The Ultimate Guide to Diaper Cakes (2024)

Baby showers can be so much fun, but sometimes it’s hard to come up with ideas for the centerpiece.

Most people just put a few balloons or flowers in the middle of the table and call it a day. But your guests will love something a little more special.

Diaper cakes are the perfect way to show off your creative side and they’re really easy to make.

In this blog post, we’ll show you how to make a diaper cake that will be the star of the baby shower.

Are you looking for a way to make a baby shower extra special? A diaper cake is an eye-catching and creative way to celebrate the upcoming arrival of a baby.

Not only are they beautiful decorations, but they also provide a practical use as well. Here’s how you can craft the perfect diaper cake for your next baby shower.

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Key Takeaways

• Diaper cakes are a decorative way of presenting diapers as a gift and usually consist of multiple tiers of rolled or folded diapers, arranged in a circular shape and decorated with ribbons and other accessories.
• To make the diaper cake, you will need supplies such as diapers (disposable or cloth), ribbons & strings, rubber bands, cardboard circle for base layer etc.
• The process involves rolling up each diaper from top to bottom before stacking them around the cardboard circle in either circular shape or any creative design. Decorations can be added using ribbons & strings along with small toys/decorations. Hot glue is not recommended on the diaper cake itself so that it doesn’t ruin the diapers!

What is a Diaper Cake?

A diaper cake is a decorative way of presenting diapers as a gift. It usually consists of multiple tiers of rolled or folded diapers, which are arranged in a circular shape and decorated with ribbons and other accessories. The goal is to make the diaper cake look adorable while still being useful!

Diaper cakes don’t have to only be cake shaped though! You can get creative and make things like diaper bikes, wraths, hearts and even teddy bears!

Diaper Cake Supplies Needed

Ready to get started making a diaper cake? Here’s what you’ll need:

• Diapers (any size will do!) – these can be disposable diapers or cloth diapers!
• Ribbons and strings
• Rubber bands
• Cardboard circle for the base layer
• Cake stand
• hot glue
• Optional diaper cake toppers: stuffed animals, flowers, wash clothes, baby booties, baby lotion, baby bottle, or any other items you’d like to use as a topper.

How to Make a Diaper Cake

The first step in creating a diaper cake is to roll up each diaper. Roll from top to bottom and secure with either a rubber band or some string.

Once all the diapers are rolled, it’s time to start assembling the tiers. Start with a cardboard circle as your base and begin stacking the rolled diapers around it, either in a circular shape or in whatever creative design you’d like!

Once all the tiers are stacked, use glue to secure them together. We recommend making diaper cakes two or three tiers tall.

Once the cake is assembled, you can move on to adding decorations. Use ribbons, strings, and baby washcloths to give the cake some color and texture. Add any small toys or decorations you’d like as well!

We recommend avoiding using hot glue, or at least glue on the diaper cake, just so the diapers don’t get ruined.

Tips and Tricks

Here are some tips and tricks to making a diaper cake

Use different size diapers

One of the best ways to make the diaper cake as useful as possible is to include different size diapers. Babies can grow out of small size diapers very quickly (and some, like my own kids, never even fit into newborn diapers!) so you want to have a few different sizes just in case.

Include a label for the diapers

If the diapers don’t have the brand printed on them, consider giving a label inside the cake. During one of my baby showers I received a diaper cake without a name on the diapers and they ended up being our all time favorite diapers to use for my daughter! It took a while to track down exactly what diaper it was because the hostess who made our cake completely forgot where she got them from.

Get creative with the cake topper

You can get really creative with the diaper cake topper! Some of the most popular ones include Welcome baby signs that match the baby shower theme, baby bottles, and stuffed animals.

Diaper Cake Ideas

Need some inspiration? Here are some of our all time favorite diaper cakes sent in by readers!

Related Post: How to Throw a Woodland Animals Themed Baby Shower

Related Post: How to Throw a Jungle Themed Baby Shower

Cake Topper Ideas

Since diaper cakes are usually gifted at baby showers, you can make your cake extra special with a fun topper. Some ideas include:

• A onesie with the baby’s name
• Tiny teddy bears or small stuffed animals (bonus points if it matches the baby shower theme!)
• Baby bottles or rattles
• Pacifiers and bibs
• Baby wash and lotion
• A bow or decorative ribbon

And of course, you can always get creative and come up with your own ideas!

Alternative Diaper Cake Ideas

Want to make a different diaper cake centerpiece? Here are some adorable ideas of alternatives to the traditional diaper cake.

FAQs

How many diapers do you need for a diaper cake?

The number of diapers you need for a diaper cake will depend on the size and shape of the cake you’re making. Generally, it takes about 60-80 newborn sized diapers to make an average sized 3 tier cake.

However, if you’re using or making more tiers, you may need more or if you’re using larger sized diapers you may need less.

What are the best diapers to use for a diaper cake?

There really is no best diaper to use for a diaper cake. It can all be up to your preference on which ones to choose! However, if mom to be has a baby registry and has asked for diapers, we recommend using the brand that she asks for.

What size diapers should I use for the diaper cake?

I always recommend doing a variety of sizes for diaper cakes. This way, parents to be will have plenty of diapers to choose from as baby grows.

If you only do want to do one size diaper, I recommend going with a size 1 or a size 2. Not all babies will fit into newborn diapers, and might even grow out of that size before all the diapers can be used.

Can I use cloth diapers to make the cake?

Yes! Cloth diapers can be used in place of disposable diapers.

What is a diaper cake made of?

Diaper cakes are mostly made up of rolled up diapers, but they can also include other things that can be used for the baby and/or the parents to be.

We’ve even heard of cute ideas where someone will make a diaper cake with diapers on the outside, then put a bottle of wine in the middle for mom to enjoy after she has the baby!

What do I do with extra diapers?

If you have extra diapers after building diaper cakes, you can always give them to the mom to be after the baby shower. You could even save the box the diapers came in so the parents can bring home the cake easier (plus know what brand diapers you used!)

Final Thoughts

Diaper cakes make adorable and practical gifts for expecting parents. With a little creativity and some basic supplies, you can put together your own diaper cake in no time! Be sure to be creative with decorations and toppers- the possibilities are endless!

Good luck and have fun making your diaper cake!