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Home DIY & Crafts DIY Gifts How to Make a Diaper Cake

How to Make a Diaper Cake

30 minutes
Jump To Tutorial Print Tutorial
By: Britni Vigil
10/03/2020Updated: 4/20/2022
This post may contain affiliate links. Privacy policy.
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A simple DIY diaper cake tutorial showing you in photos and video how to make a diaper cake as well as other great diaper cake ideas! Learn how to make an easy diaper cake in just a few minutes.

Learning how to make a diaper cake is so easy and once you know, you know! This simple diaper cake DIY tutorial will show you how easy making a diaper cake can be! 

A simple DIY diaper cake tutorial showing you in photos and video how to make a diaper cake as well as other great diaper cake ideas! Learn how to make an easy diaper cake in just a few minutes.

I’m not sure where it started but at some point diaper cakes became a thing. I personally would prefer a Snickers poke cake at my baby shower but diaper cakes are definitely cuter.

After attending and hosting so many baby showers (I can’t tell you how many baby shower games I’ve come up with), I finally decided it was time to learn how to make a diaper cake.

I waited so long and it’s so simple! Literally just a 3-step process and then you can make it as extravagant with decorations as you want (or not). You can also customize the diaper cake to one of these baby shower themes or whatever theme you’re using.

And best of all – a diaper cake makes one of the best baby shower gifts because it’s a bunch of new mom essentials, just made cute!

Diaper Cake Supplies

Before you get started, make sure you have all of your supplies. You don’t want to get to the second layer and realize that you don’t have everything you need because it’ll make it 10x harder to finish! I’ve also included details on exactly how many diapers for a diaper cake because I’ve been that person who buys a box of diapers only to realize there weren’t enough inside!

And if you want this in printable format, make sure to scroll to the bottom of this post for printable instructions!

Supplies for making a diaper cake
  • Diapers – for my three-tiered cake I used 38 total diapers (23 on the bottom layer, 9 on the middle, and 6 on the top).
  • Small rubber bands – 1 per diaper
  • Large rubber bands – 4 total
  • Tall skinny object to go in the center of your cake –  I used a bottle of Johnson’s baby wash but you could use something else, just make sure it has enough weight to stand up
  • Ribbon
  • Small baby items such as baby booties, wash cloths, stuffed animals, etc. to embellish your cake
  • Cake stand or cardboard circle (to build your cake on)

Diaper Cake Instructions

Okay so there are really three steps to this – making your diaper layers, covering your diaper layers, and decorating! I’ve included a video in this post to show you how easy it is!

 

1 – Make your Cake

The first thing you need to do is roll up each of your diapers and secure with a small rubber band. Repeat this until all of your diapers are rolled and secured!

If your rubber bands are a little loose, I recommend wrapping the rubber band around twice.

Rolled up diaper in a DIY diaper cake tutorial

Once your diapers are all rolled, place your tall object in the center of the cake stand and make a ring around it with the rolled diapers.

Once it’s completely covered in diapers, place a large rubber band around the ring of diapers to create your base layer.

Repeat and make another ring around the first ring of diapers, this will give you that nice thick bottom layer of the cake.

The first step in how to make a diaper cake

After your bottom layer is secure, repeat with a second and third layer – the only difference is that this time you are only going to do one ring, not two for each layer.

A top down shot showing how to make a diaper cake
A close-up shot in a DIY diaper cake tutorial

2 – Wrap Your Cake

There are a lot of different things you can wrap your cake in, but my favorite is big thick ribbon. I think it looks the most like a regular cake! You could also use fabric or lace or really whatever you want to wrap it, just make sure it’ll wrap nice and tight.

To wrap your cake, simply start on one side of the cake (preferably whatever will be the back), wrap around, then secure with either tape or a straight pin. I prefer the straight pin for looks.

Ribbon wrapping is a big part of making a diaper cake

3 – Decorate the Diaper Cake

One of the most fun parts of a DIY diaper cake is decorating the cake! Choosing how to decorate the diaper cake is totally up to you and can match your theme, your color scheme, the baby’s nursery, or really any decoration scheme you want!

The idea is simply to decorate the cake with little toys, baby booties, and useful items (like wash cloths) that the mom-to-be can use with the baby. And of course anything that will make the cake look cute!

