One year sessions are so much fun to capture. Your tiny baby is no longer a squishy little newborn. They have quickly grown into a baby full of personality who can smile, clap, sit, crawl or sometimes even run. To celebrate making it through your babies first year, my studio one year sessions always include the option to add on a cakesmash session. I will work with you to choose the perfect lightly themed set up for our session and will also make recommendations on outfits and/or cake styles. 

My cakesmash sessions include-

A simple backdrop with banner and cake stand. Light props, confetti or balloons can be added as well depending on the theme we choose.

These sessions are combined with the one year milestone and are a one hour session that includes 25 high resolution digital images with the rights to print.

**Cake and cakesmash outfit must be provided by parents.

My favorite cakes have come from Wild Orchid Bakery, Bensons Bakery & Cafe and Bearded Baking Co

Here are a few examples of sessions that have been done recently…

Peach/Pink Balloon arch session

Purple and green hydrangea session

Happy Birthday boy session

Pink and white pumpkin

Green and gold

Twin pink and gold. Balloon banner can be customized to any color.wONEderful world travel
Donut smash! This was a lot of fun.

Neutral Floral rings.

Christmas trees. Perfect for those December babies.

Hungry Caterpillar

Some Bunny is one! 

Sweet as Pie

Nautical

Blue and Gold

Baseball session 

Airplane session

Dinosaur RAWR session

Other ideas for themes could include

Taco smash

Twinkle twinkle little star

Rainbow smash

Mermaid smash

Cotton candy smash

Mickey or Minnie mouse

Ice cream smash

You are my sunshine

Since these are very fun sessions, parents usually want their babies to smash and have tons of fun with their cake. I have a few tips and tricks to make our cakesmash session go as smooth as possible. 

–Have your baby test icing the week of the session. I know lots of parents don’t give their baby much sugar in their first year (I didn’t either). However, the texture can really throw a baby off when touching icing for the first time. Also, we usually don’t cheer babies on to make a big mess at meal time as parents so half of my babies are pretty hesitant to really smash into the cake. I suggest giving your baby a cupcake to play with the week of. 

–Feed a meal or snack before our session. I have a lot of parents who want their baby to be hungry for the cake so they hold off on meals before our session. A hungry baby will usually cry and not eat the cake. So feed them and make sure they are nice and happy! There is always room for desert. 

–Bring a favorite dry snack to the session. Cheerios or puffs are my top suggestions. Every once in a while I have a baby who just doesn’t want to touch the cake. We can stick these in the frosting to grab or around the floor to help them feel comfortable. 

–Also don’t forget a sippy cup of water. Eating cake is hard business and we want to make sure they are hydrated to keep them happy! 

–Cake toppers are fun but it’s usually the first thing baby’s grab and toss. So don’t expect one to be in the whole session. They are usually in the first 3-5 photos and then it’s just the cake. 

– Try and keep their outfit comfortable. Tulle tutu’s are so cute but the can feel scratchy and sometimes babies get distracted by the outfit and forget to smash their cakes. 

–Things can get messy so bring a change of clothes for Everyone! That means mom too. I have towels at the end to help wipe baby off but usually when babies are done, they crawl right to mom…. all covered in icing. Expect they will need a bath after (unless they were like my daughter and just tasted the icing. lol). 

–Feel free to let me know if they have a favorite song. I like to keep things happy and fun in the studio. Sometimes we sing to make babies comfortable. 

I think that’s it. I love these sessions so so much and would love to work with you on one. 

For more information on booking a milestone and cakesmash session, please use the contact button above. Milestone sessions take place on weekday mornings. I book only a certain number of sessions each month so please inquire early. Occasionally, I do have last minute availability.

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Megan Ho Photography is a Southern NH child photographer located in Bedford, New Hampshire. Megan is a newborn, baby, maternity, family and child photographer serving Southern New Hampshire, Boston, Massachusetts and the surrounding communities.