How to Make a Diaper Cake

A diaper cake is exactly what it sounds like. Sort of.
Rumor has it that diaper cakes were invented way back in the eighties, when a legendary mom rolled her son’s cloth diapers into a cake shape by accident.

Et voilà! The diaper cake was born.

Whether you want to know how to make a diaper cake, or are simply wondering if such a thing still exists on planet earth, we’ve got you covered.

In this article 📝

Are diaper cakes still a thing?

The short and sweet of it is, yes.

As long as babies need diapers, diaper cakes will probably still be a thing.

It’s a simple and brilliant idea, really, and just what it sounds like — a cake made out of diapers.

Diapers shaped into a cake. A cake… but diapers.

Sweet and practical too, right?.

What is the point of diaper cakes?

We get it. Normally, we’re also only interested in the kind of cake we can eat. But hear us out.

As a new mama, one thing you may not realize is how many diapers you’ll go through. It’s a lot.

So a diaper cake at a baby shower, or even at a sip and see party, makes for great decor.

It’s also a practical gift that’ll save the mama some cash down the line. Win-win!

There are tons of ways to make a diaper cake.

You can use disposable or modern cloth diapers, or traditional white terry cloth squares.

Check in with the mama-to-be, find out which way she’s leaning in terms of diaper preference, and start your crafting engine.

The great thing is, diaper cakes are super easy to tie in with a baby shower theme.

Whether it’s diaper cakes for boys or diaper cakes for girls, the only limit is your imagination.

You can go traditional or avante-garde. There are no rules.

Some ideas? Little bow ties, flamingo cutouts, cocktail umbrellas, or ombre shades of a certain color.

Is the theme “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”? Then why not wrap the cake with battery-operated fairy lights, and decorate with little star cutouts.

See? Not just sweet and practical. Pretty too!

How do you make a diaper cake?

It’s easier than you think, and you don’t have to worry about this one collapsing!

You need:

• A base. This could be a pedestal, a cake board from your local baking store, or even a pretty tray. The options are endless!
  
• Something to anchor the cake in the middle. An empty paper towel roll works well for a tiered cake. Or try a tub of baby cream, particularly if you’re only doing one layer. A fun alternative is to hide a bottle filled with candy and other treats in the center.
  
• A bag of elastic bands.
  
• Decorative items. Top of the list is either ribbon in the theme colors, or some twine, for a more rustic feel. And then, just let your creative juices flow. A fluffy teddy or rubber ducky can make a great topper, or even a favorite childhood book. Little signs (“Welcome baby!”), pacifiers, feathers, booties, individually wrapped sweet treats, baby supplies like wet wipes, tulle, bows — the options are endless live your best crafting life!
  
• Diapers. Most often we see diaper cakes made with disposable diapers, but rest assured modern cloth diapers can also be used and the fun prints can make for a very festive cake.

How to put together a diaper cake

The easiest way is to:

1. Roll and secure each diaper with an elastic band.
   
2. Group them in a circle around the anchor, as deep as you’d like the first layer to be.
   
3. Tie the outside of the entire layer together with ribbon or twine.

If you’re doing multiple tiers, keep going in the same way, packing the next layer on top of the first, this time using a few less.

And then get decorating!

How many diapers do you need for a diaper cake?

The question should really be: How big do you want this cake to be?

If you’re using disposable diapers, you can make do with as few as 30 diapers for a single tier.

An average three-tier cake will need between 50 and 80.

Pro tip? Babies grow out of their newborn things pretty quickly.

So it’s not a bad idea to make the cake out of size 1 or 2 diapers, rather than only newborn.

And don’t panic about the diapers expiring before mama can use them, the ‘expiry date’ on diapers is just a suggestion, they actually last for years beyond that.

There’s a reason we’re still making diaper cakes almost four decades later.

Good ideas never go out of style. Just like chocolate fudge cake. Fancy a slice?

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