How To Make A Nappy Cake (And Why They Make The Perfect Gift)

Are you invited to a baby shower, but unsure what to gift the new parents?

Why not learn how to make nappy cakes? They make the most thoughtful present and can be entirely adapted and customised for a baby boy or girl.

Nappy cakes became popular in the USA along with the phenomenon of baby showers, before being introduced in the UK.

This article should give you lots of ideas to make the perfect nappy cake, but you can personalise it and make it your own by adding decorations and accessories of your choice.

If you're in charge of organising the baby shower, here is a list of the 15 best baby shower games to animate the party! And for when the topic of conversation is more practical, have a read of our advice for when to pick up everything parents-to-be need to be ready for the baby (that wasn't gifted at the baby shower!).

Nappy cakes, as the name suggests, are "cakes" composed of nappies and other baby accessories!

While they are not edible, they contain all the essentials for new parents, from nappies to toys and accessories. All of these elements are combined to form the shape of a tiered cake.

This baby shower gift is thoughtful and can be as personalised as you would like. This step by step guide gives you ideas and pointers to build a nappy cake, but the details and decorations are really up to you.

Nappy cakes are easy to make once you get the hang of it. A nappy cake should take about 1-2 hours to complete; the longest part is definitely rolling up the nappies, so you could enlist a helper for this part!

You could choose different accessories and toys for this baby shower nappy cake depending on whether the baby is a boy or a girl, for example, or make it completely neutral if you don't know the gender of the baby yet.

48 nappies (choose the size according to the baby's age), a baby blanket, a shawl, a bib, six pairs of socks (three for three months old, three for six months old), some baby wash cloths, one dummy, one baby bottle, one baby hairbrush, some baby cutlery, a "baby on board" sign, and a selection of toys: a rubber duck, a pram toy, some finger puppets, ...

To secure it the nappy cake together, you will need some large rubber bands, some yarn or string, two metres of satin ribbon of the colour of your choice,

1) Roll each nappy into a tight bundle and secure it by tying some yarn or string around it.

2) Assemble the three tiers of your nappy cake: for the bottom tier, arrange 33 nappy bundles into a circle shape, and fasten it into shape with yarn or string. If you have difficulties with this, you could bundle the nappies in groups of three or four first. Repeat the process with 11 nappies for the middle tier and four nappies for the top tier.

3) Fold the baby blanket width-wise into a 'ribbon' the same height as your nappies, and wrap it around the bottom tier of your nappy cake. Fasten it with some satin ribbon, secure it with a bow.

4) Repeat this process with the shawl and wrap it around the middle tier of your cake, then with the bib which you will wrap around the top tier. Secure each layer with a neat satin bow.

5) To assemble your nappy cake, pile the middle tier on top of your bottom layer, and the smallest layer right at the top. To secure it in place, use three wooden skewers or sticks and insert them through each layer of your nappy cake.

6) Decorate the nappy cake with all the other toys and accessories: roll the baby socks to form rosebud shapes and bunch up the baby wash cloths to form flowers for example. Place those and the dummy, the bottle, the hairbrush and cutlery, the toys on the different tiers of your cake. You could place the rubber duck or the "baby on board" sign at the top of the nappy cake.

You could change the size of this cake by adding or removing the number of nappies according to the proportions above.

The choice of toys and accessories to include is yours. Other ideas of things you could include are a tub of baby powder, a teether, a bath thermometer, wooden blocks, a doll, the list is endless!

This could be a perfect group gift for new parents, with each member of the party purchasing a few of the elements composing the baby shower nappy cakes.

If you're a skilled knitter or seamstress, you could make the blanket, shawl or bib yourself to make this baby shower gift even more special! You could also embroider some of the elements with the baby's name if you know it.

A baby shower is all about the soon-to-be-born child, but the parents need some love too! You could include something for the parents in the nappy cake, like their favourite treats (chocolate, bath salts, face masks, or anything else you know they will love). Nappy cakes for baby showers can include more than just nappies!