Diaper Cake Ideas
There are SO many different ways to make and decorate a diaper cake. My goal is to address most of them and the main pros and cons of each of them, so you can build a diaper cake that works best for you. Be ready to use your imagination and put some of your own touches and ideas into your diaper cake (this is the fun part).
Start by asking yourself: Is there a theme I would like for the diaper cake? Do I want to keep it simple with just ribbons and flowers? Do I want a circle diaper cake? How many tiers should I have on the diaper cake? Do I have a color scheme for the diaper cake? Is the diaper cake for a centerpiece? If so, maybe you would like to make multiple diaper cakes, so each table had a cake centerpiece.
Hopefully these questions are not too overwhelming. If you would rather keep it simple, then do it. If not, let your ideas run wild. I just want to show you that there are plenty of options when making a diaper cake.
Things you will need to Make your Diaper Cake
Diapers
The amount of diapers will depend on the size of the cake you are making. A typical medium 3 tier cake will need around 80 diapers. Avoid using newborn diapers, since babies grow so fast. Size 1 or 2 will make the most useful cake. Some moms may be picky on the type of diaper you buy, while others won’t care. If you are not sure, make your cake with Huggies or Pampers. You will want to avoid using diapers with any designs that cover the whole diaper.
2 Baby Bottles or a Wooden Dowel
The purpose of the baby bottles or dowel is to help keep the cake layers in sync with one another. If you are making a 3 tier diaper cake, 2 bottles will work well or a 12 inch dowel.
Ribbons, Receiving Blankets. Towels, Onesies/Clothes, etc.
Decide what to cover or wrap around each layer of your diaper cake. Most commonly ribbon is used, but you can use a variety of things for your cake.
You can use pjs or a onesie to cover a layer of the cake. Using these are simple, as long as you make the cake layer the right size. You will stick the layer of cake inside the onesie and neatly fold down the arms. If you want more of a smooth look, add a strip of poster board around the diapers before putting on the onesie.
You could also use baby towels or receiving blankets. These can be a little more difficult if they are not the right size to fit your cake.
Rubber Bands, Safety Pins, Hot Glue Gun, Doubled Sided Tape, Etc.
Rubber bands are a must for most diaper cakes. If you are rolling your diapers you will use one for each diaper. You can buy the small clear rubber bands at Wal-Mart (by the hair accessories) for the rolled diapers. These will give the cake a more neat and professional look when the parents are dissembling the diaper cake, but if you don’t care about that, regular rubber will work just fine. Then you will need larger rubber bands to hold the cake layers in place.
You will also need safety pins, a hot glue gun, double sided tape or something similar to hold your cake decorations in place. Be careful not to use tape or glue on the diapers, as it will ruin the diaper. People use different things to help hold their diaper cake decorations in place, just decide what will work best for you and your cake decorations. The hot glue gun works great for ribbons, wood cut outs, flowers, or other things that won’t be used after the diaper cake is disassembled.
Diaper Cake Base
You will need some sort of base for your diaper cake to sit on. You could use a large platter, a piece of cardboard, cake rounds, etc. To make your own cake base, cut out a circle from a cardboard box and cover it with wrapping paper or tin foil. Your cake base will need to be at least an inch bigger then your cake.
Decorations for your Diaper Cake
You may want to just stick with ribbon and flowers to decorate your cake and nothing more. Or you can go crazy and find fun baby toys and other baby necessities to add to the diaper cake. Just be careful not to make your diaper cake overly busy or cheap looking.
Most of your decorations will be on the outside of the cake, but you can also surprise the mom to be with a bunch of fun hidden fillers inside the cake. In place of a diaper you could add a rolled up onesie, baby thermometer or anything else that will fit. This will make dissembling the cake more fun for the parents. This is also a great place to add some of the items that don’t make as good of “decorations”, like Mortin or diaper rash cream. Here are some ideas for decorating your diaper cake:
• Pacifiers
• Infant Motrin
• Booties
• Onesies
• Small Stuffed Animals
• Teething Rings
• Baby Finger Nail Clippers
• Small Toys
• Baby Shampoo
• Baby Wash
• Baby Lotion
• Baby Comb
• Diaper Trash Bags
• Baby Powder
• Diaper Rash Cream
• Baby Thermometer
• Medicine Dropper
• Outfit or PJs
• Baby Dishes
• Baby Towel / Washcloth
• Mini Wood Painted Shapes
• Buttons
• Fake Flowers
• Tulle
• Diaper Pins
• Princess Tiara
• Wooden Blocks (spelling baby’s name)
How to make a 3 Tier Rolled Diaper Cake
A rolled diaper cake is most common. In this cake, all of your diapers are rolled one by one. The pros to this kind of diaper cake is that it holds up better and is easier to assemble, but it takes a little longer to make and it is harder for the parents to disassemble. A spiral diaper cake is a little harder to make, but with one snip of the ribbon, the diapers are free (and don’t need to be unrolled). I will start with the rolled diaper cake and then we can move onto making a spiral diaper cake.
