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Baby Shower Gifts: How to Make a Diaper Cake

January 25th 2008 by Dr.MOZ in Baby Shower Gifts, Baby Showers, GoodFather Fridays

How to Make a Diaper Cake

Dear Dr.MOZ,

I hope this isn’t too “girly” for the GoodFather, but I have an odd one for him. My wife and I are throwing a baby shower and we’re making a diaper cake as a centerpiece for the party. I just learned that this isn’t an actual cake that you eat, so you can probably guess why I’m writing. I see diaper cakes for sale online, but I haven’t found simple directions for building one. Any advice for a first-time diaper cake designer GoodFather?

Thanks,
Ray

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It takes guts to ask another man how to make a diaper cake Ray. Thankfully, you’ve come to the right guy. Creating a diaper cake is more of an art than a construction job, and between you and me…I’ve built diaper cakes that have made grown men weep. First, visit our friends at Clever Parents for useful “recipes” for

creating a diaper cake, then revisit my tips below to create the prefect diaper cake:

  • GoodFather Tip #1 (The Base): The expecting parents will need to take the diaper cake home (and won’t want to destroy the cake), so plan ahead by making it portable. Although most directions call for building the cake on a cardboard cake “round”, I recommend spending a few extra dollars on a plastic plate. You’ll find a cheap flat plate for as little as $1 to $3 dollars at any major retailer, and it will provide a much more stable base for moving compared to cardboard that might buckle and cause a cake-tastrophe. Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
  • GoodFather Tip #2 (Diaper Size): You might think that buying the smallest “newborn” diapers would a be a no-brainer when choosing diapers for a newborn, but most of the diaper cake pros use larger sizes of 1 and higher. Babies are being born a little larger than they were in the past, so I like to go with both “Size 1″ and “Size 2″ diapers in the same cake. This makes the diapers useful in the beginning and when the baby starts to grow into larger sizes in the near future.
  • GoodFather Tip #3 (Diaper Color): Plan your cake color-scheme, top piece, ribbon, and other embellishments before buying your diapers. Cakes that are heavy on accessories and colorful ribbons typically look best (and more like cakes) when created with plain white diapers. On the other hand, “diaper-only” cakes (with little or no accessories) can look nice with colored diapers which helps establish a “boy” or “girl” theme if the gender is known. Either way you go, you should stay away from diapers with printed designs because they often appear cluttered when put together.
  • GoodFather Tip #4 (Tools): The great thing about diaper cakes is that the individual “ingredients” used to create the cake are useful. To ensure that your diapers can be worn without springing a leak, use rubber bands and ribbon instead glue or tape. Glue, tape, and pins will tear the diapers when they are removed to be used.

Thanks for the question Ray. It’s great to hear that GoodFathers are finally invited to baby showers AND stepping up to their diaper cakes like real men!

Your favorite family man,

The GoodFather

(meet the GoodFather at DrMOZ.com)

9 Responses to “Baby Shower Gifts: How to Make a Diaper Cake”

  1. alee Says:
    January 28th, 2008 at 12:19 pm

    Oh I love the subjct! Thanks for interesting post. My girls will be pleased;)

  2. Zazsis dark blue ring Says:
    February 1st, 2008 at 10:28 pm

    I think this is a neat idea; making a diaper cake as a centerpiece for a baby shower party. I am seriously considering this.

  3. P Moyer Says:
    February 19th, 2008 at 8:50 am

    Organic Diapers would be a good choice in a diaper cake. The cake is not hard to make, but most retailers charge big bucks for them.

  4. Don Perreira Says:
    February 20th, 2008 at 6:37 pm

    Here is a couple of hints from a pro:
    1) First, tacky glue a 12 X 4 inch styro cone in the middle of 16 inch cake board for the backbone of your diaper cake.
    2) Remember, four hands are always better than two when making your diaper cake.
    The rest is easy!

  5. Goji Juice Gal Says:
    March 28th, 2008 at 12:03 pm

    I’d never heard of a diaper cake until seeing this post, so I just had to look them up. What a cute idea for any expecting mother!

  6. babyblues Says:
    April 2nd, 2008 at 10:30 am

    Thank you, thank you, thank you…!:)
    Just what I needed, when I needed it!

  7. eric Says:
    July 30th, 2008 at 2:16 pm

    this sounds great, though not sure if i can get my head around the title of the dessert. oooooh, its not a cake….hmmmm, my brothers probably wouldnt notice until 1/2 of it was eaten anyway, lol

  8. elizabeth Says:
    August 14th, 2008 at 6:18 am

    The diaper cake can be one of the most pricey parts of a baby shower, so this post should help a lot of people save some money! Loved the post!

    Here is another tip: If you have a theme picked out, you should design the cake around the theme. For instance, if you are throwing a little mermaid themed shower, buy a little mermaid doll, and put it on the top of the diaper cake! It adds a little bit more uniqueness to the cake!

  9. Natalie from Diaper Cakes Mall Says:
    November 22nd, 2008 at 4:19 pm

    As a diaper cake professional :) ) I can confirm that all the tips are right to the point. I can also add that you should definitely have fun doing it. Experiment. Don’t be afraid to mess it up. Use plenty of decorations. But try to stick to a simple color scheme. That will make it look classier and not too cluttered.