Diaper Cake Instructions
	A diaper cake is a great way to give the expecting mommy a gift that is practical and useful. Diaper cakes also make great baby shower center pieces and can be made to match just about any theme. Your gift will definitely be the talk of the party and the new mommy's favorite gift. It's fun and easy to make a diaper cake with our detailed instructions. Our instuctions include making a boutique style diaper cake with ribbon and flowers or using baby items such as receiving blankets, bibs, etc. All you need is a little creative thought and a shopping list to make sure you get everything you need. Before you begin, consider the following: What size diaper cake you would like to make. You can make a mini, two, three, or even four tier. What theme will you use for the diaper cake? If the diaper cake is a baby shower center piece follow the theme of the baby shower. Do the parents have a nursery theme? If so you could decorate the cake with accessories that match the nursery theme. How much do you want to spend? It is easy to go overboard, baby stuff is so cute. Set your budget before you begin. Once you have made these decisions it's time to go shopping for all of your supplies. You can use blankets, bibs, onesies, cute plush toys and rattles, ribbon and flowers to decorate your diaper cake. To keep it simple you can buy a layette set that includes all the basic layette necessities in a matching set. Supplies you will need for a three tier diaper cake (you might not need all of the supplies depending on what style of cake you decided to make): 55 good quality diapers - Huggies or Pampers Swaddlers (size 1 and/or 2) are both great choices. 1 receiving blanket Layette items - 1 bib, 2 burp cloths, 2 washcloths, booties, hat Bottles, rattles, pacifiers (1 or 2 of each). 3 yards of decorative wide ribbon, 1" to 1-1/2" wide, to wrap around the tiers. A coordinating thinner ribbon to use for tying items to the cake. You can use a 1" sheer ribbon to tie pacifiers, onesies, etc. to the diaper cake. Rubber bands (make sure they are large enough to fit around the tiers) or thin white ribbon (1/8" will work). 12 inch cake board (you can find these in most craft stores in the cake decorating section) or a sturdy piece of cardboard cut into a circle. You can cover the round with colored tissue paper or if you would like a decorative edge to show around the base of the cake use a 14" round and decorate the edges with ribbon or lace. Hot glue gun or double-sided tape, and clear package tape. 2 cardboard tubes from paper towels or 2-8 oz. bottles. One you will attach to the cardboard round to make a sturdy base and hold the cake together, the other is to roll the diapers. A 10" cake pan, hat box cover, or any round item you can use as a mold to build your tiers. Decorative accents such as little bows, flowers, scrap booking embellishments, safety pins, etc. (optional) Tulle or a cellophane bag to wrap the diaper cake, and a gift tag if necessary Make the diaper cake base: Center the tube on the cake board before applying glue. Use the hot glue gun or double-sided tape to attach one of the paper towel tubes to the cake board. Allow to dry. Use the packaging tape to make the base stronger. Apply pieces of tape so that half is on the cardboard round and the other half on the paper towel tube. Wrap about 3 or 4 pieces around like this until you have covered all sides. Then wrap 1 more piece of tape completely around the base of the tube. If you are using a bottle instead of a cardboard tube - use double sided tape to attach to base or place 3 pieces of tape on the bottom of the bottle, apply some hot glue (set on high) to the base, then press the bottle onto the base (making sure it is centered). Aplly pieces of package tape as described above to strenghten. This makes a sturdy base for your diaper cake. Bottom tier - you will need 30 diapers: Place your 10" mold in front of you. Take a few diapers and place them in the pan. Make sure to place the printed design of the diaper in facing the center of the pan. Fan the diapers out, with about a 1/2" space between each diaper, around the edge of the pan. Continue to add the diapers in this manner turning the starting edge of diapers in toward the center as needed. Use your hand in the center of the diapers to round out the diapers and make a hole in the center as you add them. Continue like this until you have added all but 2 or 3 of the 30 diapers. Take the last diapers and fit them into the center hole of the diaper round you made. Make sure to place them with the design going in the same direction as the rest for a flawless look. Secure with a large rubber band or white ribbon. Adjust the diapers as necessary so they look uniformly spaced. Turn the pan over and remove the pan. If necessary, adjust the rubber band/ribbon so that it is in the middle of the diaper round. . Look at the bottom and top of the tier and place the best side of the tier up (sometimes diapers have numbers or codes on one edge. Lift the diaper round from the bottom and place the center over the cardboard tube base and slide it down to the bottom. Adjust the diaper round so that it is centered on the base. This is the bottom tier of your diaper cake. Middle tier - you will need 20 diapers: You can do the middle tier two different ways. You can do another layer just like the bottom tier but