What Are Nappy Cakes or Diaper Cakes and Why Are They so Popular?

In recent years there has a been a strong trend to individualize baby gifts. Whether the gift is for a baby shower or given to celebrate the birth of a newborn, the search is on to get something expressive that really conveys the uniqueness of a special new life entering the world.

Couple that with the desire to give a gift that is practical as well as memorable and any gift giver has set themselves a hard task.

Enter the nappy cake or diaper cake - the name is interchangeable depending on your corner of the world.

So what is a nappy cake? It is an arrangement of nappies, that when finished, looks like a cake. They can be made as a single tier, or multiple tiers that look much like a fancy wedding cake. Decorated with ribbons, clothing, baby accessories such as bottles, baby lotions, rattles, clothing and soft toys - a well made nappy cake look stunning and will be a hit at a party.

Because of its versatility, the nappy cakes crosses both roads of the baby gift admirably. The nappies and gifts contained within it are practical items which the parents will find very useful. Every new parent will be surprised by the constant amount of nappies they suddenly need for their new charge - and how the bill for disposable nappies quickly adds up. And the presentation will produce all the "oohs and aahs" every gift giver hopes for.

When choosing a nappy cake, inspect the extras packed into the cake for quality. Most of the expense of a nappy cake comes from the time intensive production of the presentation. But there should still be a good match between the quality of the ancillary gifts worked into the arrangement and the number of nappies the cake contains.

If you're not sure, ask about the brand of blankets, lotions and toys used and make sure you're getting value for money. The last thing you want is for the gift to look fabulous, only for the parents to be disappointed when they unwrap it and find cheap quality products hidden within. That also goes for the brand of nappies used to create the cake layers. Some of the cheaper brands are thinner, and therefore easier to bend into roll into a cake shape. However skillful cake artists can create the same standard of presentation from the thicker more absorbent brands that the the parents will appreciate far more.

Lastly, the nappy cake offers one more versatility that is a great advantage to the gift giver. For baby showers, if the parents are unaware of the sex of the child, nappy cakes come in any colour - such as a neutral lemon that would suit either a boy or a girl. And of course if you do the sex of the baby, then there are the traditional blues and pinks too.

So the humble nappy cake can make the ideal baby gift,as long as carefully selected, and the popularity comes from its innate versatility, practicality and the elusive "wow factor". Not many gifts can claim all that.

Good gift buying to you.