How to Make a Cloth Diaper Cake

A cloth diaper cake will likely be the center of attention at any baby shower you attend. It's a great way to introduce a new mom to cloth diapering. There's no need to be intimidated by the thought of making one yourself. So gather your supplies and put on your pastry hat, because you are about to bake a cloth diaper cake.

Ingredients:
* Diapers of course! You will need about a dozen prefolds for a two layer cake and 15 for a triple tier cake. If you intend to have these diapers used to diaper a baby then please invest in diaper service quality or better prefolds.
* Fasteners. Some tutorials will tell you to use diaper pins. I am a diaper pin dummy, so I used rubber bands for the inner layers and a Snappi for the outermost layer.
* Decorations. I used some wide ribbon on mine, but you can get creative here with different sized ribbons, lace, flowers or any other decorations that inspire you.
* Extras. You will want to include some small gifts inside the cake. You can have diaper covers, cloth wipes, baby socks, bibs, outfits, fancier diapers or any other gift you would like to give the mother to be. If the mother is totally new to cloth diapering, you may want to include some helpful tips or websites to visit.
* A receiving blanket or prefold to be rolled up and used as the center of your cake. The rolled up length must be long enough for all the tiers of your cake without sticking out of the top.

It is best to "prep" the prefolds before starting the cake. Brand new diapers need to be washed and dried at least three times to become fluffy and absorbent. If you are using alternative fabric, such as bamboo, the prefold may not fluff up but it will become more absorbent.

The first step is to roll up your center support for the cake, whether it be a receiving blanket or prefold. Then you use your rubber bands to secure it. Now you must fold the prefolds into thirds lengthwise, also called tri-folding. You may place your other gifts on top of the prefolds and fold around them to keep them in place.

Next, you will create the body of your cake. Wrap the prefolds around the center support. You can wrap a rubber band around each diaper after it is rolled onto the cake to keep it tight and neat. If you chose to use pins, you may certainly pin each layer instead. In my two layer cake the bottom layer had 7 prefolds and the top layer had 4 prefolds. A three tier cake could have 7 prefolds on the bottom, 4 prefolds in the middle and 2 prefolds on the top. The thickness of your prefolds and the amount of extra gifts you have hiding in them will contribute to size differences.

Once you have all the diapers wrapped around the center support to your liking you may decorate your cake. You may rubber band the outermost layer of diapers and cover the rubber bands with ribbon. Another option would be to secure the last prefold in each layer with a Snappi. You may choose to add flowers to the cake. An alternative to flowers is colored baby socks tied with ribbon. The final product will be as unique as your imagination allows it to be.

The only step left is to take your creation to the next Baby Shower you attend and watch the room light up. A cloth diaper cake is sure to grab the attention of the honoree and will make a beautiful centerpiece on the gift table.