Diaper Cake

I was first introduced to diaper cakes when I was pregnant with Jannah-Rae, and I really wanted one at that time. Then, I was introduced to the price tag this merchandise came with when ready made and I could not bring myself to justify the cost. But, I still wanted one!

I wanted one with the subsequent pregnancies, too, but still could not fork over the cash. And, I did not think I had the talent to pull one together, let alone the time to craft it.

This time, though, I decided to try my hands at one; after all I had all the time in the world to try and try again if need be. Little did I know that assembling one required almost no time and no talent, just a little patience, and some creativity. So, when my first order of new born diapers arrived at my door, I sat on the floor and started working. A little over an hour later I had a beautiful 4-layer cake to display on the dining table that has not been used since I have been on bed rest. Now, our play/living room has a new centerpiece for my looking pleasure.

You can make one, too. Here is how.

Ingredients:

• 60 plus diapers, depends on how big you make it. For this cake I used 74. • Ribbon, choose a color and pattern that fits the gender, or a neutral shade if gender is a surprise. • 60 plus small rubber bands, depending on how many diapers you use, wrap around the diapers. • Tissue paper, choose a color and pattern that fits the gender, or a neutral shade if gender is a surprise. • 6 plus large rubber bands, depending on the number of tiers you will be making. To hold the diapers together around the center. • One 8-oz baby bottle or one large bottle of baby lotion. You can also use a large water bottle, which is what I did. • One 4-oz baby bottle. Or a small water bottle, which is what I used. • A cardboard or a cake platter. I used a glass serving platter. • Cake decorations and baby items- for example, baby confetti, artificial roses, pacifiers, bibs, miniature stuffed animals, wash cloths, baby hygiene products, etc. • Magic tape. Building the cake: Roll diapers up tight, one at a time, starting from the front of the diaper and rolling it to the back. The tighter the better. Place a rubber band around the center after you roll each diaper up to hold it tight. Place the large bottle in the center of the cake platter. Place a large rubber band around the bottle then, place about 5-6 diapers through the rubber band to hold them tight. Next, form a 2nd ring by placing a large rubber band around the 1st ring of diapers. Then place more diapers through the rubber band. Repeat for 3rd and 4th ring. When you are done with this tier, dress it up with tissue paper to cover the diapers. Use the magic tape to secure the tissue paper to the diapers. The remaining tiers are made much the same way only using less and less rings are you go up. Dress these tiers with tissue paper as well, alternating patterns and colors if available. The last ring is probably easiest to assemble on a table and then place it on the rest of the cake after it is assembled. Take the small bottle and surround it with 5-6 rolled up diapers. Cover this tier with tissue paper leaving enough paper at the top to create a flower using a ribbon to tie around it. Now place the assembly on top of the construction. Finally, add little baby items and decorations around your cake. The cake is now ready!