A cake smash can be included in any baby/child session. You will need to bring the cake (more info below). I have a variety of cake stands, cake toppers, banners, lots of baby girl dresses/outfits and bows/headbands/ crowns/flower crowns, along with a few baby boy outfit options. And of course you’re welcome to bring anything of your own, including any themed items you might be using for a special birthday party.
Cake Recommendations:
Cake color: I recommend white cake with white frosting or naked cakes for cake smashes. Otherwise pale or light frosting/cake is recommended instead of anything dark, red, or neon.
Frosting: Whipped cream frosting tends to be easier for babies to swallow and is also easier to clean off, but regular buttercream is ok too. Remember to bring something for your baby to drink at the session as frosting usually makes babies thirsty! Also, feel free to bring little puffs, cheerios, or yogurt drops if your baby likes them. Some babies are hesitant to touch the cake, so putting a couple of those little treats on top usually helps to encourage them.
Cake Size: This is completely up to personal preference, but I recommend a 2-3 layer 6” round cake.
Cake Stands: I have several cake stands to choose from if you need one for your session (gold, silver, white, wood, a wood slice, etc).
Grocery store bakeries have affordable cakes for baby’s first birthday: Albertsons, Stater Bros, Ralph’s, Vons, Walmart, Target, etc. Many will even give you a free little smash cake if you tell them it’s your baby’s 1st birthday.
Alternate options: Want to do something a little different? Cupcakes, donuts, cookies, pancakes, waffles, watermelon or fruit are other cute options!
Specialty cake bakers: I can provide a list of some possible bakers to order a cake from if you need. Most require at least a couple of weeks in advance to reserve a cake, and their prices and policies vary.
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1st Birthday Cake Smash Examples
I have photographed hundreds of babies and lots of cake smashes over the years. My style is clean and timeless so I like to keep the background more basic to draw the focus to the baby, but when you book your session, you’ll fill out a questionnaire to customize your session however you’d like. Here are a bunch of examples of first birthday / cake smash sessions I’ve done:
