Give an original diaper cake as a baby shower gift. Learn how to make a great diaper cake and see picture examples here.

Decorated diaper cake is not only a great conversation piece for the party, but is a practical gift. Diaper cakes are often more appreciated than a gift card to some abstract baby store. The diaper cakes that are full of things a baby might need in the first few months of his or her life gives any newborn's mother, a great jump start.

Knowing from my own personal experience, a first few weeks after child is born mother does not have time to go shopping for fun little clothes across town. A newborn's needs are basic and ever-present. Diapers, soap, shampoo, lotion, pacifier and cream to prevent diaper rashes are essentials that every mother will need on daily basis. Receiving such items as a gift will often save a trip to the store in the middle of the night in the coming weeks. Talking once again from personal experience, gifts that could save a midnight trip to the store are appreciated very much!

A newborn needs to be changed between 5 and 12 times each day. Diapers are the most needed items in the first year of any baby's life.

The main ingredient of the cake is diapers, of course. The rest of the ingredients varies depending on the needs of the individual baby and creative juices of the cake maker. Some ideas to include in the diaper cake are: pacifiers, bottles teething rings, rattling toys, shoes, socks, onesies, baby lotion, soap, wash cloths, packages of baby wipes, shampoo, and even a small receiving blanket. For a girl cake, hair bands, hair clips and bows could also be included.

When creating a diaper cake make sure to work in a clean environment - free of dust and chemicals. Remember, a newborn child does not have the same immune system as older people. Use high-quality diapers, such as "Pampers."

Use a cake platter or a large stirdy piece of cardboard, covered in pretty cloth for the base of the diaper cake.

When working with diapers make sure to leave the middle of the diapers unopened and untouched. This way the part of the diaper that will be touching a child's gentle skin will remain as clean as possible.

For a tall cake, use a clean long skewer in the middle of the cake. Shorter cakes should be fine with double-sized tape and ribbons.

Always start in middle of each tier. Use double-sized tape and ribbons to keep the cake together.

For larger cakes, try to recruit a helper who could hold the diapers in place while you fasten bows around them.

Try to use toys that will be appropriate for a newborn; without potential choking hazards or harmful paints.

Each diaper cake takes an hour or less to complete, once all the ingredients are purchased.

After putting the cake together, wrap the whole cake in cellophaen plastic to prevent dust and potential allergens from landing on it. (You could unwrap the diaper cake right before the party.)

• Parents often have a color preference. The usual colors are blue or green for a boy and pink or purple for a girl. If the gender of the baby is unknown, yellow or light green colors are often used. However, while these colors are usually a safe bet, you might want to go an extra step. Find out what colors mother prefers and make diaper cake gift even more personal.
• Personalization is also important when it comes to a theme, if you choose to have one. Again, the usual themes are baby lambs, teddy bears, and other cuddly animals. However, if parents are college football fans, who is to say you could not have a toy football with college logo on top of the diaper cake? If parents are expecting a girl, a crown for a "little princess" or a large butterfly could be a nice touch.
• When deciding on a size of diapers to purchase, consider bigger rather than smaller. If diapers are too big and don't fit right away, they could always be used in a month or so. If diapers are too small, they will have to be donated or thrown away. A safe bet for purchasing diapers would probably be size 2 or 3. (Unless you know that baby will be smaller-than-average, of course.)

Essentials:

• Diapers
• Double-sized tape
• Cake platter or a large clean board covered with pretty fabric
• Ribbons and bow

Variables:

• Baby soap
• Baby shampoo
• Baby powder
• Diaper rush cream
• Bottles
• Pacifiers
• Rattles
• Wash cloths
• Chew toys
• Soft toys
• Bibs
• Onesies
• Shoes
• Socks
• Wet wipes (in a package)
• Baby brush

Decorating items:

• Ribbons
• Bows
• Artificial flowers (best not to use real flowers, as smell and pollen could trigger reactions in pregnant women and newborns)
• A skewer for taller cakes
• Soft toys
• Topper, such as a special toy, a large bow or a flower

If you are not sure what to include in a diaper cake, I want to suggest Boudreaux's Butt Paste. This is a great product, tried and appreciated by my kids. Read more about it.

Best diaper rash treatment cream to soothe your baby's skin.