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It is easy and fun to make a diaper cake that not only makes a great baby shower gift but a beautiful party centerpiece. How do you make a simple, elegant diaper cake with flowers and ribbon, or a decorative diaper cake with blankets, bibs, toys, and bath items? With the easy, detailed instructions below you will be able to make a unique baby gift that will definitely be the new mommy's favorite baby gift!
Before you begin, take the following into consideration:
- What size diaper cake you would like to make. It can be a mini, two, three, or even four tier.
- What is the diaper cake theme?
- Are you using the diaper cake as a baby shower centerpiece? If so follow the theme of the baby shower.
- Do the parents have a nursery theme? If so you could decorate the cake with accessories that match the nursery theme.
- How much do you want to spend? It is easy to go overboard, baby stuff is so cute. Set your budget before you begin.
Once you have made these decisions it's time to go shopping for all of your supplies.
Some of the baby items you can decorate your diaper cake are blankets, bibs, onesies, cute plush toys and rattles, ribbon and flowers. To keep it simple you can buy a layette set that includes all the basic layette necessities in a matching set.
Supplies you will need for a three tier diaper cake (you might not need all of the supplies depending on what style of cake you decided to make):
- 55 good quality diapers - Huggies or Pampers Swaddlers (size 1 and/or 2) are both great choices.
- 1 receiving blanket - make sure to use the thin blankets, the thick ones make the cake look too bulky.
- Layette items - 1 bib, 2 burp cloths, 2 washcloths, booties, hat
- Bottles, rattles, pacifiers (1 or 2 of each).
- 3 yards of decorative wide ribbon, 1" to 1-1/2" wide, to wrap around the tiers. A coordinating thinner ribbon to use for tying items to the cake. You can use a 1" sheer ribbon to tie pacifiers, onesies, etc. to the diaper cake.
- Rubber bands (make sure they are large enough to fit around the tiers) or thin white ribbon (1/8" will work).
- 12 inch cake board (you can find these in most craft stores in the cake decorating section) or a sturdy piece of cardboard cut into a circle. You can cover the round with colored tissue paper or if you would like a decorative edge to show around the base of the cake use a 14" round and decorate the edges with ribbon or lace. You can also buy them decorated at some craft stores.
- Hot glue gun or double-sided tape, and clear package tape.
- 2 cardboard tubes from paper towels or 2-8 oz. bottles. One you will attach to the cardboard round to make a sturdy base and hold the cake together, the other is to roll the diapers.
- A 12" cake pan, hat box, or any round item you can use as a mold to build your tiers.
- Decorative accents such as little bows, flowers, scrap booking embellishments, safety pins, etc. (optional)
- Tulle or a cellophane bag to wrap the diaper cake, and a gift tag if necessary
Make the diaper cake base:
- Use the hot glue gun or double-sided tape to attach one of the paper towel tubes to the cake board. Make sure to center the tube on the cake board before applying glue. Allow to dry.
- Use the packaging tape to make the base stronger. Apply pieces of tape so that half is on the cardboard round and the other half on the paper towel tube. Wrap about 3 or 4 pieces around like this until you have covered all sides. Then wrap 1 more piece of tape completely around the base of the tube.
This will make a sturdy base for your diaper cake.
Bottom tier - you will need 34 diapers:
- Place your 12" mold in front of you.
- Take a few diapers and place them in the pan. Make sure to place the printed design of the diaper in facing the center of the pan.
- Fan the diapers out, with about a 1/2" space between each diaper, around the edge of the pan. Continue to add the diapers in this manner turning the starting edge of diapers in toward the center as needed. Use your hand in the center of the diapers to round out the diapers and make a hole in the center as you add them. Continue like this until you have added all but 2 or 3 of the 34 diapers.
- Take the last diapers and fit them into the center hole of the diaper round you made. Make sure to place them with the design going in the same direction as the rest for a flawless look.
- Secure with a large rubber band. Adjust the diapers as necessary so they look uniformly spaced.
- Turn the pan over and remove the pan. If necessary, adjust the rubber band so that it is in the middle of the diaper round.
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- Place your base in front of you. Sometimes diapers have numbers or markings on the edges so look at the bottom and top of the tier and place the best side of the tier up. Lift the diaper round from the bottom and place the center over the cardboard tube and slide it down to the base. Adjust the diaper round so that it is centered on the base.
