You dream of the day when you’ll be able to dress your baby up in cute little outfits. Then, you bring Baby home from the hospital and, after a dozen or so daily diaper changes, you realize that onesies are much better than button-down shirts and tiny pants. But if you’ve ever wondered why onesies have shoulder flaps, you’ll find they’re not a fashion faux pas, but rather a brilliantly practical design.
Shoulder flaps on onesies are one of life’s greatest mysteries—until you become a parent. When Baby has a blowout, you might be filled with fear as you wonder how to get the onesie off without smearing more poop up their back or, worse, across their face.
Enter: the shoulder flaps. These handy envelope folds at the top of the onesie are about to become your best friend. When your baby has poop everywhere, instead of tugging the onesie up and over their head, simply flip the flaps outward and pull the onesie down over their shoulders and off their legs. Voilà! You’ve contained the mess and saved their hair in the process.
When you’re standing there, trying to prevent that gloriously mustard-yellow mess from creeping up and painting Baby’s face, remember: you’re supposed to roll down, not up. The shoulder flaps give you that little extra wiggle room (literally), so no matter how big the blowout, the crap stays mostly contained. And if it does escape, it’ll likely end up on Baby’s legs, which are much easier to clean than their head.
So the next time you’re faced with a diaper disaster, say a silent thank-you to the onesie gods and take full advantage of this smart, unsung design feature. Now if only your poop-covered clothes came with shoulder flaps, too.