DIY Diaper Cake & Helpful Tips

Hey everyone! I kept forgetting to post this and wanted to finally get it up for you because I have been on a DIY kick lately! I wanted to let you know that when browsing the internet, I searched and seen many different types of diaper cakes. I definitely did my research and wanted to share with you what worked for me as well as helpful tips & tricks along the way. Keep in mind: this was my very first time making a diaper cake.

The Base

One of the first things that I did was go out to Michael's to look for a good base. They were very overpriced and you get several in a pack but, I decided to make my own to save that cost. I went to my local grocery store, got a box and went to work! I found a circular object in my house (I suggest using something big enough such as a large bowl,) put it face down on the cardboard and trace a circle. Cut that circle out and then you have your base for your diaper cake! I think my diaper cake was about 17 inches because I cut over 2 inches over the circle that I drew. Also, my diaper cake is rather large in size because I cut my base quite large and kept adding layers of diapers to conceal the base. I also wanted the illusion that it was all diapers and the diaper cake was almost 'floating' if that makes sense.

Tips

When starting out, my friend advised me to buy a larger size in diapers rather than newborn because the diapers are obviously larger in size and you will have less to roll. Also, it will be extremely helpful if you get a friend or family member to help you roll the diapers because it can be rather time consuming. You essentially need to roll a diaper, put an elastic on it, place it on your diaper cake, bound that entire layer together with a much larger elastic and repeat. The extra set of hands will be much needed when holding that layer in-place and going in with the larger elastic. I feel that part is a two person job. 

Also, some people who make a diaper cake decide to leave the rubber bands on and just conceal them will ribbon. I don't agree with that part because the mother-to-be will most likely use these diapers for her baby-to-be, and although it is a nice gesture to make one of these cakes, keep in mind that SHE will be the one having to take off all these rubber bands in the end. You might as well do it yourself to save her the work. After I took off the elastics of each individual diaper, you are left with the one giant elastic that is holding the entire layer in place. What I did was to take some thin ribbon (one that usual goes on gifts and the one that curls when you run it across the blade of a pair of scissors,) and wrapped it right below that large elastic. I fit it, cut the excess and double knotted it. I then took off the large elastic and all the mother-to-be needs to do from that point is to cut that thin piece of ribbon to release of all the diapers.

A Theme & Cute Accessories

Before you go out to the store and get overwhelmed by all the cute baby toys & accessories, I can't stress how important it is to choose a theme before you embark on your shopping trip! I decided on a nautical theme because that is what the mother-to-be wanted. You will definitely need a cake topper and a few small things to put throughout the cake. I decided on a practical duck washcloth with a floatie around its neck. To make it stay in place, I took a small safety pin (the ones that come on clothes to attach the label to the inside tag by the back of the neck,) and pinned underneath the duck washcloth to my layer right underneath the duck, of washcloths. I originally was going to do all three layers in diapers, but I came across a beautiful diaper cake that inspired my to do one layer in washcloths. I bought a pack of them and I fit them around to be my top layer. I had one washcloth with an anchor on it which I thought was perfect to make it stand out! 

(Side View)

I bought a little kit full of miniature toiletries for the baby and used the Johnson's Baby Powder to wrap the cloth with the anchor around. Again, I used one of those small safety pins that comes on clothes, to secure the washcloth in the back. Try your best to conceal the safety pin so it doesn't even look like it is there. The other toiletries that fit with the theme, I put them throughout the diaper cake in different areas, and the other items that didn't go with the nautical theme, I put them back in the packaging that the kit came in, sealed it up and put it in a basket full of practical items for the mother-to-be. For instance, this is clearly a cake for a baby boy and I didn't want to include the pink tiny bottle of Johnson's because that would clash. While at the store, I found the cutest pair of little socks  that I had to purchase and include in my cake! It fit the theme perfectly and I already had an idea in my mind. That was to take one of those small little pins again, and pin it to the ribbon, letting the socks dangle effortlessly. 

The Ribbon

You can obviously tell that I went to Michael's several times to get all the elements that I needed to make my diaper cake. I went back again to look for some ribbon. I went to several other stores and they either didn't have enough of the ribbon that I wanted to purchase, or it wasn't wide enough. I ended up stumbling across some fantastic ribbon in the clearance section and found the one that I ended up using on the diaper cake that went perfectly with my theme for only $2.99 CAD! It was originally retailing for $13.99 CAD (a piece) and I quickly picked up two rolls of ribbon. If you are wondering, the ribbon I used was 2.5 inches thick and one roll contained 3 yards. I used up an entire roll and I use some more from the second roll but not nearly as much. Before cutting pieces of ribbon to go around the diaper cake, I just measured each layer and let maybe half an inch of fabric overlap each other. I then cut the ribbon and hot glue gunned where the ribbon overlapped. Make sure to hold it in place for a few seconds to make sure that it bonds together before you let go and avoid burned yourself with the hot glue at all costs!

(Back View)

The Gold Letters

I tried looking everywhere for cute lettering and no one had either the exact: font, colour or size that I wanted. I gave up looking at various stores and instead, I decided after purchasing the ribbon, to measure how large I wanted the letters to be on it. From there, I just went on Google and found some customizable tools that allowed me to print right from home, the exact font, size and colour that I wanted. I decided to take it one step further by going to Michael's to purchase some card stock, and going back home to trace the letters onto the paper that I had just purchased. I then cut-out the letters individually and then hot glue gunned it onto the ribbon. I had to touch-up certain letters after they were all attached. If you try them method out, I am giving you a heads-up that you most likely will have to touch-up your letters after they adhere to the ribbon to ensure that the letters aren't trying to come off. That just will look tacky and cheap.

Time Management

This diaper cake took me around 5 hours to make. I only took one small break and another person was helping me roll the diapers as well as to hold the layers in place when I was rubber banding them. I would highly advice that you put aside a good portion of your day to do this. I am a perfectionist and I changed things a few times (such as moving the bottle of baby powder w the anchor washcloth around it, one tier above so that it was closer to the duck washcloth,) but overall, it is not something that will be done in an hour. Also, as you clearly read, I went to multiple stores to get all of my required items and some places such as Michael's, I had to go-to several times. I can't stress enough how important that it is to plan ahead if you embark on this project!

(This is how it looked on the table at the Baby Shower. The Johnson's Baby Shampoo fell down sadly but I fixed it after the picture!)

Transporting The Diaper Cake

It honestly wasn't hard at all. The hardest part was lifting it off the table in my house to be honest. It has some weight to it but it isn't overly heavy. I was just scared of my work coming undone but that should have been the least of my worries because I hot glue gunned, tied, safety pinned and secured everything to the best of my abilities. I drove to the venue and I had the diaper cake on the passenger seat beside me. You can put it in the trunk or if you are going to the shower/party with a friend or family member, you can have them hold it but wasn't difficult to transport it.

How Many Diapers I Used

I honestly lost track but it was over 100 for sure. My cake was on the larger size and I originally purchased the large box of Pampers that had 244 diapers inside or so. Any diapers that I didn't use, I put back into the box, sealed it with tape and gave it to the mother-to-be. 

Overall, I had fun making this diaper cake and learned many things along the way! If you ever want me to film of video of myself making one in the future, let me know in the comments down below! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me!

Until next time,

STAY CLASSY.

Berrz <3

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