My perfect, beautiful daughter just turned one! It’s crazy how fast time flies by! There was one thing that I promised myself I would do and that was a first birthday cake smash photoshoot. As with most women I knew I went straight to Pinterest for inspiration and found all of these adorable teepee cake smash photos! That was when I knew that was the route I wanted to take. Our photographer was completely on board (she even had a tent already) and boy did she deliver! I’ve listed all the items that you will need for your own first birthday cake smash below, as well as all the links I could find.
Items Needed for the Perfect First Birthday Cake Smash
- Smash Cake – Mine was $7 at my local bakery. I got mine from Oakmont Bakery in Pennsylvania.
- Birthday outfit – Mias Outfit is from Bailey’s Blossoms
- White Teepee- Mine was provided by our photographer, but here is a great option on Amazon! White Teepee option
- Chalkboard & Easel – Target $5 Section Find!
- Kick Butt Photographer – Victoria Isabel Photography just KILLED THIS CAKE SMASH!
- Wood and flowers – Items I had at the house. I encourage you to repurpose as much as you can for these shoots, but if you need to buy them, here are the links.
How to Make Your Photos Go Off Without a Hitch
Once you have all the items for your photos, you need to ensure that your day of photos go off without a hitch. That means, choosing the right time of day, and preparing in advance. Below are my five tips to getting your baby prepared for these photos!
- Eat First! I made sure that we fed Mia dinner before we headed to the park that way, we didn’t hit any hungriness before the photos.
- Arrive 10-15 minutes early so that your kid can get out and move around before the photos. Give your baby some time to decompress so they are ready to have fun and pose for photos.
- Change diapers, have snacks and milk ready and available during the shoot. Be okay with taking breaks to help keep your baby happy.
- Don’t put the cake down until all of your decorations are up, the photographer is ready, and all family photos are done. The cake smash should be the last thing you do (if you do family photos). As soon as the cake smash is over, be prepared for your baby to be tired, overstimulated, and on a sugar high. We got her cleaned up and, in the car, and she was out like a light, trust me it went so smoothly you will want to leave right away!
- Have fun! The more fun you are having, the more fun your baby will have. In the first two pictures below, I am jumping up and down make a fool of myself to make Mia happy and ready for the photos.
Remember to have fun with this! The entire goal of this shoot is to remember your baby at this age and to watch them eat cake. Even if everything doesn’t go the way you imagined, it will be the perfect first birthday cake smash because its your baby. If you did a first birthday cake smash, comment with a picture so we can all enjoy the cuteness! Can’t wait to see all their adorable faces! xoxo- Kayla
