The ingredients for your baby shower cake

Here's list of items you need for your cake:

• Naturally, you'll need disposable diapers. How many? Assuming you want to make a medium size diaper cake, you'll need around 45 -- 55. You can't be sure of exactly how many until you make cake. Any diapers left over can always be handed over to mommy-to-be.
• Your baby shower cake needs a base. Get a platter of metal, cardboard, or other materials that are reasonably stiff. Choose one that's about 14" -- 16".
• Buy a 10 foot length of 1" wide ribbon and about 60 to 80 feet of narrower ribbon. The latter is for tying individual diapers into rolls.
• Every diaper cake needs a focal point. The most commonly used one is a baby bottle.
• Rather than use an empty baby bottle, fill it with something edible. You could buy or make small chocolates shaped like various baby items, packed individually. Candies are another possible choice.
• Get other cute, useful items for babies. Such as pacifiers, teething rings, bibs, socks, baby hair brushes, small sized soap and shampoo and so on.
• Procure good quality, clear cellophane to provide final wrapping. Get additional ribbons for tying bows at top of cellophane wrapping, if you so prefer.
• Have adhesive tape available.

Baking diaper cake -- putting it all together

While making a baby shower cake is quite easy, it does require a bit of patience. But end result is certainly worth it! Plus fact that you made it yourself creates a terrific impact.

While following through these instructions, have someone help you. It will get done faster.

Exactly what a new arrival needs is not obvious to someone who’s never had a baby before. And many times, guests are in no better position either, when it comes to deciding on baby shower gifts.

Of course, there’s a lot more to baby showers than just gifts. But helping parents to stock up for new arrival is an important part of these celebrations.

That’s why following list of top five baby shower gifts can be quite useful.

Top gift #1: Monitors

Monitors are excellent anxiety-busters, especially for first-time parents. That’s why they hold No.1 position on this list.

Once they can listen to baby from anywhere in house, parents find their confidence levels zooming. The latest monitors are very sensitive and can pick up slightest sound from baby, even her breathing.

If your budget allows for it, take it one step further and buy a video monitor. That’ll really ease anxiety. However, they are much more expensive, so perhaps this can be a joint baby shower gift from two or more guests.

Top Gift #2: Playtime mate for baby

Babies love to play. Anything that helps them play and be active not only keeps them engaged, but also stimulates all round development.

One of best products for them is an activity gym or playpen. This is a soft cloth mat surrounded by a baby-friendly structure of bars and arches with many different toys suspended from various points. Baby gets to play in a safe environment.

Basic activity gyms are excellent baby shower gifts. There are also more advanced ones that include noisemakers and a variety of toys. The suspended objects have different colors and textures to help develop baby’s cognitive abilities.