Ladybug Diaper Cake

When you wait until two weeks before a shower - whether it's a baby or bridal shower - the registry doesn't usually have too many items left. This I should have known, but either way, I waited until the week before my friend Veronica's baby shower on January 29th to pick up a gift. That being said, I thought it would be a great idea to make a diaper cake...no, not a cake in the shape of a diaper like my dad thought, but diapers in the shape of a three-tiered cake. Once I found out about V's ladybug theme, I was super excited to get started and purchase red pieces.

After "googling" how to make a diaper cake to learn how many diapers I would actually need, off I went to the store. I picked up two packs (36 in each) of Huggies Size 2. As I stood in the diaper aisle, I was conflicted about the brand I should choose. Although Pampers stood out in my mind, Huggies happened to work out more effectively because of the amount in each package. Note, you should use between 60 and 70 diapers for a three tiered cake. If you have a few extra, you can always make them fit more snugly. I also had to stop and think about which size would be best. The website suggested using both size ones and twos. I actually texted my cousin, who has a little one, to find out which size was used the most.

What professionally made cake doesn't have a nice base? Well a four pack of Wilton 14 in. cake circles worked perfectly. I figure I can always use the other three at some point in the near future. I also picked up a three pack of large Johnson's lotions, bath wash and baby powder to help secure the cake's structure (I suggest using a bottle of lotion or a 9 oz. bottle in the center of the first layer - more on this later). I picked up rubber bands to wrap the diapers, red ribbon with pink polka-dots for each layer and a bag of yellow rubber duckies as accent pieces.

Making the cake:

• Roll each of the 72 diapers individually and secure with a rubber band. 
• Place the bottle of lotion in the center of the base.
• Place about five or six diapers around the lotion and then secure with a larger rubber band. 
• Continue this until you have three circles of diapers on the first level each secured with a large rubber band. The last circle needs a really large rubber band to secure or you can use the ribbon instead. 
• Repeat the process on the second layer, but only make two circles of diapers. 
• Repeat the process on the top layer with one circle of diapers - I also put a diaper in the center of this layer. 
• To secure the top layer to the other two, I inserted wooden sticks for added security. (I pictured the cake toppling over if I didn't secure the three layers) 

Here's a picture of the first two layers. As you can see, the lotion is sticking out of the second layer.

The finishing touches make the cake. I was on a mission to find a ladybug and I must tell you it wasn't the easiest thing to find. I ended up purchasing three different ladybug-type pieces - one was too big, one was pretty perfect and the last one happened to be the right color with really cute eyes. As you can imagine, this is the one I used. I placed little red accents and a couple rubber duckies to spruce up the cake. Anything left over - lotions, hooded towels and snack holder - fit perfectly in the red matching basket with polka-dot red tag.

A picture of the final product is below, but if you "google" how to make a diaper cake, many designs will pop up. And, the more creative, the better especially if the mommy-to-be has a theme! Some additional accent pieces I've seen are flowers, cut outs, stickers and a lot of people have put small gifts on each layer too. It makes the process so much more fun! Good luck on your next diaper cake project.