With emma nearing her first birthday, I jumped on the cake smash bandwagon. How could I not?! Its so cute to see little babies covered in cake while enjoying sugar for the first time. I don’t want to go on and on about it, so here are some tips and tricks that can help you plan ahead and be prepared.

DO’s

• Get a great photographer- Unless you’re an experienced photo taker and have an amazing camera and editing skills, I would highly recommend a wonderful and experienced photog. In my case, it was a no brainer. I had worked with Christina and her husband Andy for our maternity shoot and I trusted their experience and talent. Another great thing about having a professional photographer is that they usually bring props. You’re probably going to be in the middle of planning your little ones first birthday party and having less to do on the list with help with all the stress. If you’d like to contact Christina, you can do so at Info@chasingpleasures.com.
• Have someone amazing bake your child’s cake. In our case, we went with Teni from Sugarspoon Bakery because, well, SHES THE BEST! I mean it people. You won’t find a more professional baker than her. She’s amazingly sanitary, skilled, and everything I’ve ever ordered from her has tasted like heaven. I asked for a pink ombre style which is hard to do and she nailed it! I also asked her about which frostings she recommends and was told that whipping cream is good because it stays soft and its easier for babies to smash into. Buttercream was not recommended because if left in the fridge too log, it can harden and thus become though for little fingers to dig into. I’ve also heard that buttercream can be quite slippery so stay away if your kiddo can stand and walk. Here is a link to the Sugarspoon Bakery IG https://www.instagram.com/sugarspoonbakery/
• Get your outfit in advance. Most of these typical cake smash outfits are found on Etsy and are handmade. Unless you want to invest an extra $50 for rush shipping, give it a good 3 weeks. For our shoot, I was feeling super crafty and decided to make Emma’s tutu. I had a lot of fun and saved a ton of money as well. A similar tutu on Etsy cost $70 (although I saw a few cheapy looking ones for around $25-$30) but mine cost $4 and took about a hour to do. If you’d like a video on how to make one yourself or would like a blog post about it, please leave a comment and I’ll get one up ASAP.
• Have tons and tons of baby whips and paper towels on hand for clean up. It gets real nasty folks. Don’t forget to bring an extra change of clothes for baby.
• Have a backup plan! Our original plan was to do the cake smash session outside at a park, but once  year it rains in LA and that was the day it decided to happen. My backup plan was my moms house since she has the space and lots of good natural  light. It all worked out in the end and I was happy to have something I could fall back on.
• Make sure that you schedule a time where your baby has napped and is happiest. If you have to bring a favorite toy or snack for bribes, do so. If baby is sick, reschedule. No one wants to catch your kid’s cold and you don’t want crappy photos anyway.
• Have fun!!!! We had such a blast. I sang a million “Wheels on the Bus” versions and made all kinds of strange animal noises, but they all paid off!

Don’t forget to pin this last photo <3