use an 9" or 10" pan instead. The other alternative is to roll the diapers into a round layer which will look like a smooth cake layer. Using a cardboard tube or a baby bottle, take a diaper, the printed side against the tube, and roll it tightly around the tube about 2" from one end. Do not open the first diaper. Make sure to keep the diaper rolled tightly around the tube with one hand. With the other hand open the next diaper and roll it around the first diaper. Pull the diaper taut as you roll it making sure to keep it even with the edge of the first diaper, and at the same time keep the first diaper rolled tightly with your other hand. Continue like this until you have added all 20 diapers. Secure with a rubber band. Line the cardboard tube up with the base tube and slide the tier down. Top tier - you will need 5 diapers: Roll the remaining five diapers around a cardboard tube or baby bottle using the above method. Secure with a rubber band. Line the cardboard tube up with the base tube and slide the tier down. If you want a professional look you can use thin white ribbon to tie around each tier and cut off the rubber bands. Make sure to tie the ribbon tightly. Now you can start adding the decorations to the diaper cake. If you are using ribbon and flowers only - measure the ribbon around the tiers leaving about 1" overlapping (leave a little extra if you will be tying the ribbon into a bow to attach it). If you will be using a receiving blanket, burp cloths, and/or washcloths to cover any of the tiers you will put the ribbon on last. Otherwise, attach the ribbon using a glue gun, safety pins, or you can tie the ribbon into a bow. If you want to keep it simple and elegant, use artificial flowers and ribbon. Use a wire cutter to cut the stems off of the flowers leaving about 2" of stem. You can place the flowers in small bunches on each tier of the cake and one bunch in the middle of the top tier. Stick the stem of the flowers in-between the diapers to hold them in place. For the topper, I use floral tape or package tape to secure a bunch together and then just place it on top. If you are using a receiving blanket - lay the blanket down on a table. Use a closed diaper to measure the width of where you will fold the blanket. Make the first fold so that it is the same width as the diaper then continue to fold the blanket. When finished the blanket should be the same width as the diaper. Wrap the receiving blanket around either the bottom or middle tier (depending on the size of the blanket). Attach the blanket with a safety pin or wrap a length of ribbon around the tier and tie it in a bow. If you use a wide ribbon you can use the glue gun to secure the ribbon. To wrap a tier in burp cloths or washcloths you will need 2 each of these items for the middle tier or one for the top (depending on the size of the items). Use the technique above to attach these items. To attach clothing or layette items, fold the item to desired size and roll up jelly roll style. Use a wide piece of ribbon tied around the item in a decorative bow. Attach with a safety pin to the ribbon that is around the diaper cake or apply 3 pieces of tape (one on top of the other) to the ribbon and attach to the ribbon around the cake with a dot of hot glue. Never use hot glue directly on any of the baby items. Apply any decorations such as little bows, scrap booking embellishments, or small flowers. Use the glue gun on the low setting to attach the items to the ribbon around the tiers (using the tape method in the prior step to attach). For rattles, teething rings, and pacifiers, you can tie a ribbon into a bow around them and attach with a dot of glue on the ribbon (being careful not to get any on the item). You can also stick rattles and teething rings in between the diapers and blanket, or ribbon. The paper towel base tube in the middle of the diapers is also a great way to secure these items. Cut a piece of ribbon long enough that it will hang over the side of the cake. Place it under the top or middle tier so that you are wrapping it around the tube. Tie the item to the end of this ribbon in a decorative bow and allow to hang over the side of the diaper cake. To add a plush toy, position the item where you want it, then put a rubber band around the plush toy and over the tier tucking it under the tier. Once again, the paper towel tube will hold it in place. You can also use a thin ribbon tied around the neck and under the arms and then looped over the tier in the same manner. For the hole in the top tier - you can use a small plush toy rattle, a bottle or some flowers. To add a little surprise inside, you can roll up a onesie, socks, or washcloths and stuff them into the top hole. You completed your first diaper cake! Wrap it in tulle or a cellophane bag and tie it with decorative ribbon and a gift tag if needed. To make a mini one tier diaper cake you can cut the cardboard tube down or use a toilet tissue tube or 4 oz. bottle. The bottle can be secured to the base with some double-sided tape. To make a four tier or larger diaper cake you can tape a toilet tissue tube to top of the base tube. Make sure to increase the size of the cake board base according to how many diapers you are using for a larger cake. Save time and money by ordering one of our diaper cake kits. They include everything you need to make your own diaper cake creation.