DIY Diaper Cake: Step-by-Step Instructions
Probably the most popular baby gift is a homemade diaper cake. In addition to being cute, it is also full of useful items. In addition to lots of nappies, the cake can be decorated with all kinds of useful baby gifts.
Nappy Cake Instructions
To make a multi-tiered diaper cake, all you need is some time, a bit of love and some good instructions. The most important thing is good preparation. Think about the colours of your DIY nappy cake and the materials you need. The following list will help you.
Material list:
70 size 3 nappies
A large cardboard or
A cake plate (as a base)
A nice bottle (e.g. a juice bottle or body lotion for the new mum)
Scissors and pins
70x rubber bands (3 cm)
8x large rubber bands (approx. 8 cm)
Coloured ribbons and bows
Wrapping paper in matching colours
Small baby gifts
Time required: 60 minutes
Difficulty: easy
Cost: 45-60 €
It's up to you which items you decorate the diaper cake with. In addition to practical baby things, you can add some gifts for the new parents. For example, breastfeeding tea or a nice body lotion would be nice gift for first time parents. Depending on the size and height of your nappy cake, you can adjust the number of diapers and the materials accordingly.
Step-by-step instructions
Before you start making your own diaper cake, it's a good idea to lay out all the materials on a table to make sure you have everything you need.
Step 1: Making the base
To make sure your homemade nappy cake is stable and easy to transport, you need to make a solid base. Take the large piece of cardboard and cut it into a round shape. We recommend about 35 centimetres in diameter. Wrap the cardboard in wrapping paper to make it look nice.Alternatively, you can use a cake plate or a tray as a base. This adds a bonus gift to the present too.
Step 2: Rolling the nappies
Once you have made a pretty base, it’s time to start rolling all the nappies. Start by unfolding the diapers and turning them inside out. Roll up the nappies so that the printed side is on the inside and all the diapers look white. Secure each roll with a small rubber band so that they don't come undone. Alternatively, you can put little baby socks over the diapers.
Step 3: Stacking the nappies
Now it's time to stack the nappies. Start with the bottom tier by placing a bottle in the middle of your cake base. The bottle stabilises the nappies as you stack them. Instead of a juice bottle, you can of course hide a nice body lotion for the new mum instead. Next, put a large rubber band around the bottle and start putting a row of nappies between the bottle and the rubber band. The first row of diapers should surround the bottle. Now put the second row of diapers around the first row using another rubber band, followed by a third row to complete the first tier. For an extra little surprise, you can hide small baby gifts such as baby powder or care wipes in the gaps.
The second and third tiers are made in the same way as the first, but with fewer diapers.
For a three-tier nappy cake you need:
42 diapers for the bottom tier
22 diapers for the middle tier
6 diapers for the top tier
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Did you know, that...
Baby socks fit perfectly over a single rolled up diaper. Add several socks throughout the cake to add a lovely sprinkle of colours.
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Step 4: Decorating with ribbons and small gifts
Once all the nappies have been arranged, it's time to decorate the cake. First, take a wide ribbon and cut it to the right length. Then place a ribbon around each tier so that the elastic bands are hidden. You can either pin the ribbons or tie them in a pretty bow. The homemade nappy cake looks particularly nice if you put two colour-coordinated ribbons on top of each other rather than just one. Make sure that the ribbon behind is wider than the one in front. Now you can decorate the cake with some small gifts.Small stuffed animals or a bottle can be used as diaper cake toppers. If you want to personalise your nappy gift, you can write the baby's name on some little flags and make your own cake topper using some string and paper straws.
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Did you know, that...
The nappy cake can be changed into a castle diaper cake in just a few easy steps. Just add some nappy towers on the cake and you have a great castle for the little princess.
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Decorating for boys and girls
Depending on whether the newborn is a boy or a girl, you can of course adapt the colours to suit. The basic instructions to make the diaper cake stay the same, all you have to do is choose different decorations, ribbons, and baby utensils. If the baby's gender is unknown, you can use neutral colours. Green or yellow tones work particularly well.
Nappy cake for girls: Dreamy soft pink tones
Your girls’ diaper cake will look really cute in soft pink tones. Feel free to be creative when decorating the nappy cake. Pink socks over some of the nappies, a little ring attached to the side of the cake, and little pink shoes as diaper cake toppers are just some of the many great ideas you can do.For an extra surprise, you can hide small baby gifts in the gaps between diapers. These could be baby bodysuits in neutral colours or pink bibs, for example. When choosing the ribbons, make sure that the shades of pink do not clash. You can add some grey ribbons to enhance the pink ones and give a more balanced feel.You can find lots of girls’ baby products in our online shop or in one of our stores.
Nappy cake for boys: Playful pastel blue tones
If you know that the new baby is a boy, you can decorate your diaper cake with pastel shades of blue. Use both plain and subtly patterned ribbon and bows in light blue. Dark blue ribbons can also be used to create some contrast. This will make the diaper cake look a little more playful.
With this version of the DIY nappy cake, you can cover individual diapers with little blue socks. Spotted socks will look especially cute. Neutral coloured bodysuits and bibs or flannel cloths can be hidden inside the cake. Care products in small blue bottles, a matching dummy, and a dummy chain in matching shades of blue along with a small stuffed animal will top off the decorations nicely. Of course, a diaper cake topper will add that final touch. Either personalised flags showing the baby’s name or a cute little baby bottle would be perfect for this.
You can find all the boys’ baby items to decorate your nappy cake in our online shop or one of our stores.
You can find even more inspiration for gifts for newborns in our other step-by-step tutorials. How about an owl diaper cake or a motorcycle diaper cake, for example? If you're looking for a last-minute baby gift, take a closer look at our baby bodysuit bouquet craft tutorial.
Have fun making and giving this cake!
