Tips for a stress free Cake Smash


1. Let your little one try cake before their session- please make sure your kiddo gets a taste for icing before they come to their session.

Quite often when 1 year olds haven’t had any sugar before they hate their cake and it can be quite distressing for them to have 2 brand new experiences at the same time. It’s likely that they don’t remember the last time they had their photo taken, probably their newborn or sitter session, so it could be overwhelming for some kids and sensory overload can happen causing them to feel scared and unsafe.

I see this a lot with kids who haven’t gotten the chance to leave the house or meet new people because of the pandemic. Remember I’m new to them and will be wearing a mask that they might not be used to seeing, their cake will be new, it’ll be a new environment, new balloons and other things for them to look at. Make Sure you Pick up your cake the day before so that you're not worried about picking up the cake the day of. One less thing to worry about is always a great thing.

Stress Free Cake Smash Blog Post. Smile On Photography Milton Ontario

2. Book their session when they’ll be hungry- it’s really important to make sure your kiddo is in the mood to eat. So probably best not to book right after lunch or breakfast. I know it can be tempting to want to make sure they eat something healthy before coming to devour their cake but often the kids won’t be hungry anymore and therefore not interested in their cake at all if they eat beforehand. It’s a special occasion let them eat as much cake as they want.

3. Don’t stress - this is a big one. When children, especially around the age of 1 sense that you’re stressing, they’ll reflect your stress. I know it’s nerve wracking not knowing how your little one will behave but try not to show them. This is going to be a really fun experience and we need to get your little one excited to participate. That being said, some kids just don’t want to do it, and that’s okay too. We will take our time and give them lots of breaks and cuddles. And worst case scenario we try again on another day. No worries!!

Stress Free Cake Smash Blog Post. Smile On Photography Milton Ontario


4. Bring some Cheerios - major tip for a successful session. Especially for little ones who don’t love cake. Cheerios can be hidden behind the cake to give the illusion that your little one is eating and interested in their cake.


5 . Allergies - As Mentioned above its a great idea to have your child try their cake or ingredients in the cake such as eggs long before their photo session. The last thing we would want is your little one having an allergic reaction during their session. So maybe not the night before but if they were to have an allergic reaction the night before that would still be slightly better than during their session.