of you for taking the time to reply, and for offering your suggestions and shared experiences in the alternatives to normal diaper pins.
Of them all, sewing Velcro fastenings is the single alternative I had already considered, though I have zero experience in operating a sewing machine (though am not against learning, if I can!?). I'm well aware of the sturdiness of Velcro (military and hunting gear), and they'd mesh well with cloth anything.
The 'Hooks/Grapples', are what I'd hoped to see, but to be honest?... What I've reviewed do not look at all to be as sturdy/reliable as I want. The pins are too tiny, for one. As a VERY active 'Sleeper', I already have trouble with the disposables/pull-ups (and now, attempting to use cloth), coming unfastened, which utterly defeats the effort (and cost), of using the damn things in the first place.

Thanks again, and I will continue trying out new ideas and hope to return in the future with some real-life experience in their pros and cons.

B.

You can always sew by hand. I usually do my hand sewing while sitting on the toilet....Oh wait....

Bucephalus said:

My problem is the growing loss of muscle control/ability to manage my fine motor skills with my hands/fingers

Click to expand...

It sounds like you need to get a nurse.

I have tried both Snappi and Boingo fasteners but they didn't work for me, they kept coming off. From my observations I think it's due to me being fat since as I change positions things get looser and tighter. I think they would work better on a skinny person. Of the two the Boingos showed the most promise and I think if they had some with the elastic part about twice as long to allow more elasticity they might work for me.

I like the idea of Velcro and I would have already tried it if I had the resources (such as a place to live with room for a sewing machine). There is a Velcro loop side fabric which can be used to cover the entire front of the diapers, which I think would work best (at least for me).

i use the larger of the two snappi sizes with great luck.

I find with using Boingo's a new set stretches better a week of use. It's been a long time since I had one come off.
Been using them 5 years now.