Genius Diaper Cake Airplane Baby Shower Gift

Babies are such a welcome blessing and celebrating their lives with “showers” is a huge part of the pregnancy and childbirth process we look forward to enjoying.  For your next baby shower event, make this adorable little diaper cake airplane.  It’s the ideal gift for a new mom but also doubles as cute baby shower decor.  An old cardboard box, some tissue paper, diapers, and a few rubber bands turn this into an absolutely adorable decoration or gift any new mom would love to receive!

Diaper Cake Airplane

If you haven’t figured it out already, I love making diaper cakes for baby gifts.  They are always so fun to see come to life and I think that the airplane diaper cake may be one of my favorites.  This little bi-plane is just too cute for words!  You don’t need much to make this into a cute gift that also doubles as decor on the gift table.  Plus, it’s super easy to personalize with your own style or to suit the new baby nursery.

Babies are so fun to create for.  I’ve made tons of crochet baby items, sewn baby clothing, and of course, added baby mobiles to nurseries, but these diaper cakes are a perfect project.  I just adore how cute they are and how easy it is for you to customize to fit the baby nursery or party theme.

What Can I Use as the Airplane Base?

I am using just a small cardboard box. Something like a cut off cereal box will work or an empty shoe box.  You can make your own base for the airplane by cutting and taping up a larger box if needed.  You don’t have to be specific for this. 

Another great option is to use reusable boxes.  I love the little ones you can find at the local dollar store or even at craft stores like Hobby Lobby or Michael’s.  The photo boxes I have found at hobby stores make a great base.  They are already decorated, and you can use reusable tape to add the wings and propeller to them so the box can be used to store keepsakes for the baby later down the road.

What Items Should I Add to the Inside of this Airplane?

The obvious addition is to add diapers since it is a diaper cake.  That isn’t the only thing that looks great inside one of these cakes.  Making it useful for the new parents is a huge part of making these gifts.  I love the idea of personalizing them, and below are some super fun ways to add to your airplane “cake”.

• Add the classic baby bath items like lotions, bubble bath, baby shampoo, washcloths, and a hooded towel.
• Create a baby first aid kit with things like nose syringe, medicine syringes, fever reducers, gas drops, teething tablets, nail clippers, and similar items.
• Roll onesies, shirts, pants, dresses, sleep gowns, and socks into rolls and tuck into the box.
• Add stacks of washcloths, towels, or receiving blankets into the box.
• Create a new parents’ support box with things to pamper mom like lotions or bubble bath, a favorite beer for dad, or a few “coupons” for a night of babysitting. 
• Tuck gift cards to Amazon, Walmart, Target, or grocery stores inside between the diapers to help pay for additional supplies needed for the new baby.

How Can I Customize This Diaper Cake?

I used basic solid tissue paper and ribbons, but you can make your airplane unique with tons of different additions. There are tons of different ways to turn it into a themed decoration.  Follow the party or even baby nursery theme and add characters to the airplane.  Things like stickers, slogans, or even just simple primary colors and alphabet or numbers will look cute.

I like the idea of also going with something like a favorite military airplane theme or similar to honor family members who may have served in years past.  You could even look to those special events that have flyovers for inspiration for an airplane decoration or accent decor.

Can I Make This Larger?

If you wanted to make this this diaper cake airplane bigger, you can use more diapers and a larger cardboard box for the center. Then make larger wings. This would not only create a bigger display it will also let you add more gifts to the diaper cake. You would be able to add a larger stuffed animal to the airplane too.  Just follow the same basic layout to create your own sized airplane.

Supplies Needed

How to Make a Diaper Cake Airplane

Cut out cardboard pieces for the wings and rudder of the plane.  A 14″ long by 4″ wide length will be cut for the wings.  Cut a 10″ by 4″ piece for the back rudder and then another 6″ piece on an angle to create a rudder.

Wrap all of the cardboard in white tissue paper and secure with glue.

On each end of the wings and rudder, glue on a piece of solid colored ribbon as an accent.

Wrap a larger box with blue tissue paper all around leaving the top open but the box completely covered.  I made my box approximately 18″ long, 5″ wide, and 5″ tall. 

Glue the smallest cardboard piece onto the 10″ piece to create the rudder.

Attach this to the very end of the blue box with glue.

Glue the wing above 4″ from the front of the box.

Roll one diaper and then roll another diaper over it, repeating with 4 more diapers until you have a bundle of 4-5 diapers then secure them together with a rubber band.

Repeat this process so you have two large rolls of diapers.

Wrap a length of polka dot ribbon around the middle of each of these bundles and secure with glue.

Put double-sided tape on one side of the diaper rolls.

Place one roll on each side of the plane just under the wings and secure with the tape.

Fold or roll and stuff additional diapers into the front of the airplane box.

Add in a stuffed animal and more diapers or any other gifts into the box.

Glue two craft sticks in an x.

Add a small flower or another embellishment at the end of each stick.

Stick a dowel into the front of the box so it pokes outward.

Glue the craft sticks to the end of the dowel to create a propeller.

Add additional decorations or gifts to the airplane and wrap or display.

More Baby Shower Gift Ideas

I have made tons of great diaper cake ideas in the past and know that you may want to test out some other ideas.  Whether you want big and flashy, classic, or even just simple and fun, below are some great ideas for diaper cakes that you can add to your list of gifts to make.

Crafting Tip

To add a fun look to your airplane that also matches your baby shower theme, check out the baby shower decoration packs you can find on Etsy.  There are tons of great ideas that you can download and print or order and have shipped to add to your decor.

Finished Project Gallery

These diaper cake airplanes are also great to hang from the ceiling if you remove the diapers and gifts and just hang the plane.

I love the idea of also adding in a few toy airplanes to this gift for kids to play with and enjoy as they grow up.

While I used blue, you can easily decorate these with any color paper or even styles you want to add a fun look to the plane.