Have you ever heard of a ‘diaper cake?’ It’s much cuter than it sounds. In fact, if you weren’t looking too closely, you might think it came from a bakery. But they are made of (clean) diapers—just rubber-banded together and decorated with stuffed animals, baby shoes, and onesies. When they’re finished, they can look a lot like actual cakes—especially if they come from Hyejin “Jini” Baek, RN.
Baek is a nurse in the TUH-Main Campus Infant Intensive Care Nursery (IICN), and she’s been making diaper cakes for the parents of IICN babies for the last 10 years. Usually, diaper cakes are given as baby shower gifts: they’re a fun way to help expecting parents stock up on extra diapers, clothes, and toys. “But a lot of the parents in the IICN have micro-preemies who were born before they could have their baby showers,” Baek explains.
That’s where Baek comes in. She uses her artistic talents to make beautiful—and incredibly elaborate—diaper cakes, and gives them to parents on their baby’s 100th day in the IICN, which is a nod to her Korean heritage.
“In Korea, we call it Baek-il: it means the baby’s hundredth day,” she explains. “In the past, before our healthcare system was organized and we had medical support, we wouldn’t celebrate until a baby had reached its 100th day. That’s when we knew it would be healthy. We would make a white rice cake, which meant the baby would live a good and long and healthy life, and share it with family and friends.”
Indeed, for Baek, the most rewarding part of working in the IICN is seeing the babies’ health improve. “You see the babies growing and getting better,” she says. “Some micro-preemie babies start off at one or two pounds, and then by the time they go home, they don’t need any medical support.”
And when they do go home, they’ll have new toys, new onesies, and fresh diapers, courtesy of Baek herself. “Parents really love it when they get the diaper cakes,” she says. “I’m just trying to make them happy.”
At the same time, Baek also emphasizes that she’s not unique among the IICN team. “On our unit, many people generously donate their talents to make special items for our patients, like beautiful baby signs and holiday gifts for parents, often using the babies’ footprints to create lasting memories,” she says. “I believe we’re all working together to make the IICN a better place.”