If you’ve seen those photos of babies covered in icing wearing a cute lil outfit and are thinking about booking a cake smash photo session for your baby, then these tips are for you. The most important consideration and my biggest cake smash tip is timing. Do you want to have your cake smash photo session before your babies first birthday. In this case you may want to consider matching the theme of your babies first birthday so that you can use some photos to decorate for the party. It takes me 1-2 weeks to get the images fully edited so if you need prints by a certain time, make sure to let me know that right away.

Does your baby do better in the morning or after a nap?
Time of day for your cake smash session is also important. For outdoor sessions the best light of the day is around sunset but if you want an indoor photo session we can shoot anytime from mid morning to several hours before sunset. A photo session for a little one can wear them out quickly, so make sure your baby is rested up before the session, and try to book it during their happiest time of day.

Cake Smash Location and Clean Up

Cleanup depends largely on the location. If you choose to have your cake smash session in home, you can just pop baby into a bathtub for cleanup and get some really cute photos out of it. In home or indoor cake smash photos will be a success as long as you have a plain wall and big window with plenty of light. You can sit baby on the floor or in a high chair.

Outdoor locations can make for an easy clean up since you can just pick up all large chunks of cake, toss them in the box and throw it all away. Plan to bring baby wipes with you…obvi. BUT – I actually would recommend bringing a couple wet wash cloths in a ziplock bag. Wipes are great to get large bits of icing and cake off, but nothing cleans away the stickiness like a wet wash cloth. You should also bring a bath towel and change of clothes. I cannot stress this enough: EXPECT ICING TO BE ON EVERYTHING & ON ALL SURFACES OF YOUR BABY.

Cake Smash Props & Clothes

Think about what else (besides your baby and the cake) you want in the cake smash photos. Do you love the idea of a simple cake with baby wearing only a diaper? Do you envision baby decked out in an adorable 1 year shirt with a party hat and tutu with a banner and balloons in the background? Either type of image is adorable. You just need to figure out what you want, so you can make sure to have it ordered/purchased in plenty of time.

A few ideas for clothes & props:

• Customized t-shirt with baby’s name and/or a “1.”
• Tutu matching party colors
• Flower crown or Party hat matching party colors
• Balloons (latex and Mylar both look cute!)
• Bunting/Banner/Swag to hang behind baby or on a high chair
• Family heirlooms or treasures such as an old (but safe) high chair, a tiny rocking chair, jewelry, or quilt. (just be sure you are OK getting icing on any of those items)
• Cakes that match baby’s outfit or the party theme are also super cute! Be sure to talk to your bakery in plenty of time, and be ready to show them photos of a print or pattern you want if it’s not a typical cake design.

Let them eat cake! (or ice cream! or fruit!)

I know it might seem crazy to you or me, but not all babies like cake…especially if they’ve never had it before their session or aren’t used to eating sugar. Don’t be surprised if your baby doesn’t tear into the cake immediately…or at all. Some babies don’t like the texture on their hands or face. Some babies don’t like getting dirty. Some babies love it, but aren’t sure what to do with it in the beginning. You may have to help your baby out and show them that the cake is edible, that baby is allowed to dig in and that there is cake under all that icing. (I’ve seen lots of babies love cake but hate the icing.)

Lastly a cake smash session doesn’t HAVE to involve cake! 🙂 Don’t like giving your kiddo all that sugar? Try those adorable watermelon cakes. Does your kiddo love ice cream instead of cake? Or what about popsicles? Or a cupcake for a more manageable size? If you don’t want to do a traditional cake, you have so many other options! So don’t be afraid to do something different – especially if you know what baby likes already!

I hope you enjoyed my cake smash tips. I am so thankful for the wonderful people that hire me and support my passion! If you are a family wanting photos of your babies cake smash, I’d love to be your photographer. Fill out the contact form on my website, and let’s make memories!

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