Have a little one whose first birthday is right around the corner? Congratulations! You’ve made it through this amazing year of constant changes and new challenges. You deserve to celebrate, and what better way to celebrate this occasion than to create a custom memento that will last forever? That’s what cake smash photography is all about.

If you’re planning to embrace this fun tradition, follow these tips from your trusted Lafayette, IN baby photographer.

Give Your Baby a Trial Run With The Cake Smash

Every baby reacts differently to their smash cake – some go for it and dig in, others pick at it hesitantly, and others want nothing to do with it. There’s nothing wrong with that – I can capture plenty of adorable photos regardless. But if you want to help your baby engage with the cake more, it helps to do a “trial run” by letting them play with a cupcake a few days before the photo session. When the cake smash comes, they’ll be more likely to recognize it and feel more comfortable getting their fingers into it.

Book Cake Smash Session in Advance

This is true with all photo sessions, but make sure you book your baby’s cake smash photo shoot a few months ahead. This allows us to find a time in my schedule that’s convenient for you around your baby’s first birthday. If, like some parents, you want to reveal or gift your baby’s portraits to someone at their first birthday party, you want to book even earlier to allow time for ordering and printing.

Have Your Baby Play-Ready

Some parents think that if their baby is hungry, they’ll be more likely to dig into the smash cake. Actually, it’s better to bring your child fed, rested, and ready to play. A cake smash is more of a play activity than an eating activity, and sometimes hungry babies aren’t in the mood to play.

Avoid Bringing Extra Guests

When you come to your baby’s cake smash photography session, it’s best to bring only yourself and your baby – leave the rest of the family and other guests at home. When there are too many other people in the studio, it can be distracting and overstimulating for your baby. It’s a safety issue too – with all the photography equipment set up, the studio mustn’t become too crowded.

Make the Day Easy on Yourself

I know this is easier said than done, but try to plan and organize ahead and allow plenty of extra time so you aren’t stressed and rushed to get to your photo session. If you’re stressed, your baby will be too, and we want a relaxed and happy experience for everyone. I try to help my clients with this by providing all the outfits and props for your baby’s session, so you aren’t scrambling to launder and press outfits.

This advice applies during the session too. Try to relax and enjoy! Your baby will be more at ease and ready to play if this is the case.

Booking Your Cake Smash Photos

I’d love to help you make your baby’s first birthday even more special with custom cake smash photography. Contact my Lafayette, IN photo studio to book your session today.

Heather’d Violet Photography is based out of Lafayette, Indiana and is owned and operated by Heather Toro, who specializes in maternity and newborn photography, as well as families under McCaffry Photography, LLC. heather’d violet Photography serves Lafayette, Indiana, and all surrounding areas.