Your bottom tier is complete.
Middle tier - you will need 16 diapers:
You can do the middle tier two different ways. You can do another layer just like the bottom tier but use an 9" or 10" pan instead. The other alternative is to roll the diapers into a round layer which will look like a smooth cake layer.
- Using a cardboard tube or a baby bottle, take a diaper, the printed side against the tube, and roll it tightly around the tube about 2" from one end. Do not open the first diaper.
- Make sure to keep the diaper rolled tightly around the tube with one hand. With the other hand open the next diaper and roll it around the first diaper. Pull the diaper taut as you roll it making sure to keep it even with the edge of the first diaper, and at the same time keep the first diaper rolled tightly with your other hand. Continue like this until you have added all 16 diapers.
- Secure with a rubber band. Line the cardboard tube up with the base tube and slide the tier down.
Top tier - you will need 5 diapers:
- Roll the remaining five diapers around a cardboard tube using the above method.
- Secure with a rubber band. Line the cardboard tube up with the base tube and slide the tier down.
For a professional look you can use thin white ribbon to tie around each tier and cut off the rubber bands. Make sure to tie the ribbon tightly.
- Measure the ribbon around the tiers leaving about 1" overlapping (leave a little extra if you will be tying the ribbon into a bow to attach it). If you will be using a receiving blanket, burp cloths, and/or washcloths to cover any of the tiers you will put the ribbon on last. Otherwise, attach the ribbon using a glue gun, safety pins, or you can tie the ribbon into a bow.
- If you want to keep it simple and elegant, use artificial flowers and ribbon. Use a wire cutter to cut the stems off of the flowers leaving about 2" of stem. You can place the flowers in small bunches on each tier of the cake and one bunch in the middle of the top tier. Stick the stem of the flowers in-between the diapers to hold them in place. For the topper, I use floral tape or package tape to secure a bunch together and then just place it on top.
- If you are using a receiving blanket lay the blanket down on a table. Use a closed diaper to measure the width of where you will fold the blanket. Make the first fold so that it is the same width as the diaper then continue to fold the blanket. When finished the blanket should be the same width as the diaper. Wrap the receiving blanket around either the bottom or middle tier. Attach the blanket with a safety pin or wrap a length of ribbon around the tier and tie it in a bow. If you use a wide ribbon you can use the glue gun to secure the ribbon.
- To wrap a tier in burp cloths or washcloths you will need 2 each of these items for the middle tier or one for the top (depending on the size of the items). Use the technique above to attach these items.
- To attach clothing or layette items, use a wide piece of ribbon tied around the item in a decorative bow. Attach with a safety pin to the ribbon that is around the diaper cake.
- Apply any decorations such as little bows, scrap booking embellishments, or small flowers. Use the glue gun on the low setting to attach the items to the ribbon around the tiers. For rattles, teething rings, and pacifiers, tie a ribbon into a bow around them, place a dot of hot glue on the ribbon (being careful not to get any on the item) and press firmly to the ribbon around the cake. You can also use the paper towel base tube in the middle of the diapers to secure these items. Cut a piece of ribbon long enough that it will hang over the side of the cake. Place it under the top or middle tier so that you are wrapping it around the tube. Tie the item to the end of this ribbon in a decorative bow and allow to hang over the side of the diaper cake.
- To add a plush toy, position the item where you want it, then put a rubber band around the plush toy and over the tier tucking it under the tier. Once again, the paper towel tube will hold it in place. You can also use a thin ribbon tied around the neck and under the arms and then looped over the tier in the same manner.
- For the hole in the top tier - you can use a small plush toy rattle, a bottle or some flowers. To add a little surprise inside, you can roll up a onesie, socks, or washcloths and stuff them into the top hole.
You completed your first diaper cake! Wrap it in tulle or a cellophane bag and tie it with decorative ribbon and a gift tag if needed.
To make a mini one tier diaper cake you can cut the cardboard tube down or use a toilet tissue tube or bottle. The bottle can be secured to the base with some double-sided tape. To make a four tier or larger diaper cake you can tape a toilet tissue tube to top of the base tube. Make sure to increase the size of the cake board base according to how many diapers you are using for a larger cake.
The combinations and varieties of diaper cakes you can make are endless. If you can imagine it you can make it!
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