Baby Shower Diaper Cakes, in Pictures

Once you've built the basics, it's great fun to design your cake around a theme. Here are some popular ones that grace baby showers all across the land:

Lion cubs, elephants, giraffes, baby duckies, rocking horses and teddies; frogs, monkeys, lambs, baby cows, baseballs and baby bees; bunnies, butterflies, kittens, ladybugs and ballerinas.

There's no end of ingenuity when it comes to taking a diaper cake from good to great. Here are some popular ways to add zing to your creation:

• Beloved books, like Dr. Seuss or Goodnight Moon: stack between layers!
  
• Waterfall of silk flowers (just like the fanciest wedding cakes).
  
• "Mod Mom" ribbon: poppy, geometric ribbons with pink and brown polka dots, for example.
  
• Small stuffed animals: tucked into layers or tied to the sides.
  
• Booties, bibs, receiving blankets.
  
• Pacifiers, teething rings, rattles, and socks (turn baby socks into sock roses: learn how below!).
  
• Wooden monogram letters
  

As for toppers, some beloved choices include:

• Baby lotion or shampoos, tied with a pretty sheer ribbon
  
• Baby bottles filled with sweet treats for Mom
  
• Small stuffed animal, like a teddy or frog
  
• Wooden spoon with a "Baby on Board" sign attached
  

For the final touch? Raise your creation on a cake stand, and surround with a ring of favors for your guests!

Many triumphant diaper cake designers want to tack on a little poem that helps explain the intricacies of their creation, or at least point out the highlights. Here are a few widely-used ones:

By Laura Kaye
1) Here's a special gift I made just for you.
I didn't have to sew or even use glue,
It's filled with lots of things you see,
But most of all with love from me!

2) Here's a cake for your special day,
Because the stork is on her way.
It's filled with lots of things for you,
On the outside, and inside, too.
Place them in your diaper bag,
So all the necessities you will have.
For the big day soon will come,
When you can show off your little one!

Tami Enos
6 Cloth Diapers, you can wash every day
6 More Diapers, you can throw away
Fold in 1 bib, in case baby should dribble
Add in 4 socks, to cover toes as they wiggle
Fold in 1 shirt (onsie), to keep in the heat
Bind with 4 pins, to keep the cake neat

Anonymous
Here is a cake made with love,
though I wouldn't call it yummy.
For the ingredients used go on the baby,
not inside your tummy.

Flour, sugar, milk, and eggs
will make a cake so sweet,
But diapers, booties, and baby socks
will make a handy treat.

Q) Who did that famous diaper cake that Carrie brought for Miranda's baby shower on Sex & The City?

A) BabyCakes, a successful small business run by mom-preneur Charlotte Fawkes out of Denver, Colorado.