Diaper Raffle Guide

Your Guide to Baby Shower Diaper Raffles

Whether you’ve been asked to host a baby shower or you’re hosting one for a friend or loved one, including a diaper raffle as part of the shower will be a huge hit! Never heard of a diaper raffle? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered as we cover all things diaper raffle today!

Read through all the information below to know what a diaper raffle is, how to do one, and then print the free diaper raffle tickets and other printables you need and you’ll be all set!

Aside: Additionally, check out all of our Free Baby Shower Printables and Printable Baby Shower Games! More printables are added regularly to each category and you can find matching designs across ALL of our baby shower printables so you can print everything you need for the shower you're hosting entirely for FREE!

What Is A Diaper Raffle And How Does It Work?

Simply put, a diaper raffle is a game played at baby showers to make sure the mom-to-be has plenty of diapers (which are one of - if not the biggest - costs of having a little one) for her new baby and the guests or attendees have a chance to win a prize or prizes. Typically, for every pack of diapers (you can also do this with just wipes or even with diapers and wipes and at the two links just linked to you can find printables for these raffle variations!) brought by guests, they receive a ticket to put into the raffle. During the baby shower, or at the very end, a ticket is drawn at random to determine a winner or winners depending on how many prizes you have to give out. And, yep, you can do diaper raffles at baby sprinkles and gender-reveal parties as well!

While there are some divided opinions on whether diaper raffles should be included in baby showers (some feel that it puts pressure on guests that they must participate or that they can’t bring anything but diapers), in our experience they are always something that both the mom-to-be and guests love! This is because the new mom gets something they are guaranteed to use, reduces one of her biggest future costs, and can even try different brands and types of diapers in a cost-free way. Guests, on the other hand, have an easy gift idea they know will be used and liked and one that requires little time or effort to find and buy. Not to mention the chance to win a prize in return!

So, while diaper raffles are far from a required part of hosting a baby shower we have always enjoyed planning and participating in them!

Now that we know what a diaper raffle is, let’s dive into how they work and what you’ll need to do if you’re the baby shower host wanting to include a diaper raffle.

How To Do A Diaper Raffle

The concept of a diaper raffle is easy enough but how do you actually pull one off? There are a number of small details you’ll need to remember in order to have a successful diaper raffle.

The first step is to make sure the person you’re hosting the baby shower for is open to and wants a diaper raffle. Again, in our experience, it’s pretty rare to see someone turn down a diaper raffle as part of their shower given the high cost of diapers and the everyday need for them. But it’s still worth checking with the mom-to-be to make sure that she does, in fact, want a diaper raffle and whether she has any diaper (and/or wipe) preferences. You should know if she has preferences on the following things: diaper brand, diaper size, and diaper type (disposable, organic, cloth).

Once you know the Mom’s preferences you need to make sure that the diaper and raffle details are clearly communicated to the attendees.

The easiest way to communicate the diaper raffle to attendees is as part of the invitation. This can be done on the invitation proper or in addition to the invitation via a secondary piece of paper or instructions. We’ve seen both and there is no one correct answer or way to do it. If you’re the host, and you’re on a budget yourself, doing it on the same invitation is not only easier but probably more affordable as well. And it can still be plenty cute without anything extra. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter how you do it so long as guests know in advance of the diaper raffle and the instructions or rules are clear since they’ll need to bring the diapers to the party to have a chance to win!

Aside: You may want to make it clear on your invitation that diapers for the raffle are welcome, that gifts (personalized onesies anyone!? :) ) are also welcome, or both. Some showers only do a raffle while others do both. A simple message such as “Diapers for the raffle, gifts, or both are welcome and appreciated!” So, whatever you’re doing for your shower just make it clear to guests so there isn’t any confusion.

Pro tip: if your prize(s) or grand prize is something really amazing it can definitely increase participation by noting what it is on the invite or a separate piece of paper that will be included with the invites!

All that said, the most common thing we’ve seen is some simple wording on the invite itself that invites each guest to bring disposable diapers of any size or brand to the party. For each package or box of diapers, they bring they will get a raffle ticket for a chance to win.

Some hosts will include the actual raffle tickets with the invite but we’ve always had more success providing the tickets at the shower itself. Doing the latter means the guests don’t need to stress about remembering their ticket(s) and can just show up to the shower with some diapers and fill out a ticket upon arrival. Easier for everyone!

The final things you need to do for your diaper raffle are all done at the shower itself. Wherever the shower is being hosted, you’ll want a “raffle table” that has a diaper raffle sign to instruct people to leave their diapers, fill out and drop their tickets in, and maybe a reminder of the rules. The table can have some kind of punch bowl or jar for dropping the tickets in to be drawn later. Of course, it can also have a gorgeous centerpiece or decoration of some sort and can even feature the prize(s).

With this all set up, participating guests can drop off their diapers so they don't have to carry them any longer, fill out a ticket (make sure the table has a pencil or pen!), and then await their chance to win!

Aside: What’s a diaper fund? Is that the same thing? In short: no, a diaper fund is slightly different from a diaper raffle. A diaper fund is where interested guests can donate money in lieu of or in addition to a gift so that the mom-to-be can then buy her own diapers. While Venmoing money might be way easier we prefer the actual diaper raffle for all parties involved!

