Pram Nappy Cake: Craft Tutorial
The pram nappy cake is not just a cute way to welcome a baby into the world, but a practical, cute, and creative gift. The nappies are always useful for young parents – and you can customise the nappy cake with some other useful gifts.
When making this DIY diaper cake, it is best to recruit a friend to help as an extra pair of hands makes it easier to hold and assemble. And of course, it’s much more fun to tinker and decorate this cute newborn gift with a friend. But with a little patience, you can also craft this homemade nappy cake on your own.
Materials needed for the pram nappy cake:
To craft the basic pram nappy cake, you will need the following items:
66 diapers, preferably size 3
2 flannel cloths or cloth nappies
1 bodysuit or blanket
Handkerchief or cuddly toy
Elastic bands, pins, and tape
2 meters of coloured ribbons
Cardboard or a cardboard box
Wrapping paper
Time required: approx. 30 minutes
Difficulty: easy
Costs: 25-30 €
The estimated costs of about 25 - 35 € are just a guideline for the construction and decoration and do not include additional gifts. The cost will vary depending on what gifts you buy. If you use slightly bigger diapers, the new parents won’t have to take the nappy cake apart immediately as the baby will grow into the size. Size 3 diapers are best, but if you choose larger or smaller diapers, you will need to adjust the number of diapers when making the nappy cake.
You can design your pram nappy cake to your personal taste and add almost any little baby gifts. Here are some ideas:
A wooden grab-ring
A pacifier
Pacifier chain with name
Baby care products
Pram nappy cake: Step by step instructions with pictures
Step 1: Making the basics of the pram nappy cake
The basic shape of the pram nappy cake is made up of 2 rectangles. To make these, simply lay nappies on top of each other. For the bed of the pram, stack 30 diapers on top of each other and secure them with a rubber band. As the bed will be covered by a bodysuit or baby blanket, it doesn't matter what colours or patterns the nappies have. If a rubber band is not enough to secure it, you can tie on a ribbon to keep it in place.
The head of the DIY nappy cake is built in a similar way. Use 28 diapers, so that the hood is in proportion to the bed. Secure these with an elastic band or ribbon as before. The wide area of the pram will be visible when its finished - so you should only use nappies that are plain or with simple patterns. Many nappy packs include two different patterns. If this is the case, make sure to use nappies with a large pattern in the base and white nappies in this section.
The two nappy packs form the base of your pram, which now needs to be decorated and assembled.
Step 2: Making the wheels of the pram
The wheels are easy and quick to make. Just roll 2 diapers together and secure the roll with a small rubber band. You can hide the rubber band with nice wide fabric ribbons. It is best to cut them to the right length and pin the ends to avoid wrinkles in the ribbon.
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Don't forget...
Use a cuddle cloth with a teddy head to lay in the pram. If you wedge the cloth between the nappes and the flannel cloth it will look like the teddy is laying in the bed.
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Step 3: Pin the bodysuit to the bed
Put a bodysuit on the bed of the pram. Place it flat on the surface and fold over any overhanging fabric. You can fasten it in place with pins. The arms and legs of the baby bodysuit can also be folded over to the back of the nappy pack and pinned there. Use pins with plastic heads - they do not disappear easily into the fabric, so the parents can easily and safely remove them.
Don't choose the smallest size for the baby bodysuit. As mentioned before, parents would then have to disassemble the nappy cake and use them up quickly, and the smaller bodysuit won’t completely cover the bed area.
Bodysuits size 74 and over cover the size 3 diapers well. Note the season too: Calculate during what time of year the bodysuit will fit the baby.
The following size chart will help you choose the right bodysuit size:
Clothing Size / Age in Months
50 / 0 - 1
56 / 0 - 1
62 / 2 - 3
68 / 3 - 6
74 / 6 - 9
80 / 9 - 12
86 / 12 - 18
92 / 18 - 24
Step 4: Assembly
Now you need to put all 6 parts together to make the final nappy cake. First, place the bed with the pinned bodysuit facing up on the table. Then place hood behind it. Place a cute handkerchief with a cuddly toy between the two sections, so that only the head and the arms can be seen on the finished pram.
Now fold a 65 x 65 cm flannel cloth and tie it around the pram. To do this, lay the cloth on the table and fold it into a triangle. Then you put the tip of the triangle to the long edge and fold again. This will create a nice neat wide band. If you prefer, you can use a baby blanket or a baby towel instead.
Place the folded flannel cloth around the bed are so that the nappies are completely covered and knot it behind the hood section. An extra set of hands to hold it in place are very useful in this step. If you don't have any helpers at hand, you can tie a wide band around the bed area and the hood before you put the flannel cloth over it. If the cloth sticks out in places, you can fix it with white pins. Put a nice wooden ring at the front between the cloth and the nappy pack, which will be the handle of the pram.
Fold a second flannel cloth in the same way and placed it around the hood of the pram. This needs to be tightly pinned to the bottom of the pram.
Now the two main components of your pram nappy cake should be securely in place.
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Did you know, that...
A nice wooden grab ring attached to the front of your pram makes a cute handle and the parents will have a useful gift for their baby.
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Step 5: Decorating
Tie wide fabric ribbons around the parts of the stroller to decorate them and add some extra stability. For example, you could tie a pacifier to the surrounding fabric ribbon.
To be able to move the pram nappy cake, you need a stable base. Cut out a large rectangle from thick cardboard and wrap it in nice wrapping paper. Attach the wheels to the cardboard and then the body of the pram to the wheels using pins.
As an alternative to the cardboard, you can stand it on a beautiful gift box. This will give you some extra space to store some more baby gifts.
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Don't forget...
The nappy pram needs a secure stand. If you place it in a gift box, you can fill it with all kinds of extra baby gifts.
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Pram nappy cake for both boys and girls
Pram nappy cake is a cute newborn gift for boys and girls. The basic design stays the same but with some decoration changes, you can create a fantastic girls’ or boys’ pram nappy cake.
Changing the bodysuit on the bed will make a big difference to how the pram looks. For a girl’s pram add a pink bodysuit with a subtle pattern. Alternatively, a bodysuit with a nice large print would look great. If you don't want to use a bodysuit, you can use a baby blanket instead.The white flannel cloths can be replaced with pink cloths for the girls’ pram. Also, you can add a pink bear for the cuddly toy in the pram. A wide selection of baby clothes for girls can be found in our stores and our online store.Add some lush pink ribbons for a final touch. Make sure that there are not too many different shades of pink in your nappy trolley. Decoration in delicate white or light grey will keep the look neat.
For a boy’s pram nappy cake, you can use blue flannel cloths to tie the bed area to the hood of the pram. Also, a grey or blue bear or cuddle cloth can be laid in the pram. Instead of a cuddly animal, you can simply pop in a blue pacifier.
A beautiful pacifier chain with the baby’s name on it will turn your pram nappy cake into a personalised gift for new parents. Blue patterned bodysuits, beautiful boys’ baby blankets and numerous baby clothes and accessories for baby boys can be found in our store.
If you are looking for more craft inspirations, you will find detailed instructions for crafting baby gifts for girls and baby gifts for boys in our articles. An overview of all crafting instructions can be found here.
Have fun crafting and giving!
