CAKE SMASH MILESTONE SESSION - PREP GUIDE
- For the Full First Birthday Session there are two outfits allowed: A cute first birthday outfit, and the cake smash outfit. The first half of the session will be traditional first birthday portraits. Then you'll take a few minutes to change your baby into their cake smash outfit.
- Let your baby have cake at least a couple of times before the cake smash session. This way they will be familiar with cake enough to move past the exploration phase and they can get excited about it like the rest of us! Feeding them cake ahead of time also helps determine if your baby has any allergies or sensitivity to the icing or food coloring. But believe it or not, many babies think the texture of the icing feels weird. Some babies don’t like it at all and get upset when it won’t easily wipe off, and some babies are very interested in it and examine it very seriously.
- It is great to incorporate some decorations from the first birthday party (such as a crafty banner). A DIY banner is usually a PERFECT look to dress up a cake smash. I can also provide coordinating balloons upon request.
- What if the baby gets messy? Your baby will definitely need a bath after, and you might also! Plan to bring a towel to wipe baby off, as well as some wipes. I should have paper towels and wipes on hand as well, and there is a bathroom across the hall from my studio with a sink.
- Most babies simply wear a diaper cover (I have several ruffled covers for girls available to borrow), a tutu or cloth diaper (I have many colors) for the cake smash. Some parents prefer to do the cake smash with the baby fully clothed instead of in a diaper, and this is totally fine with me. Just be aware that the clothes and diaper cover MAY be ruined by the icing coloring. (which is why I don’t provide fancy clothing!). It’s important to coordinate with me once you’ve chosen your cake smash outfit so I can plan the backdrop set colors, and you can coordinate icing on your cake smash cake.
- If your baby has a fever or is not feeling well on the day of the session, then it needs to be rescheduled. We will not get good results and good smiles if your baby isn’t feeling well. Just put the cake into the freezer for safe keeping. Take it out of the freezer with enough time to let it thaw prior to the next session.
- Have some puffs, Cheerios or your baby’s favorite dry finger food on hand to stuff into the cake in case they need help being a little more interested in it.
- Also have a sippy cup within arms reach in case your baby gets thirsty. It's fine if your baby needs a little break.
- It's up to you to order and pick up your child's smash cake. I learned the importance of knowing exactly what you are giving your baby for allergy reasons. I can help you come up with a cake design if you'd like!
- Please avoid ordering chocolate cake (it's very messy and distracting in the photos) and please avoid fondant decorations (this can pose as a choking hazard).
- If you prefer to provide a home-baked cake yourself instead of from the bakery, please make sure that no toothpicks or other structural items are placed inside the cake. Also for home-baked cakes, please avoid lining the base plate with tin foil.
- Feel free to buy a candle, or custom cake topper (Etsy/Amazon) that we can use for the first portion of the cake smash, and remove when things get messy. I will also have some available options in the Studio.