For the drawing itself, it is entirely up to you when to do it. We’ve seen it in the middle of the shower to catch people before they leave and we’ve seen it at the very end to encourage people to stick around. Either way, we’d recommend you not make it required to be present to win. With a group of family and friends, it’s easy enough to deliver a prize to the winner if they had to leave early. Whatever and whenever you decide to draw the winning ticket we strongly recommend that a final call for tickets be given so that if someone arrived late or missed the diaper table they get their tickets in.

The only other consideration in doing the actual drawing is how it plays in with the shower itself. The shower should be for the mom-to-be so make sure she’s the center of attention and the raffle doesn’t completely take over the shower! :)

Draw your winner(s) and you’ve successfully pulled off a diaper raffle! Congratulations!

Here’s a quick summary for those hosting the diaper raffle:

Pre-Shower:

Confirm with the mom-to-be that she’s okay with a diaper raffle.
Confirm any diaper brand, size, and type preferences.
Detail instructions and rules for guests in addition to or on the invite itself. Your prize(s) can also be mentioned for added participation.
Optional: include raffle tickets as part of the invite if they are going to bring their own. We prefer to have the raffle tickets provided at the shower

At the Baby Shower:

Set up a raffle table that includes a centerpiece or decoration, a pen or pencil, a sign that reminds of the rules and instructs guests to leave their diapers here, and a bowl or jar of some sort to collect filled-out raffle tickets. Your table can also feature the prize(s) if you’d like.

During the Shower:

Remind and give guests a last chance to get their raffle tickets in before doing your drawing. The timing of when to draw the winning ticket(s) is entirely up to you and the mom-to-be.

Diaper Raffle Prize Ideas

To get the most participation in your diaper raffle you’ll want to have an awesome prize! So, what are the best prize ideas for diaper raffles? Here’s a list of some of the most common ones we’ve seen in our years of attending baby showers.

Aside: Whether you have one grand prize for a single winner or decide to do multiple prizes and winners just make sure that the prize is of enough value to make sure that people feel like it was worth their diaper donation. With boxes of diapers ranging in the $20-40 range you definitely don’t want to give away a bunch of Dollar Store goodies. :)

Themed Gift Baskets - These are a ton of fun and work so well! A basket of goodies can not only make the winner happy but potentially her husband as well as her family! We’ve seen themed gift baskets for breakfast in bed, gardening, movie nights, BBQ, chocolate or dessert lovers, spas, and so much more.

Mini-Vacation - Alright, so it’s not quite a vacation per se but a stay at a local hotel or destination is sure to be a hit with many attendees!

Movie Tickets - An old standby, it is still hard to replicate the true movie theater experience whether you’re a movie lover or not.

Alcohol - As the host, you’ll know the attendees well and whether a fancy wine is appealing to them or not but in many cases this is an appealing prize to be won and well worth a box of diapers.

Tickets - A pair of tickets to a sporting event, comedy show, or touring musician or band likely won’t come cheap but should drive up the participation in your diaper raffle.

Gift Cards & Vouchers - Whether it’s Amazon or any other retailer a gift card may be a little less sexy when compared to some of the other prizes but offers the most versatility to the raffle winner!

Ultimately, the prize is up to you and you know what appeals to your group most. Picking something that has broad appeal and usage and carries enough value should create a fun and memorable drawing experience for all those who attend.

Diaper Raffle Wording

With all the details laid out of how to run a diaper raffle the devil is in the details, and in this case, it’s the wording. Whether it’s simple and straightforward or in poem form, in the end, the diaper raffle wording is entirely up to you. Here are a few simple examples of what you could use on the various elements of your diaper raffle.

Baby Shower Invitations With Diaper Raffle Wording

“Diaper Raffle! For each pack or box of diapers, get a raffle ticket put into the drawing for a prize!”
“Diaper Raffle! Want to win an awesome prize!? For each package or box of diapers you bring you get an entry into the diaper raffle!”
“Diaper Raffle! Bring diapers, get raffle ticket entries! Questions? Text 123-456-7890”
“Diapers of any brand, size, or type are welcome.”
“[Huggies/Pampers/Brand] disposable diapers are preferred.”
“[Premie/Newborn/Size] disposable diapers are preferred.”

Wording for Diaper Raffle Table Signs

“Thanks for participating! Leave your diapers under the table, fill out a ticket, and drop the ticket into the bowl. We’ll draw a winner at the end of the shower!”
“Thanks for bringing diapers! You can put your diapers under the table. Please don’t forget to fill out a ticket for your chance to win. You do not need to be present to win!”

Free Printable Diaper Raffle Signs

In charge of the diaper raffle?! Use these free printable diaper raffle signs for the raffle table where guests can drop off diapers and fill out their tickets.

Simply click the sign you like best, download the PDF, and print it for the big day!

Free Printable Diaper Raffle Tickets

While you can buy and use the standard event or arcade-type tickets, we think custom, cute, and coordinating diaper raffle tickets are the way to go. Pick from any of the 10 diaper raffle ticket designs below to print your own adorable tickets!

All of the diaper raffle tickets below are printable and free! Simply choose which set of tickets you like best, click on the image, download the PDF and print it from home!