How to make a diaper cake step by step tutorial

One of my favorite things to do is to roll up wash cloths, socks, etc. and tuck them into the rolls of diapers so you can’t actually see them just by looking at the cake.

I know it seems counterintuitive since the cake is supposed to be a decoration, but it’s a really fun for the mom-to-be to pull out those surprises when she’s taking the cake apart to keep the parts after the baby shower! Almost as fun as these hilarious baby shower games, almost.

Hiding surprises in a DIY diaper cake

And there you go – the cutest DIY diaper cake! Hope this diaper cake tutorial helped you figure out how to make a diaper cake on your own. It’s so much simpler than it seems and a great way to add a themed and personal touch to any baby shower!

Add this to these sweet baby shower favors for the perfect shower!

A simple DIY diaper cake tutorial showing you in photos and video how to make a diaper cake as well as other great diaper cake ideas! Learn how to make an easy diaper cake in just a few minutes.

Expert Tips

Roll the diapers as tight as possible. If they’re too loose, it won’t look as good and it’ll be harder to keep that cake look.

Make a small diaper cake by simply cutting down the number of diapers used in the tutorial.

Decorate the cake with gifts that you would actually give the mom to be rather than junk that just looks cute.

Use decorations to personalize the cake. Having a sports themed baby shower, do a fun basketball onesie or little baby basketball shoes. Doing an animal themed shower? Add in little stuffed animals, animal socks, and animal wash cloths.

Display the cake where people can’t touch it. For some reason people really like to touch diaper cakes, especially all the cute little items on them. If you want it to look nice throughout the baby shower, stick it in the middle of a table or on a counter out of reach.

Diaper Cake FAQs

What is a diaper cake?

If you’re reading this post, you probably already know that a diaper cake is a non-edible cake made out of diapers and other baby items. It’s typically used in lieu of a real cake at a baby shower and doubles as a baby shower decoration and a gift for the mom-to-be!

How much does a diaper cake cost?

The price will depend on the size of diapers you use (I used newborn), how many embellishments you get, and the items in the middle. So the cost of a diaper cake can really be whatever you want it to be.

Where to buy a diaper cake?

If your attempts at making a diaper cake fail, you can always just buy one from the experts. Or skip trying making a diaper cake and just buy one in advance. These are some of my absolute favorites, so cute!
Princess Diaper Cake with a Tutu
Nautical Whale Diaper Cake (you can’t even tell this is made out of diapers!!)
Bassinet Carriage Diaper Cake (in the shape of a bassinet)
A Kid’s Bike Diaper Cake
Mermaid Diaper Cake

Why make a diaper cake?

And that’s one of the main reasons to make a diaper cake – it’s a great baby shower centerpiece and a cute gift!
Diaper cakes always used to intimidate me until I realized how simple they are to make! Here’s a quick and easy diaper cake tutorial – only three steps to a beautiful diaper cake! Making a diaper cake only took less than an hour, so it really is easy!

Step 4 in this step by step diaper cake tutorial

More Great Baby Shower Ideas

  • Baby shower emoji game
  • Baby shower song game
  • Baby shower poem game
  • Strawberry mocktail
  • Reese’s peanut butter pie recipe
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4.75 from 4 votes

DIY Diaper Cake

This simple diaper cake DIY tutorial will show you how easy making a diaper cake can be! 
How to make a diaper cake in three easy steps
Prevent your screen from going dark
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Serves1 cake

Ingredients

  • 38 diapers
  • 38 small rubber bands
  • 4 large rubber bands
  • 1 bottle Johnson's baby lotion
  • ribbon
  • baby items to decorate with
  • cake stand or cardboard circle to build cake on
  • 3 straight pins

Instructions

  • Roll each of your diapers tightly then secure with a rubber band. Repeat until all diapers are rolled.
  • Place your baby lotion in the center of the cake stand and make a ring around it with rolled diapers. Place a large rubber band around the diapers to create your base.
  • Add another layer of diapers around the first layer with another large rubber band to secure the final bottom layer.
  • Repeat with a second and third layer of diapers, building up. The only difference is that you'll only do one circle of diapers per layer, not two.
  • Wrap your cake with ribbon, securing with straight pins.
  • Add baby items in and around the cake to decorate.

