How to Make a Diaper Cake

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How to Assemble a Diaper Cake

Diaper Cakes are a fun, creative baby shower gift.  Every new mom needs diapers – probably way more than new parents realize and more than anything else  she would get. And it’s much more personal than anything on their baby registry.

But it’s not fun to just give a box of diapers. A diaper cake is a creative way to give a new mom something she really needs, but still looks fun.  Plus you get to add some little extras in too!

Never made a diaper cake before? They may look complicated, but they are really quite simple. You can certainly make it tougher, but you don’t have to.

I have made diaper cakes for some of my friends who had babies and for my sister in law. They were a huge hit!

They all loved all the fun extras that came with it. Plus all the diapers! My brother in law joked for months after asking me to make him another cake – a diaper cake!

What Do You Need to Make a Diaper Cake?

There are not too many items that you need for a diaper cake.  And a lot of the things are fun, creative gifts to include.  

Here’s what you need to make a diaper cake:

Diapers (obviously!):  I usually like to get size 1 because generally babies are not in newborn diapers for very long.  The number of diapers you will need depends on the size of the diaper cake. I usually go with a big box from a place like BJ’s and give the extra diapers as part of the gift.

Rubber bands – you will need small rubber band and large rubber band

Bottles, baby wash, or sippy cups

Platter to put the cake on

Ribbon

Stuffed Animal or teddy bear as a “cake” topper

Various small items

Here are simple steps on how to make a diaper cake:

Step 1: Roll the Diapers

Gather your diapers and rubber bands.  I generally use Size 1 diapers because that is what your new mom friend will use the most.  A majority of babies fit in size 1 right away or shortly after birth.

You may be wondering how many diaper you need to make a diaper cake.  The answer is it depends on the size of the cake!

For a three tier diaper cake, I buy a large box of diapers, generally from BJ wholesale or Sam’s club.  One large box is definitely enough and you will likely have a few extras for the new baby.

The first thing to do is to roll the diapers.  This is by far the most time consuming part of making the diaper cake.  

One thing I do is to make sure that if there is a design on the diaper, when I roll it, it shows on the outside. 

If you don’t want the design to show, you could roll it so they are all white when done. Either way, try to make sure you do them all the same.  

To roll the diaper, open it up like you were going to put it on a baby, without opening up the tab portion.  Then roll tight. You want to pull the stretch as you are rolling so that they end up in a nice round cylinder shape.

Use a small rubber band to secure the rolled diaper.  Since I instruct you to use rubber bands, you may question whether you can use the diapers. 

I have used the diapers after with no issues. Since the rubber bands are on the outside of the diaper, anything from a rubber band wouldn’t touch the baby.

Step 2: Assemble the Diaper Cake

Once the individual diapers are all rolled, it’s time to start assembling your cake.  First you need to decide how many layers you want.

I generally do three layers.   Two doesn’t seem like enough and four is so hard to transport!

Pick out a platter that is big enough to hold the diaper cake.  You want something that is as flat as possible.  This way the diaper cake will be even.  

Then you want something in the middle to anchor the diapers to.  I usually use practical gifts that the new mom can use like diaper cream,  baby bath wash or baby lotion. 

You will likely need to levels of items – for example, a tub of diaper cream on the bottom and then a couple bottles of baby bath wash on top. 

Put a large rubber band around your item, then start putting the rolled diapers in until your bottom tier is full.  Then put another rubber band around the first layer and add in your second layer.

Repeat on that level until you are done.  For example, if you are going to do a three layer diaper cake, the bottom layer will have three circles, the second layer will have two and the top will have one.  

Continue this process until you have completed all levels including the top tier.

Step 3: Decorate the Diaper Cake!

Decorating the diaper cake is my favorite fun part!   I usually start with putting a stuffed animal on top of the cake as a “cake topper”. 

Then I use ribbon around each level to cover the rubber bands I used to assemble it.  You could also use baby blankets or burp cloths if you wanted to make it look even more like a cake.

To use baby blankets, cover each layer separately as you go.  It will look more like a layered cake that way.

Next, I pick out some smaller, useful items that I can easily attach to the diaper cake.  For example, some baby toys like rattles, stroller or car seat toys or binkys.  They add something a little special for mom and baby.

I like to take a look at the registry that my new mom friend has put together and a great idea is to grab some things off of there.  That way I’m getting something they want and need as well. I also try to add anything I have found useful to have when I became a new mom.

And then you are done!  You have made your first diaper cake and it is a present that any mom to be will love.   

Once you’ve done one or two, they are really pretty easy and so much fun to put together and be creative with.  Plus, they are a perfect baby shower gift that will have the new mom-to-be smiling!

Have you ever made a diaper cake? What do you include?

Check out these other baby posts you may enjoy!

Best Gifts for Babies Under 1

Baby Registry Must Haves for New Moms

5 Unique Baby Shower Gifts

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