1. Start with rolling the diapers tightly from the top of the diaper down, then add a rubber band to hold the diaper in place.
2. Most diaper cakes are round, but that doesn’t mean that your diaper cake has to be. For example, if you would like to do a rectangle diaper cake, you can use a wet one box (or something similar) to help make your shape.
When making a circle diaper cake, place your rolled diapers around your baby bottle (if you are using one) securing them in place with a rubber band. Making the first layer of the cake with a baby bottle is completely optional. The baby bottle’s main purpose is to help the second layer of the diaper cake attach a little more securely in place. If you choose to use baby bottles inside your cake, you could fill them with heresy kisses or something similar for the new mom.
Instead of using baby bottles in the middle, you can use a wooden dowel to help hold your diaper cake layers together. If you are using a wooden dowel, stick it in after all your cake layers are in place. The wooden dowel works a little better, but it doesn’t really matter a whole lot.
3. Keep adding diapers to your bottom layer of cake until you get your desired size. For a medium cake, you should have around 45 diapers for your first layer of cake.
4. Make your second layer of the diaper cake. The second layer of your cake should be at least two thirds smaller then the first (around 30 diapers for a medium sized diaper cake). If you are using baby bottles for your center, add one more on top of the first one. Then your third layer will circle around the second baby bottle. If you want to add flowers to the top of your diaper cake, take the lid off the second bottle and use it for a vase.
5. Make your third layer of your diaper cake.
6. Now decide how you would like to decorate each of your layers. Some cakes hide the diapers with receiving blankets, baby towels, clothes or something similar, but in most cakes the diapers are exposed and just wrapped with ribbon. If you are using blankets to cover up your diapers, use safety pins to hold everything in place. If you are using ribbon for your cake, a hot glue gun and/or safety pins will be helpful.
7. After your diaper cake is assembled the way you like it, start to decorate your diaper cake with your baby goodies.
How to Make a Spiral Diaper Cake
Spiral diaper cakes a little harder to make, but easier for the parents to disassemble. The diapers are not rolled separately, but lay together in the cake.
1. Place something round in the middle of your cake base (like a can of food). This will be used to help shape the diapers into the right place. Place 3 or 4 diapers on top of each other, leaving a small gap (1/2 inch or so) between each diaper, so the bottom of the diaper shows. Then curl it around your round object. Keep adding more diapers on top of the diapers already in place.
2. You will keep adding diapers to your cake, until the bottom layer is a complete circle around your round object. For a medium sized diaper cake, you should have around 40 diapers in your circle.
3. Put a large rubber band around the diapers, holding them in place. If you don’t have a rubber band large enough for your cake, you can use string or whatever you have on hand.
4. Now roll some diapers together for the center of the cake. For a medium cake you should need around 10 diapers.
5. Take out the center object and replace it with your diapers.
6. Go through your diapers making sure they are in place and even.
7. Make your second and third cake layers the same way you made your first. Each layer should be about two thirds smaller then the one before it.
8. Cover up the rubber band with ribbon. Make sure the ribbon is tight around the diapers, so your cake doesn’t fall apart. Make sure you ribbon is wide enough to help support your diapers (2 inch ribbon would be great). If you want to take the rubber band off, you could, but it is a good back up if your ribbon becomes loose.
9. Stick a wooden dowel down the center of the cake to help stabilize the layers. (Optional)
Wrapping up the Finished Diaper Cake
Depending on what you are going to do with your diaper cake, you may want to wrap it up. You could use cellophane or tulle to cover the cake. This way your wrapping is see through and looks great, but it also helps everything stay in place when it is getting moved around.
