The cake smash trend is a new way for your baby to enjoy their first birthday cake
Find out the latest first birthday trend to make it here from the US
Jelly and ice cream for baby’s first birthday are long gone and a new trend is taking over from the US.
The cake smash trend is taking Britain’s parents by storm and it involves letting your one-year-old loose with their birthday cake and having a professional photographer capture the carnage as your keepsake.
If you’re not put off by the mess, but the professional photograph all sounds a bit too pricey for your budget, you can always create your own cake smash.
Tips to help you create your cake smash
• It’s all about the mess so don’t put your little one in a highchair, just sit them on the floor with the cake and let them go!
• Keep the background simple so the focus is on your baby and the cake.
• Avoid chocolate cake and red icing as it can end up looking like an unfortunate accident has happened.
• Buy a small professionally made cake and rest it outside of the fridge for a while so it’s not too hard.
• Have someone with you to help make them smile when you take the picture.
• Don’t get carried away with loads of props, your baby in a birthday outfit and the cake, keep it simple.
• Colour coordinate the shoot, try and make sure the colour of the cake blends well with their outfit and keep the background neutral.
• Time the photo session for the best time of day for your baby, after a nap and after they’ve been fed to avoid them being grumpy.
• If your baby seems overwhelmed with the situation, spend some time playing and gently coaxing them to touch and play with the cake so they feel comfortable rather than rushing to get pictures quickly.
• Above all, accept it will be messy, that’s the point after all. Don’t stress yourself out with mess created, let it be fun, capture the moment and worry about the clearing up later!
• Oh, and have a bath all set to go for when you’ve finished up.