What to bring and Wear to a Cake Smash Session?

A cake smash session is all about fun, mess, and capturing adorable moments that celebrates the first birthday of your baby, so your outfit choices should reflect that in alignment with the color scheme or theme for the most professional and well-coordinated outcome.

Your Baby is the star of the Show!

A cake smash session is typically centered around the birthday baby, but depending on your preferences, photographer's style, location and package sizes, others can be involved too. Here's a breakdown:

• Primary Participant: Your Baby is reason and the main star of this sweet celebration, usually turning 1. However this type of photographic celebration is growing, so many parents continue bringing their kids to celebrate next birthdays. There is no age limit for celebrating birthdays through photography. The time kids are expected to mess up with their cakes are during the very young years, including half birthdays and so on.

• Optional Participants: Parents/Guardians: When parents opt in participating in this celebration, before the big mess happens, there are many beautiful moments to be captured, such as kisses, candid snuggles and posed captures.

• Matching or coordinating outfits work great here.

• Siblings: Best for older siblings, in the first part of the session, who can promptly follow instructions without overwhelming the baby in the new environment.

• Sometimes Siblings are Twins or even Triplets! In this case, they are together during the messy part of the session. They also receive individual captures in the first part of the session workflow, the pre-cake shots.

• Pets: We only allow our clients to bring their pets on outdoor photo shootings. Why? Because we keep in mind safety of all our clients, including perfect sanitation of our studio, allergies, damages to the delicate items we have in our studio for newborn sessions, baby's comfort and less extra distraction during our studio sessions.

What is the workflow of a Cake Smash Session?

Most photographers, who specialize in Smash Sessions, choose to start the show with a clean slate, meaning, styled clean shots including family members and individual, so baby gets adjusted to the new environment, then transitioning to the messy part of it and splash bath.

The Cake Smash Time is designed exclusively for the baby! Babies explore and have fun with smells, textures and taste, play with the wooden spoon, clap their little hands or just relax doing it all. Sometimes drama happens, and this is why we recommend a well-rested baby prior to the session. We send our parents a guide to increase the percentage of success for this exciting experience and expected moment!

We design your set and plan every single moment of your session, so you have the best outcome of your Cake Smash Session in our studio.

When other participants will be photographing as well, we appreciate and encourage to have it clearly and properly planned with your photographer, so we can manage the flow and clean up.

What to Wear and What to Bring for Cake Smash Sessions

Outfits must be organized and planned accordingly and prior to your session:

Parents will bring from home:

1. Baby arrives in comfortable loose outfits.

2. Extra diapers and hygiene items: personal towel, rash cream, wet wipes, large plastic bag that accommodates your dirty clothes, cute robe if you want before splashing photos in the adorable baby robe. These are items that come in different brands and some babies may be allergic to one or another. In order to avoid inconveniences, we kindly ask our parents to provide the necessary hygiene supplies to their babies.

   Favorite Snacks, pacifier, favorite calming toy, baby's personal water bottle. First aid kit, in rare cases of a scratch or bump. Allergy safe medications, in case unexpected happens. When cake smash is done in the studio, we do not have to worry about bug bites or sunburns.

3. Baby Outfit for the Smash Session:

   For Girls: Simple diaper covers, fluffy lacey bloomers, tutus, rompers, onesie, booties, leg warmers, dresses, soft booties, hair bowls.

   For Boys: Simple diaper covers, themed bloomers, shorts, soft sweatpants and personalized sweatshirts, onesies, suspenders and bow ties, barefoot, soft booties, hats.

4. Parents & Siblings' Outfits for the Smash Session:

It is always nice to color coordinate the session in special or informal outfits. We prefer Neutral or coordinated colors with the baby. Casual but tidy: clean jeans and nice tops without prints, logos or flashy patterns. Other participants should bring an extra casual change of clothes, just in case you get messy too! I've seen everything happening in all these years, smashing cakes with babies, so it's better be safe than sorry going home covered in icing.

Safe Options for Cake Smash Sessions without a Cake

In case of severe food allergies, a Cake Smash Session does not have to involve cake at all. Many parents have the option to choose "Cake Free Smash Sessions" for allergies or sugar avoiding preferences. These sessions are tied to less mess and the originality of each family.

Cute alternatives without the need of an actual cake are:

1. Use of a prop cake.

2. Use of fruits like strawberries, watermelon, melon, cantaloupe, chopped bananas, blueberries, sliced mango.

3. Use of doughnuts for a tower, white spaghetti pasta, popcorn, waffle, pancake, whipped cream, ice cream and sprinkles.

4. Paint Smash with non-toxic, baby-safe finger paints on a big canvas that parents can bring back home and displayed as artwork on their homes.

5. Yogurt Smash: plain yogurt with fruits or baby puffs for a healthier version and fun textures to play with.

6. Bubble Smash or Splash Session: a bath themed session with bubbles, rubber ducks and baby's fun toys to be kept as forever mementos.

7. Cereal Smash: Colorful cereals, Cheerios or Fuit Loops. Cereals can be used dry or splashed with milk, cream or yogurt.

Best Age for Cake Smash Sessions

Our most requested Smash Sessions are done between 10 1/2 months old to 24 months of age. All these ideas are safely used during this period when child is still little.

Check list of what to bring to your Smash Session:

Please feel comfortable to print this portion for a stress-free packing.

[ ] Baby arrives in comfortable loose clothing.

[ ] Other participants may arrive ready for the pre-smash: ready for the clicks, hair, make up and nails done for the ladies. Bring a bag with items to retouch your make up prior to session begins. Hairbrush/Comb and gel for the kids and hubby.

"Little Star", Baby's Personal items:

[ ] Extra diapers.

[ ] Bath Towel and Bath Robe, if desired.

[ ] Rash Cream

[ ] Wet Wipes

[ ] Large plastic bag for all your garments covered in icing.

[ ] Pacifier.

[ ] Burp Cloth.

[ ] Favorite calming toy or blankie.

[ ] Baby's personal water bottle.

[ ] Baby's favorite snack prepared in safe tiny bites.

[ ] Baby, Mom and Siblings' Favorite Snacks. Studio provides a variety of light refreshments and drinks to choose from.

[ ] Personal distraction toys for siblings.

[ ] "Just in case" First Aid Kit, with your favorite personal aids and ointments. Your choice of brand.

[ ] Medications, of everyone present, if needed or applicable.

[ ] In case of food restrictions or allergies, parents/guardians, provide the specially made cake from your kitchen.

[ ] Outfits and desired accessories for pre-smashing the cake and smashing moment.

Should you need help planning a fabulous Cake Smash Session for a child with food restrictions or, simple, outside the box... we would like to help you out.

Our goal is a beautiful, fun, comfortable and super safe session for your baby.

If you would love a Tea Party Birthday, Breakfast party, Dress up party or any other girly celebration for your girl, I'm here for you!

Mom of boys, just like me! Consider studio celebrations using Sensory Plays, Toy Trucks with hard hats and fake dirt for your little boy, I would love to help you with something special and fun with or without an actual Cake.

I am your Cake Smash Photographer, located at 80016, in Aurora, Colorado.

Please look at my website and scroll through my Instagram to fall in love with my memories that touch hearts for more than a lifetime.

Are you ready to have the most adorable photos for your baby's first birthday?

Let me know what your thoughts are and Let's Get Smashed together!

www.ladolcevitaphotos.com

www.instagram.com/ladolcevitaphotoslf