How to make a diaper cake: how many diapers per tier

The number of diapers follows from how the cake is built. The rolled diapers stand around a cardboard tube, and a roll is about as thick as the tube, so 6 fit around it. The next ring out holds 12, and the one after that 18.

The top tier is one ring, the middle tier two and the bottom tier three. That makes 6, 18 and 36 diapers, 60 in all. A two-⁠tier cake is the top two of those, 24 diapers, and a single tier of two rings takes 18.

Take the counts as close rather than exact. A tightly rolled diaper is thinner than a loose one, brands differ, and a bigger size makes a thicker roll, so a ring can come out one or two diapers over or under. Fill each ring until the rolls stand snug, and send the leftover diapers along with the cake.

Size 1 is the safe choice. It fits babies of 8⁠–⁠14 lb, which covers nearly every baby from about 1 to 3 months, the time when a baby goes through 8 to 10 diapers a day. In that size, a three-⁠tier cake is about a week of diapers. The newborn size looks sweet in a cake, but many babies outgrow it within the first month, a big baby never wears it, and it is the size other guests are most likely to bring.

Size 2 works as well, and it is the better pick when you know the parents are stocked for the first weeks. Its rolls come out a little thicker, so the same counts make a slightly wider cake. If the parents have settled on a brand, or plan to use cloth diapers, ask before you buy.

The diaper size chart goes on from here: the UK sizes, when to size up and how many diapers a day.

Small rubber bands hold each roll closed, one for every diaper. The thin ones sold for hair are right, and so are the smallest in a mixed bag. A band around the middle of the roll disappears under the ribbon later.

String or twine ties each ring as you build it. Extra large rubber bands, the kind sold as file bands, do the same job, but string fits a ring of any size.

The ribbon is what everyone sees, and it has a practical job too: it hides the string and the bands. Ribbon about an inch and a half wide covers them. Fasten its ends to each other with double-⁠sided tape or a dot of hot glue.

The base has to be stiff, because the cake is carried by it: a cardboard cake board from the baking aisle, a pizza pan, a charger plate or a circle cut from a sturdy box. The tube in the middle keeps the tiers standing in one line. A tall bottle does the same and adds a surprise, either baby lotion or shampoo, or a bottle of something for the parents to open later.

Roll all the diapers before you build. It is the long part of the job, and it goes well in front of the TV.

A few habits make the cake look neat. Roll each diaper with its printed side in, so the cake comes out white, and keep the rolls evenly tight, because a loose roll leaves a gap in its ring. Stand every roll with its loose end toward the tube, so the smooth side faces out.

If the tube stands taller than the finished cake, trim it so it ends just under the tops of the diapers. A bow or a small soft toy then sits in the opening and hides it.

A quicker way needs no small rubber bands at all. Stand the diapers on edge in a round cake pan and fan them along its rim in a spiral, each one overlapping the last, until the pan is full. A tube in the middle holds the spiral open. Then slip a large rubber band or a ribbon around the ring and lift it out. Pans of 10, 8 and 6 inches make three tiers.

A fanned cake takes more diapers, about 100 for three tiers, and its tiers look ruffled rather than rolled. It also comes apart faster, which the parents may thank you for.

The ribbon sets the look, so the same cake suits any shower.

For the top, a bow is enough. A small soft toy, a pair of baby socks or a rattle sits in the tube's opening just as well. Washcloths, bibs, a teether or a pacifier tuck under the ribbon, and a rolled swaddle blanket can take the ribbon's place on one tier.

A diaper cake keeps, so it can be made days or even a few weeks ahead. Work with clean hands on a clean table, and store the finished cake somewhere dry, wrapped in cellophane or tulle to keep the dust off.

Carry the cake by its base. If it has far to go, push two wooden skewers down between the rolls, from the top tier into the bottom one, so the tiers cannot slide.

At the shower the cake stands with the gifts or in the middle of the table until the parents take it home. If the shower is yours to host, a diaper raffle gets the guests to bring diapers too: every pack is a ticket for a prize.