Hi friends! Cake smash sessions are one of my favorite type of sessions, so I figured I would share some things I’ve learned over the last 10 years in the business that will help you with a successful cake smash! Whether you are a photographer, a mom with a little one turning one soon, a client of mine, or anywhere in-between, I’d love to share some of my tips and tricks.

First of all, and most importantly, I let baby lead the show. I take time to read baby’s mood (is baby shy? does the birthday boy seem to have stranger danger? are they walking yet? Are they curious?) and use that information to guide my approach. For babies with “stranger danger”, I will let mom/dad get baby in position, etc until they warm up to me. If they are on the move, I will grab chairs/buckets/etc to slow them down a bit and grab their attention to keep them in the shooting space.

-Not all babies like cake. Be fully prepared for the birthday boy/girl to hate touching, looking at, or being near the cake. I typically start with portraits, then bring out the cake and capture baby’s approach. Some dive right in, some want nothing to do with it, some touch it and immediately regret it. All of these reactions are PERFECT, and all about the baby in that moment. For babies that are all about the cake I just let them go for it. I will reposition baby as needed to make sure I am capturing flattering images, but I will let baby go to town if they are interested in the cake. If baby hates the cake, I’ll have mom or dad take a pinch of cake and pop it in baby’s mouth. Sometimes this little taste will convince baby that cake is amazing, and they go from there. Sometimes not. Some babies hate the feeling of frosting on their fingers, for those little ones, we wipe their little fingers off (so they aren’t upset) and I’ll hand them a little wooden spoon so they can still eat the cake without getting messy. Again, notice, this is all about following baby’s lead. I don’t recommend forcing baby to touch the cake, as this often leads to making the little one upset and unable to reset.

-Before your cake smash session, have baby try cake! The day before your session, give baby a cupcake/piece of cake to try. This will let them practice and try the sweetness of cake in their comfort zone. It’s also a great opportunity to make sure baby doesn’t have any reactions to the ingredients in the cake (and give us time to come up with a plan B if they do have a reaction).

-Choosing a cake: I have my clients bring the cake, for several reasons, including potential allergy issues and to make sure parents get the cake they truly want. It’s also great because my clients can choose what works for their budget, and I give a range of recommendations for local bakers. I have a few recommendations as far as the cake goes: 1. Avoid chocolate and red frosting. Chocolate frosting and chocolate cake can look a bit like baby got into a dirty diaper during smash (especially with those close up images, where the context of the cake smash are removed). Red frosting/filling looks like a massacre. 2. Pastels or no dyes in the frosting is ideal. Deep colors in frosting tends to dye baby’s skin, which will be difficult to wash off for the bath portion of the session. 3. OVERSWEET frostings tend to shock baby. Cakes from the grocery store are often made with super sweet frostings, if possible, ask for a whipped frosting or something less sweet. 4. Avoid fondant, decorations on cake/etc. These things can be choking hazards, so best to leave them off. Buttercream frosting seems to be best! 5. If you refrigerate your cake the night before your session, be sure to take it out of the fridge a few hours before your session. Babies tend to prefer room temp cakes, and the frosting is much easier for them to get into.

-Choosing an outfit: Bring along a few different outfits, make sure they fit (try ’em on the night before!) Babies tend to get lost in clothing that is too big. Some babies HATE trying to crawl in dresses, so make sure you have some options if that’s your little one! I have TONS of outfits for my clients to use, and typically pull 5-6 outfits that coordinate with the cake smash set up in in advance. For the outfit baby will wear during the smash: make sure it’s washable! I love minimal coverage for the cake smash portion, love seeing those baby rolls, tiny toes, etc. I recommend a diaper cover, suspenders (for boys), sweet romper for little girls, etc.

-Go with the flow. Keep the energy high, happy, and keep moving! I try to move at a pretty good clip, so baby doesn’t get frustrated or bored during the session. I have lots of fun distractions/toys to get the birthday boy/girl to smile and look at the camera, so my parents can just sit back and watch the show! Cake smash sessions are high energy, super fun, and so much fun!

-Finish with a bath! ALL my little babies LOVE bath time. I like to finish cake smash sessions with a sweet bath setup after the cake. I typically have mom and dad clean up baby before the bath (this way your bath time images aren’t as obviously birthday related, and can be displayed in the bathroom, etc).

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