Fun ideas for making a diaper cake

Create a special baby shower gift

adorable diaper cakes you can make

A diaper cake is a creative gift that any mommy-to-be will appreciate. Diaper cakes range from very simple tiers of disposable diapers wrapped in ribbons to totally decked out cakes decorated with toys and other useful baby items.

With diaper cakes, you can make your own or buy a premade diaper cake and just add your own embellishments. If you have decided to make your own, you'll find that it's relatively simple.

How to make a basic diaper cake

You can make a diaper cake of any size. These directions are for a three-tier diaper cake using about 70 diapers.

What you'll need:

• 60-70 diapers
• Rubber bands
• Round cardboard, pizza pan or plastic tray
• Wooden dowels
• Bottles, toys and other baby items
• Ribbons and bows
• Cellophane or netting, if desired

Directions:

1. Roll each diaper and secure it with a rubber band.
2. Create the top (smallest) layer of the cake by standing a baby bottle (or a rolled baby towel, small baby doll or other gift) upright with a large rubber band around it. Place eight rolled diapers around it, inside the rubber band.
3. Repeat the process to create the middle layer, this time adding 16 diapers around the item.
4. Make another layer exactly like the middle layer, then add an additional 20-30 more diapers around it. This will be the large, bottom layer of your diaper cake.
5. Use a circular piece of cardboard, a pizza pan or plastic tray as the base of the cake. Place the bottom layer on to the base.
6. Insert two wooden dowels between (not through) the diapers. Carefully stack the middle and top layers onto the cake, threading through the dowels.
7. Add ribbon around each layer to hide the rubber bands. Place a stuffed animal, toy or other gift on top as a cake topper.
8. Wrap the entire cake in cellophane or netting if you like, and secure with a ribbon or bow.

Make a theme cake

Though any mom will appreciate the gift of diapers, the fun with diaper cakes comes in the decorations. You can hide a variety of different items in the center of the layers of cake -- from baby bottles to dolls to towels. You can also decorate the outside of the cake and the top with rattles, stuffed animals, pacifiers and just about anything else that baby needs. Consider making a theme cake -- anything from puppies or elephants to Elmo or SpongeBob. You can also decorate the layers and top of the cake with silk flowers that Mom can reuse later on.

Diaper cake that's not a cake

You can also make a diaper cake that is not a cake. One cute idea is to create a diaper stroller. Check out this how-to video from PartyTimeBaby.com that shows you how to use shoe boxes and some other common items to create this fun (and practical) baby shower gift. Also take a look at this simple tricycle diaper cake. It's absolutely adorable!

Get inspired

Use Pinterest to get inspired for themes and ideas on how to make and decorate your diaper cake. Get creative -- there's no real wrong or right way to do it. You can make everything from a simple diaper wreath to an elaborate diaper train to a massive five-tier cake.

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