13 cute diaper cakes you can make in your living room

There are a lot of things about having a baby that are expensive, and diapers are definitely one of them since newborns tend to go through way more of them than parents might expect. (I remember one notable diaper change where my son peed on four diapers before I got one on him while it was still dry.) For this reason, diapers are a great baby shower gift. But, admittedly, handing over a box of Pampers isn’t that much fun, right? Enter the diaper cake, a creation made of diapers that can be kept and used once the “cake” has been disassembled.

Many diaper cake designs include other useful baby items, such as washcloths and receiving blankets, that you’ll go through much faster that you realized once the baby arrives. If the new parents plan to use cloth diapers, many of these suggestions can be made with prefold diapers and other fabric baby items, such as burp cloths, instead.

Here is a baker’s dozen designs that you can make ahead of your next baby shower invite.

1. Basic diaper cake

Sometimes simple is good enough! These instructions will help you build a basic cake with three tiers. You can use this as inspiration for something more elaborate or just let the Huggies be the star of the show.

2. Train diaper cake

A train theme is a great idea for a diaper cake because it can be customized to the number of diapers you’re using. You can just make the train engine for a smaller gift or add train cars to include more diapers and other items.

3. Sushi diaper cake

This idea is perfect if the parents-to-be have asked for cloth diapers—their fun colours can be used to make “sashimi,” and the white liners are the perfect “rice.” Socks and washcloths work well to fill the fabric sushi rolls.

4. Golf clubs diaper cake

If the new addition to the family is likely to be holding a golf club as soon as they can walk, this cake idea is a great fit. Use diapers to build the caddy, and put baby socks on the clubs.

5. Giraffe diaper cake

Rolled-up diapers are a great way to make a giraffe’s long neck. This giraffe only uses about 20 diapers, which makes it a less expensive option.

6. Beehive diaper cake

For a baby who is sure to be sweeter than honey, a beehive cake is a fun choice. You can place additional items inside the hive as a surprise.

7. Airplane diaper cake

Diapers rolled into a round shape can be set on their side to make a cake tier, but they can also be turned up to be wheels. For this cake, the wheels of the airplane include essential items like baby spoons and bottles.

8. Castle diaper cake

For a shower with a royal theme, a castle diaper cake is the perfect choice. Your castle can be simple or elaborate, depending on the number of diapers you’d like to use, and decorated to fit the party decor.

9. Car diaper cake

Diaper wheels can be used to make a car. If you want to model your creation on a specific type of vehicle, there are many ideas to customize it online.

10. Drum set diaper cake

A musical family will be tickled pink by this diaper cake, which is designed to look like a set of drums. If you want to include a lot of diapers or extra items like washcloths, expand the set accordingly.

11. Mickey or Minnie diaper cake

For a Disney-themed shower, put together a diaper cake in the shape of the iconic mouse logo. You can adjust the size of this one, depending on the number of diapers you want to include.

12. Olaf diaper cake

Looking for a different Disney option? Olaf’s shape lends itself to being reinterpreted in diaper form.

13. Diaper babies

If a stacked cake is beyond your skill level or you want to use just a few diapers, put together some of these adorable diaper babies. You can wrap them in washcloths and pop baby socks on their heads as hats.