Cake Smash
Have you been thinking about the best way to celebrate your little one’s first birthday? Let’s be honest this is one big milestone to hit, both for you and your baby! You have survived one whole year of parenting (whether that was with one baby or five) and that’s well worth celebrating! There’s a whole world out there on cake smashes alone, and we are excited to be bringing you so many amazing ideas for that 1st birthday celebration. But first, here’s some tips on planning the perfect cake smash for your little one.
Baby Cake Smash
First thing is first, you have decided to go all out with a cake smash. Hooray! One of the first decisions you need to make is whether this is going to be happening as part of a first birthday celebration, or a separate event altogether. If it’s part of the first birthday, then it’s best to stick with the theme you have chosen for the day. If not, it’s time to pick a theme. Here are the steps to creating the perfect DIY cake smash.
Pick a Theme
Every cake smash needs a theme. Whether you are hosting a first birthday and cake smash combined, or doing it separately, you need a theme to tie it all together. There are so many out there to choose from, but here are some popular ones to get your started:
- Colour theme: it’s nice and easy and looks great on camera. Simply pick a colour you love and go with it.
- Animal theme: there really is nothing cuter than seeing a little bub dressed up as an animal. From koalas and Australian native theme to a teddy bears picnic or circus theme. You can quite literally, go wild.
- Kid’s book: we all love reading to kids in those beginning years, so why not pick their favourite book. From We’re Going on a Bear Hunt to The Very Hungry Caterpillar there are lots of great choices out there.
- Winter ‘One’derland: it’s a play on words and it’s fun.
Find A Venue
Once again, if the cake smash is part of the first birthday then you will already have a venue sorted. If not, think about where to hold it. You are ideally looking for a space that gets lots of natural light and will show up great in photos. It could be a room in your home, your backyard, or even a local park of the beach. It’s all about chasing that light.
Choose An Outfit
Now that you have a theme, you need a great outfit for your little one to wear on the day. Be warned, if they are likely to get very messy – and you want to see that mess! It looks so much better when it shows up well in cake smash photography. After all, that’s half the fun of it.
Buy Some Props
The idea here is to keep it simple, yet effective. Unless you are holding the cake smash alongside a first birthday party, the goal here isn’t to fill a room with decorations. Rather, you want to fill a space with them and have it set up well ready for some smash photography. Here are some things to think about:
- Cake smash back drop: this is one of the best purchases you can make and looks so good on camera. The world is your oyster when it comes to finding the perfect cake smash backdrop, and there are plenty out there to choose from.
- Bunting: a string of bunting behind the birthday boy or girl looks great in cake smash photos.
- Word blocks: spelling out the word ONE in blocks next to the birthday child is great fun.
- Cake stand: is the cake going to be on the floor or on a stand? Think about what looks better for your photos.
- Balloons: you just can’t go wrong with balloons. Whether it’s a cake smash for a boy or girl, balloons work with any theme.
- Theme props: it’s always a good idea to have a think about your theme and go on the hunt for any props that would work well with it.
- Bucket: since a cake smash is such a messy affair, some parents like to have a bucket nearby to pop the bub in afterwards. This also makes for some extra cute photos.
Cake Time
Next comes the all-important first birthday cake! This is, of course, a job you can outsource or do yourself, depending on how brave you are feeling. Just remember, the best cake smashes get messy. Very messy. But this can only happen with the right 1st birthday cake. You need something that is iced (no fondant) and the more colour the better when it comes to cake smash cakes. You don’t want to be paying hundreds of dollars for something your little one is going to destroy on their own, so if you can, have a go at doing it yourself. It makes for a lot of fun.
Cake Smash Photos
You also need to think about those photos. Are you going to take them yourself, or do you want to have a professional photographer there? Some people even go into the studio to get cake smash photos done – it’s really up to you! Just make sure you are prepared on the day as babies can be so unpredictable. You are likely working with a very small window, so have that camera ready to snap plenty of photos of your baby cake smash.
Have fun! Remember, this is a fun day for all. And guess what, not all babies enjoy the cake. Don’t force it on them. Aim for one or two cute photos and if they don’t seem to be having fun then go sit and join them! The more the merrier when it comes to amazing family photos.
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