How To Prepare For Your Baby’s Smash Cake Session
Achieve a stress free and memorable photography experience for your baby’s 1st birthday!
Someone once had the grand idea to put the words “smash” and “cake” together and now we have thee cutest first birthday tradition that is taking parents all over the globe by storm. The smash cake sessions are popular and highly requested for a reason! Themes can range from simple sets with banners and balloons to luxury themed sets with characters, lights, and extravagant props.
Here at ScenebyTeah, we provide parents with a range of options to facilitate a beautiful and memorable 1st birthday photoshoot. Aside from choosing the theme, props and other décor that we will use during our session, there’s only a handful of things left for a parent to do. We do our best to make the photo experience stress free by providing parents with a session guide jammed full of outfit ideas, planning tips, tricks. Here are a few major points from the guide to help you prepare for your baby’s cake smash!
Order your smash cake a few weeks before the session!
Because of the various food allergies that might exist, our clients provide their own cakes. This works out great because it gives parents full control over what’s inside of the cake as well as a sense of peace! I highly, highly recommend getting a smash cake from a professional bakery. I am not by any means opposed to homemade cakes however, I have observed that they can often become very dry AND the icing can become hard. We want a simple cake with soft icing for baby to enjoy. A “naked cake” with white icing is a classic option! The ideal size should be a 6-inch cake with 2-3 layers.
Have a “trial run”
Doing a trial run at home with a cupcake will help get your baby used to the feeling of frosting between their fingers, and familiar with the taste of sugar! This will also help you as a parent to understand the dynamics of the experience so that you can know how your baby will respond during the photoshoot.
Bring a few of baby’s favorite snacks
Sometimes, babies are disinterested in the cake and that’s why we recommend bringing your baby’s favorite snacks to the shoot. For example, Cheerios or Puffs are the perfect snacks to hide on the cake. The snacks will grab their attention and it will look like they’re eating cake on camera!
Pack extra clothes... for everyone!
Bring a change of outfits for both you and baby.! As a participator in the experience, there is a high probability that YOU will also get messy during the smash cake portion of the session! Trust me when I say that you will be glad to have a spare set of clothes that you don’t mind getting messy in.
Bring baby’s friends along
We have several toys and puppets that we use to entertain babies, but sometimes these little ones respond more positively to their familiar favorites. You can bring any favorite noisemaking toys, stuffed animals, puppets etc. that you know your baby loves and responds well to. This will not only help them to feel more comfortable but also, it will help with overall engagement by soliciting that care free and playful side of your little one.
Not sure where to get your cake? Here are some of my local bakery favorites here in Columbus, Oh: