We had a family baby shower for my cousin recently.  Technically, she is my first cousin once removed.  But, who actually calls their family members by that?  Anyways, my cousin is having a baby, and for their shower, they requested diapers and wipes in lieu of presents.  I couldn’t pass up on an opportunity to make a diaper cake.  The last diaper cake I made was a few years ago, so I googled for some fresh ideas and inspiration.  Along with cakes, I also found some images of diaper tricycles, and they were super cute.  Diaper tricycle > diaper cake.  I had to try making a tricycle.

When I make diaper cakes, I don’t use the rubber band method.  That’s when you tightly roll each diaper and wrap a rubber band around it.  They make gorgeous diaper cakes, and I, myself, received a beautiful cake when I was pregnant.  (Love you Tahrra!)  But from a crafter’s standpoint, it takes a while to roll and tie each little diaper.  And from a new parent’s standpoint, when you have a baby who just had a massive, nasty, blowout, and you’re trying to quickly wrangle on a clean diaper…those tight rolls are a hassle to unroll and keep unfurled.  I wouldn’t have known that until I became a mom, but, now I know.

I mashed up two of my favorite activities, and used large mixing bowls and cake pans to build the diaper cake.  I used that same method to make the tricycle.  You’ll see in the photos below.

I bought a box of Pampers Baby Dry Size 1 diapers.  I ended up using 99 diapers for the tricycle.  I probably could have squeezed some more diapers in, oh well.

Here is my oh so handy, 10 inch springform pan, which will be used for my wheels.  And you thought they were only good for cheesecakes?!  If you don’t have a springform pan, you can also use a regular cake pan, or a large mixing bowl or pot.  But I really like how convenient it is to pop the cake pan apart once I’m ready.

Start stacking the diapers to spiral around the cake pan.

What a nice spiral of tiny butt wrappings.

After my rant about not liking rolled up diapers, I did stuff the middle of the wheel with 3 LOOSELY rolled diapers (no rubber bands used).  I probably could have made a small spiral in the middle, but maybe I will try that next time.

Then I tightly tied a ribbon around the diaper wheel.  I used the flat ribbon used for balloons.

POP that latch

Yeeah, freshly made diaper wheel.

I made 3 wheels.

Originally, I was going to wrap a thick ribbon around each wheel.  But, I didn’t like the ribbons I had at home, so I used strips of cotton fabric from another project.  I used regular Scotch tape to secure the ends of the fabric strips.

This is a 4 pack of receiving blankets.  They came rolled up already.  You may have to re-roll them to adjust their lengths.

I picked 2 blankets to be used for tying the wheels together.  I unrolled them, and placed a length of ribbon that is a little longer than the blanket.

Then I rolled the blanket back up and taped the sides to keep the roll secure.

I (gently) shoved one end of the blanket through the center of the front wheel, and the other end through the center of one of the rear wheels.

Then I tied the ends of the ribbon together.  This part will be covered up later.

Do the same with the other blanket, and shove one end through the front wheel, and the other end through the second rear wheel.

I tucked a bib over the middle section, so it looks like a tricycle seat.

Now, back to the front of the tricycle.  Place another bib over the front wheel, and then put a sippy cup on top of the bib.  Secure it by sliding a piece of ribbon through the center of the front wheel, and tying it around the bib and sippy cup.

Take the remaining 2 receiving blankets, and gently poke their ends into the center of the front wheel.  These 2 blankets will be the handlebars.

Tie the blankets with a ribbon right above the sippy cup, and turn the blankets out so they look like handlebars.  Cover up the ribbon and the rest of the sippy cup with another bib.

Then I stuck a mitten on each handlebar, and tied a bow.

The finished tricycle is pretty difficult to transport on it’s own, so I cut out a piece of cardboard box, and wrapped the top with wrapping paper.  This served as the cake platter.

Back of the tricycle.

Side view.

Materials:
– 10 inch springform pan
– 99 size 1 diapers
– 4 receiving blankets
– 3 bibs
– 1 sippy cup
– 1 pair of mittens
– ribbon
– tape
– cardboard box
– wrapping paper