Baby Diaper Wreath Instructions
Rolled-Diaper Style

rolled diaper wreath instructions header image

Follow my easy diaper wreath instructions to create a beautiful and memorable baby shower gift. I'll show you how to make diaper wreaths of the "rolled diaper" type which I think look sleek and classy. The pattern is simple to follow, just read on below...

Some diaper wreaths use rolled up diapers and some use open diapers. I prefer the style with rolled diapers because I think it looks prettier, so that's what I'll show you how to make on this page. This is what the finished wreath looks like:

Rolled Diaper Wreath Instructions - Finished Wreath

The decoration of the wreath is very simple, using a wide ribbon around each diaper and a thinner ribbon in a criss cross pattern. The top of the wreath is adorned with a simple pair of ribbon bows.

Rolled Diaper Wreath Instructions - Finished Wreath Close Up

You can add toys or other embellishments to your diaper wreath too. Mr Bunny looks right at home in the wreath

Rolled Diaper Wreath Instructions - Decorated with Bunny
Rolled Diaper Wreath Instructions - Decorated with Bunny

If you're feeling extra creative you could make a wash-cloth animal to adorn your wreath, like Mr Elephant here. If you like you can skip ahead to the video of how to make the elephant.

Rolled Diaper Wreath Instructions - Decorated with Washcloth Elephant
Rolled Diaper Wreath Instructions - Decorated with Washcloth Elephant

OK, ready to make yours? Let's get onto the diaper wreath instructions, starting with the materials...

Materials for Making Rolled Diaper Wreath

Here's what you'll need to make your diaper wreath (or "nappy wreath", for you Brits and Aussies).

  • Diapers x 22
  • Thick cardboard from old box, roughly 14 x 14" (34 x 34 cm) square to make the wreath base from, OR buy a pre-made wreath base.
  • White office paper x 3 sheets
  • Wide ribbon (1.5" or 3.7 cm) x 5 yards
  • Narrow ribbon (3/8" or 7 mm) x 10 yards
  • Glue stick
  • Hot glue gun
  • Rubber bands
  • Optional: double-sided adhesive tape
  • Optional: popsicle sticks

The number of diapers is approximate and obviously depends on how big you make your wreath and how tightly you roll the diapers. It's always good to have a few spare just in case.

Try to get plain, white, undecorated diapers if you can find them. If the diapers only have a small picture on them that then that's OK too because you can hide it when you roll them.

Rolled Diaper Wreath Instructions & Pictures

Step 1: Cut circle

The first step is to make a cardboard circle and cover it in white paper.

Cut a doughnut shape out of your cardboard. I used a circle with an inner diameter of 8.5" (22 cm) and an outer diameter of 13.5" (34 cm). In terms of radius that's an inner radius of 4.25" (11 cm) and an outer radius of 6.75" (17 cm). A circle this size will hold about 22 diapers.

If you don't have a compass big enough to draw the circles, then you can draw a circle using a piece of string .

rolled diaper wreath step 1 cardboard circle Cut cardboard circle

To make your doughnut white, cover it with glue stick then glue on some sheets of office paper:

rolled diaper wreath step 1b Glue onto office paper

Trim away the excess paper, leaving a white cardboard doughnut:

rolled diaper wreath step 1c Trim, leaving white circle

Obviously you can skip this step of my diaper wreath instructions if you're happy with the color of your cardboard as it is.


Step 2: Roll diapers

Roll up a diaper and hold it in shape with a rubber band. If the diaper has a pattern, then try to roll that on the inside of the roll so it doesn't show (unless you want to make a feature out of the pattern).

rolled diaper wreath step 2 rolling the diaper Roll diaper, hold in place with rubber band

Cut a length of wide ribbon just long enough to wrap around the diaper with a little bit spare. Glue it in place with hot glue. Make sure that you only glue the ribbon to itself and not to the diaper, because you want the diaper to still be usable.

rolled diaper wreath step 2 wrap diaper in ribbon Glue wide ribbon around diaper

Repeat for the rest of the diapers. As you get more proficient at gluing you might find that you don't even need the rubber bands.


Step 3: Glue diapers to wreath

Squirt a bit of hot glue onto a rolled diaper, near the overlap in the ribbon. Make sure you glue only the ribbon, not the diaper itself.

rolled diaper wreath step 3 glue diapers to wreath Put glue on ribbon

Glue the rolled diaper onto the wreath so that the edge of the ribbon lines up with the outside of the wreath

rolled diaper wreath step 3 glue diapers to wreath Glue to wreath

Glue on more diapers, working your way around the wreath. Pack them as closely together as you can, so that they're squashing against each other on the inside of the wreath.

When there's only space for 4 or 5 more diapers, plan out exactly how many more will fit, so that you can space them out evenly and not leave a gap at the end.

Once you've glued on all the diapers, you might find that their weight makes the wreath bendy. To stiffen the wreath you can hot glue on some popsicle sticks or another layer of cardboard.

rolled diaper wreath step 3 reinforce wreath with popsicle sticks Reinforce wreath with popsicle sticks (optional)

Step 4: Criss cross ribbon wrap

Attach one end of the narrow ribbon to the back of the wreath, between two rolled diapers. I used double sided tape but hot glue would work fine too.

Wrap the ribbon diagonally across the front of a diaper, then up behind the wreath, the diagonally across the front of the next diaper, etc.

rolled diaper wreath step 4 criss cross wrap Wrap with thin ribbon

Continue all the way around your wreath until it looks like this:

rolled diaper wreath step 4 criss cross wrap Wrap one way

Then wrap back in the other direction until your wreath looks like this:

rolled diaper wreath step 4 criss cross wrap Wrap the other way

Feel free to experiment with other ways of decorating. In my diaper wreath instructions I'm just showing you one possible way, but I'm sure you can think of plenty more!


Step 5: Attach bow

To finish your diaper wreath, attach a bow with double-sided tape or hot glue. (See my tips on tying a neat bow .)

I made a double bow in the same colors of ribbon that I used for the rest of the wreath, but with the thicknesses reversed, i.e. wide dark blue and narrow light blue, instead of narrow dark blue and wide light blue.

rolled diaper wreath step 5 attach bow Attach bow

Here's the finished wreath:

rolled diaper wreath finished side view

How did yours turn out? I hope you found my rolled diaper wreath instructions helpful! If you have any questions or comments, or just want to say hi, please contact me with this handy form or leave a comment at the bottom of the page.

Here's a wreath made by reader Sarah. Thanks for sharing your photo Sarah!

I love this project! It turned out so cute and I love the different styles you can use to personalize it! Sarah
diaper wreath pink sarah

Here's wreath made by reader Roselyn, who wrote to say that instead of using a cardboard backing she used white foam board that she picked up at the dollar store. Great idea! Thanks for sharing your photo Roselyn - I think your wreath looks amazing!

diaper wreath roselyn

Optional: Wash-cloth elephant

Loads of people have asked me how to make the elephant, so here's a video I found on youtube (not mine) that shows how to make an elephant.


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