I received a diaper cake for my baby shower and thought that it was one of the best gifts I could get. You are definitely going to need diapers as a new mom! I had some leftover Huggies Size One's so I decided to make my own diaper cake. I made it differently than mine was made and certainly there are lots of different ways to do it. This seemed like the easiest way to me. It only took 70 diapers and about 20-30 minutes to make the cake itself. Decorating is totally up to you how far you want to go!
Here is what you'll need:
One large cardboard round (about 14" diameter)
70 rubberbands (or less, there's a little trick I'll post)
70 diapers, size one (the size they'll need the most of)
Double-sided tape (or normal tape if you're cheap like me)
1 bottle (champagne, baby shampoo, etc) - optional
How to assemble:
Start by placing the diaper vertical on a flat surface and rolling it from the bottom up in a tight roll.
Next, place a rubberband around the middle holding the diaper in a tight roll. The corners will probably stick out, but this is okay. Do this with all remaining diapers. Note: To use less rubberbands, simply roll half the diapers and leave the rest for future step.
Place the bottle, if using, in the middle of the cardboard round and tape down. It won't be secure so don't worry about that. Then, place a few diapers around the bottle. Secure diapers around the bottle with a rubberband. It's okay if some fall out.
Next, pull the rubberband back and stuff the empty space with diapers. Note: If you want to, you can use the diapers that have no rubberband by simply rolling them tightly and placing on the inside of the layers. The outside diapers (the ones you see) should be bound with a rubberband to make it more secure.
Fill in as many diapers as you'd like to complete the first layer.
The next layers are just as simple. Place a rubberband around the bottle and stuff with the desired amount of diapers. If you want to, you can also do this without the bottle using three dowel rods to secure the cake.
Make as many layers as desired and voila! Diaper cake is complete! For added stability you can use the double-sided tape and tape underneath of the bottom layer to the cardboard circle. Now you can decorate however you'd like!
To do a simple decor, you can add travel size baby shampoo and lotions with the double-sided tape. Another great idea is also to cut a 1" thick ribbon to fit around each layer and use the double-sided tape to secure it to the layers, covering the rubberbands. Some people also add rolled up plain, white onesies in various sizes or even a small stuffed animal. If there is a theme to the shower, I'd stick with that!
