Frugal Gift Idea: Diaper Cakes

Packages of diapers come in handy. Getting them in advance helps a lot because you can avoid the unexpected trips to the store when your baby outgrows a size suddenly. I know this really helped for me, since my son was barely in Newborns and then flew through Size 1s. Having the next size up on hand helped me diaper frugally because I didn't have to pay retail, I shopped sales and bought when they were a good bargain throughout my pregnancy.

Buying a pack of diapers would be so appreciated at most baby showers, many showers are just "diaper showers" especially for second or more children. Getting diapers that are not the Newborn sizes would probably be even more appreciated because they help start a stockpile for the parents to be. Just the diapers are present enough, but if you want to do it a little differently, you can make a Diaper Cake.

The first step when making a diaper cake is to decide what size diapers. My friend and I have made many for the mothers in our group and have found that 2-3s work best. You can make a good sized cake out of a Jumbo package of diapers. Plus the new mom won't have to take it apart right away to use it.

What you'll need:
1 Jumbo package of diapers (size 2 or 3)
4-5 cloth diapers (the thin ones that are used for burp cloths are perfect)
1 large package of rubber bands
Hot glue gun
Pins
Dowl rods (to help provide support)
Ribbon + decorative items

First your wrap the diapers up by rolling it from the open end to the bottom and secure it with a rubber band. Do this with all the diapers.

Then gather the diapers together to make the cake layers. The top layer will have fewer than the middle and bottom layers. Start with about 7 diapers for the top, put a large rubber band around all 7 binding them together, then add more as needed. Start with 7 for the middle and add more around, then do the same for the bottom layer. Depending on the size of the diapers and the brand you could need fewer or more diapers to make it look right.

Then wrap the outside of the layers with a cloth diaper folded in 4ths. Pin this to the diapers (that will be the back of the cake). The bigger layers may need more than one diaper. *Please be sure to let the mother know there are pins!* This step can be skipped, but it makes it look better.

Hot glue ribbon around the layers and decorate as desired. You could also add baby care items to the cake. This is really just a basic guide and you can make it as big as you want to. You can make it part of the baby shower theme, match the nursery decor, etc.

Insert the dowel rods and plan to have a base for the cake to make it easier to transport. Usually tissue paper covering a piece of cardboard works well.

The end result is a beautiful diaper cakes that is both fun and functional.