Deciding what to get a mom-to-be for her baby shower can be an enormously taxing ordeal, particularly for those who have not attended a baby shower and have not had children themselves. One small piece of advice for those who are uncertain about what to get--the more useful it is, the more appreciated it will be. As any veteran parent knows, the first few weeks after a baby is born are incredibly taxing, not only on the body and mind, but also on the finances. Therefore, the gift of diapers is not only very appropriate, but also incredibly appreciated.

Some may shy away from the idea of giving diapers because it does not seem to be a very personal gift. The way to get around this apprehension is to personalize the presentation of the gift by arranging the diapers in a pattern. A diaper cake pattern consists of using newborn diapers to create the illusion of a multi layered cake. A diaper cake pattern, when properly constructed, looks amazingly like a real cake, and many baby shower attendees assume that that is precisely what it is until the gift is given or until they inspect it more closely.

There are a number of ways to arrange newborn diapers into a diaper cake pattern, but most involve rolling the diapers into a column shape and then stacking them on one another in layers. From a distance, the diaper material looks like cake frosting, and the illusion can be quite convincing (and, therefore, entertaining).