Cake Smash Session: Tip & Tricks
🎂 Take the Cake Out of the Fridge!
This one is important!
If your cake has been refrigerated, take it out about 1–2 hours before your session.
Cold cake = hard icing.
Hard icing = baby trying to smash a cake that feels like a brick.
We want that icing nice and soft so little hands can dig into it, grab it, squish it and make the glorious mess we're here for.
🍽️ Don't Starve Your Baby!
You don't want your little one starving absolutely ravenous and ready to eat the entire cake before we even take a photo.
But you also don't want them so full that they couldn't care less about the cake.
Stick with your baby's normal routine and give them a light meal or snack beforehand. Happy baby = happy photographer.
Let Them Nap!
Please don't skip a nap because you think it will make your baby extra tired and therefore more cooperative.
We all know how that story ends. 😂
Keep your baby's normal nap routine as much as possible. A well-rested one-year-old is much more likely to be interested in cake than a very tired one-year-old who has decided the entire photoshoot is offensive.
Bring a Clean Outfit AND a Cake Smash Outfit
We'll usually start with some beautiful clean portraits before the cake makes its grand entrance.
Then it's time to change into the outfit you've chosen for the smash.
And please bring something clean for afterwards.
Trust me.
There will be icing in places you didn't know icing could reach.
What If My Baby Doesn't Like Cake?
Don't panic!
Not every baby immediately understands that the giant object in front of them is delicious.
Some babies are hesitant about the texture. Some don't like getting their hands messy. Some just want Mom or Dad to feed them.
We'll let them explore it at their own pace.
Sometimes the best photos are the confused face before the first bite, the tiny finger poking the icing or the look they give Mom like, "Are you sure I'm allowed to do this?"
Bring a Few Comforts From Home
A favourite toy, soother or little comfort item can be helpful if your baby needs a quick reset.
Also bring the usual baby-session essentials:
- Extra diapers
- Wipes — LOTS of wipes 😂
- Extra clothes
- Snacks or milk
- Favourite toy or soother
Basically, pack like you're leaving the house with a one-year-old for longer than 10 minutes. We all know what that requires.
📸 I'll Photograph the Whole Story
The cake smash isn't just about getting a photo of your baby covered in icing.
We'll capture the before — clean, sweet portraits.
The during — the cake reveal, first touch, first taste, funny faces and messy hands.
And the after — because sometimes the icing-covered baby is the absolute best part.
And if Mom and Dad want to jump in for a few photos, PLEASE DO.
You made it through the first year too!
❤️ Don't Worry About How Your Baby "Should" Behave
There is no right way to do a cake smash.
Your baby might:
🎂 Destroy the cake.
🎂 Eat the entire thing.
🎂 Touch one piece of icing and refuse to participate.
🎂 Cry.
🎂 Laugh.
🎂 Crawl away.
🎂 Try to eat the decorations.
🎂 Look at us like we're completely ridiculous.
I've seen it all — and it's all part of your baby's personality.
I'll follow their lead and make sure we capture the little moments that make this stage so special.
And Finally… Prepare for the Mess!
This is not the time for a pristine outfit, a spotless floor and expectations of keeping your baby clean.
Let them get messy.
That's what cake smashes are for!
We'll have fun, we'll laugh, we'll probably get icing everywhere — and you'll end up with photographs that make you smile every time you look at them.
Bring your baby. Bring the cake. Bring the wipes.
I'll take care of the rest. ❤️