Tips & Notes:

Use decorations to personalize the cake. Having a sports themed baby shower, do a fun basketball onesie or little baby basketball shoes. Doing an animal themed shower? Add in little stuffed animals, animal socks, and animal wash cloths.
Display the cake where people can’t touch it. For some reason people really like to touch diaper cakes, especially all the cute little items on them. If you want it to look nice throughout the baby shower, stick it in the middle of a table or on a counter out of reach.
Make a small diaper cake by simply cutting down the number of diapers used in the tutorial.
Decorate the cake with gifts that you would actually give the mom to be rather than junk that just looks cute.
Roll the diapers as tight as possible. If they’re too loose, it won’t look as good and it’ll be harder to keep that cake look.

Nutritional Disclaimer

Author: Britni Vigil
Did You Make This?Tag @PlayPartyPlan on Facebook and Instagram and hashtag it #playpartyplan so I can see your creations!
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  1. Erica Quinn says

    Posted on 12/17 at 10:31 am

    I’m excited to try this. How do u recommend attached the “decorations” to the “cake”?

    Reply
    • Britni Vigil says

      Posted on 12/19 at 3:25 pm

      Just stick them into the diapers and in the rubber bands!

      Reply
  2. Kelly says

    Posted on 1/18 at 11:17 am

    OMG so easy!!! I’m not crafty at all and these were the best instructions. I thought it was going to be more difficult and I thought I would have to get my daughters-in-law to finish it. Thank you!!

    Reply
    • BritniV says

      Posted on 1/21 at 4:02 pm

      You are very welcome!

      Reply
  3. Anna says

    Posted on 9/16 at 9:30 pm

    Thank you for this tutorial. Best cake I’ve ever made… and it’s a diaper haha. Much appreciated!!

    Reply
    • BritniV says

      Posted on 9/17 at 11:18 am

      you are very welcome

      Reply
  4. Stacy Risenmay says

    Posted on 3/31 at 2:34 pm

    Adorable! I have never made one since they looked like it would be a pain. Never knew it was so simple!

    Reply
  5. Rita O'Neal says

    Posted on 3/29 at 3:11 am

    What an awesome diaper cake! I love the hidden surprises. I would never have thought to use the baby care items as the core. I wouldn’t want to take this apart if it was given to me. #client

    Reply
    • Britni Vigil says

      Posted on 3/31 at 2:05 pm

      Thanks Rita, it took me a while to take it apart.

      Reply
  6. Ashley Phipps says

    Posted on 3/28 at 1:29 pm

    Awe this is so super cute!!

    Reply
    • Britni Vigil says

      Posted on 3/31 at 2:05 pm

      Thanks Ashley!

      Reply
  7. Amy Latta says

    Posted on 3/28 at 1:26 pm

    Diaper cakes are such sweet gifts! Thanks for sharing how to create one so simply!

    Reply
    • Britni Vigil says

      Posted on 3/31 at 2:06 pm

      Thanks Amy! I have a feeling you’ve made plenty of diaper cakes, probably hand painted ones, in your day.

      Reply
      • Kim says

        Posted on 10/3 at 8:36 pm

        Thank you so much for putting this out here!!! I can’t wait to make this for my friends shower!!! I can’t thank you enough!!!!

      • BritniV says

        Posted on 10/7 at 9:22 am

        Glad I could help! I’d love to see what you made – tag me on social with #PlayPartyPlan or @PlayPartyPlan! 🙂

  8. Katie says

    Posted on 3/28 at 10:36 am

    great tutorial. I’ve never made a diaper cake and have always thought they were so hard to make–you make it look so easy! 🙂

    Reply
    • Britni Vigil says

      Posted on 3/31 at 2:05 pm

      Thanks Katie!

      Reply
  9. Christine Bell says

    Posted on 3/27 at 3:27 am

    I just love it! I’ve always wanted to make one, and now I really think I can!

    Reply
    • Britni Vigil says

      Posted on 3/31 at 2:05 pm

      You definitely can. I seriously was nervous at first but it’s so easy!

      Reply
  10. DesignedByBH says

    Posted on 3/26 at 6:54 am

    These have always intimidated me, too–this is so cute! I love the little ducky. Pinning!!! 🙂

    – Brooke –

    Reply
    • Britni Vigil says

      Posted on 3/31 at 2:05 pm

      Thanks Brooke, the ducky was my favorite too!

      Reply
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