Diaper cakes are the perfect gifts for baby showers and moms-to-be! They look impressive and plush, and allow you to customize and present your gift with an ultra personal touch.
At baby showers, most gifts consist of repetitive onesies, booties, blankets, toys, etc. While those are all great newborn necessities, you can give your mom-to-be what she needs in a way that's stylish, unique, personal, and completely unforgettable.
In this tutorial, you'll learn how to make your very own diaper cake for a gift that's a cut above the rest!
What you'll need:
- Diapers (up to 80 for a 3 tier cake, or less for less tiers) **I recommend size 1 (1 up from newborn) since some babies are born larger than others.
- Large rubber bands (1 per diaper + some extras)
- Decorative Ribbon (enough to tie around each tier - 8 ft or so)
- Silk Flowers
- Wire Cutter (to cut the silk flowers)
- Pizza Baking Pan - These tend to be large, round, and mostly flat - and they're strong enough to carry the weight of the diapers and gifts. Or, if you're willing to splurge more, opt for a decorative platter, or a real cake stand! (Home Goods, anyone?)
- Mini Stuffed Animal (the cake topper!)
- Gifts! Gifts that incorporate well are: Onesies, cotton shirts and pants, washcloths, a bottle, booties, small toys (rattles, etc.), and small bottles of shampoo, washes, lotions, powders, etc. (Johnson & Johnson or Burt's Bees work wonderfully - I especially recommend taking apart the Burt's Bees Bundle of Joy Baby Basket which you can find online or at Target stores.).
Of course, you can get very creative with all of your supplies and gifts. -But keep in mind that you may want to select ribbon, fake flowers, and the stuffed animal and gifts to color coordinate with one another. That'll keep your cake looking fresh and chic!
Step 1: Roll those diapers!
Roll each diaper with its tabs tucked in, and then secure each roll with a rubber band. This could take a while - especially if you're constructing a full 3 tiers - so cozy up to a movie or long TV program while making your rolls!
Step 2: Construct the tiers - no preheating required *wink wink*
Gather the rolls in circular bundles (the tiers) - one large, one medium sized, and one small. To secure each bundle, cut multiple rubber bands and tie them together to form a big enough band to fit around the entire tier. Then, stack the tiers ontop of your platter of choice.
Step 3: Ribbon
Wrap the ribbon around each tier to disguise the rubber bands. Either tie them, or fasten them with adhesive tape or safety pins.
Step 4: Decorate!
Roll up your onesies, shirts, and pants so that they match the size of the diaper rolls, and replace diapers here and there with them. You can also replace some diapers with rolled hats/beanies, and the mini bottles of shampoos, ointments, washes, etc. Tuck bibs, beanies and socks into the ribbons and bands, and place booties and toys on top of the tier ledges or tuck them wherever you can.
Cut the stems of the silk flowers to the appropriate lengths and tuck them into the ribbons and the tops of some of the diaper rolls.
If you have a bottle, it looks great replacing the center diapers in the top tier. And don't forget to put your mini stuffed animal right on top! Voila! You've made a gorgeous diaper cake that'll leave your mom-to-be breathless.
I've gifted my homemade diaper cakes (including the one pictured above) at two separate baby showers; and both times, the moms-to-be were taken aback in awe. I received so many compliments and inquiries ("How did you make that?" "Those are all diapers?!"), and even brought one of the grandmother-to-be's to tears!
Best of luck to you on your very own diaper cake!
