I love photographing babies’ first birthdays! Turning one is such a significant milestone. I felt a lot as a mum, and maybe you’ll be able to relate to my experience of my firstborn reaching 12 months!

You can also read about a recent cake smash I did for baby Etta. This gives a picture of a fairly typical cake smash session, so that you can decide whether it’s something you might like for your little one.

First birthday photos - who are they really for?

I remember as a first time mum, when the anniversary of my baby’s birth day grew closer I was flooded with all kinds of memories of the last weeks and days of my pregnancy. I recalled vivid details of things that happened during my labour that I hadn’t thought about since. It was surreal (and addictive!) to play ‘this time last year’, travelling back in my memory to that strange liminal space - waters breaking, trips to the hospital, that long night, tea and toast… That moment I heard my baby’s cry for the first time. That first cuddle…

A lot of emotions came up!

I felt so incredibly proud of my beautiful son, and of myself too. What a year it had been, since he was born. It felt like such a big occasion to truly celebrate!

Even though we didn’t have much money I wanted to make sure I didn’t let it pass by without doing something special and meaningful.

For me, that wasn’t a huge party or holiday or big pile of toys he wouldn’t be bothered about. I wanted to try and capture him and the feelings I had for him.

I decided that investing in photos was the best way I could think of to keep hold of what he meant to me, and to remember that feeling.

Affording a cake smash

It’s tricky - I get it. Especially if you’re not working or still on maternity pay.

Instead of presents, I asked my family for contributions to cover the cost of a photoshoot - I wanted the best and it wasn’t going to be cheap. Grandmothers and aunties were happy to chip in (they loved the photos too and still comment on the prints they have up in the lounge whenever we visit).

It’s hard to describe why having your child photographed is so important to a mum, but when you see the photos it’s like something clicks in your heart. And I think it’s so important to have these photos taken at least once, properly and professionally.

Turning one is like the end of babyhood. I didn’t realise how suddenly it’s over, especially when they start to walk. This is a great time to capture the as a baby, maybe the last chance.

Why a cake smash?

Really, having the cake and bubble bath is really just a bit of a fun thing, but the most important part is having your baby captured in a way that will always remind you of how cheeky and curious and cute they were at this age. I think of the cake and bubble bath as a prop - something to keep babies interested, and they’re a cute theme. Your baby is always the star and main focus of the show.

These sessions are not for all babies though - some of them really don’t like the setting, or being placed separate from their mum, or the texture of the cake! Each baby reacts perfectly appropriately. for their age, stage, temperament and mood on the day. It’s just that some are more predisposed to enjoy this experience than others.

Etta’s first birthday portraits - a typical cake smash session

Etta’s mum contacted me after a lengthy search for a photographer with the type of look she was wanting. They lived in Devon, but she decided to broaden her search and found me, clicked with my work on Instagram, and booked the shoot. She’d seen some pictures from a prior cake smash photoshoot and wanted a similar boho theme. I love each session to be a little bit unique so changed a few things, but I do love this set up - it’s simple, interesting, and neutral.

Day of the session

If a client making a 4 hour round trip isn’t pressure to get everything right, I don’t know what is! It was an angst-ridden set up, making sure I didn’t forget anything. Terrified I’d drop the cake, or test positive for COVID, or crash my car that morning… you know, typical thoughts when something important is coming up!

Fortunately, nothing disastrous happened and it went so well! Etta slept in the car, and despite a bit of a cold, arrived in gorgeously fine spirits.

I showed Emma the outfits I’d laid out as options, and she chose a simple white romper for Etta to wear for the ‘before’ or ‘clean’ shots. I always try to have a plain, non cake smash area set up for some more neutral portraits - it’s lovely to have these as a little something extra with all the cake smash shots, and it’s also a chance for babies to warm up to me. If baby is reluctant it’s ok for mums to come and sit with them for a bit here.

After about 5 minutes (it doesn’t take long!) I asked Emma to get Etta changed into the cake smash romper she’d picked. Once Etta was sat in place on the cake smash set, the gorgeous celebration cake was introduced.

I normally advise parents to try and stay quiet and see what their baby does at this point. It’s always funny to see how they react. Some just want to crawl away and aren’t interested, some will sit and look at the cake, picking off any bits on top perhaps. Most need some kind of demonstration to show that it is food and they can eat it (you’d think they’d just tuck in, wouldn’t you!! - parents are often surprised by their baby’s reaction).

Etta was quite interested in the cake, and did some picking and prodding, and exploring of the texture. I gave her a wooden spoon to dig with and some of the cake it’s way into their mouth, which was good for some cute eating-cake photos.

It is very rare for babies to go mad and tuck in - in all my years that has only happened once or twice. In fact, I joke that I should rename these sessions ‘first birthday cake poke’ if I wanted to be accurate about what actually happens!!

Once we’d had enough time with the cake (around 15 minutes - usually long enough) Emma took Etta and got her undressed and ready for the ‘splash’ part. I filled up the tin tub with bubble bath and warm water.

Often if a baby hasn’t really gone for the cake, there is a chance they’ll enjoy the bubble bath and I can get some smiles here. I turned on the bubble machine for Etta which she liked but she was more interested in making a bubble beard for herself.

After about 7 minutes I had plenty of bath time photos, and Etta had had enough. I don’t have a strict cut off time, but I always work quickly before babies tire. In my experience, the average window for a content baby is about 45 minutes. A cake smash is usually wrapped up within this amount of time, which is plenty for me to get a ton of beautiful photos to work on.

Etta was very happy and curious and easy to work with, and her session went beautifully. She was chilled out about everything and at the end I think she was ready for a sleepy car journey home.

I caught up with Etta’s mum when it was her first birthday a few weeks later and had to chuckle when she said what an emotional wreck she was. It must be one of the (many) joys of motherhood, and possibly a rite of passage :)

To book or enquire about gorgeous, personalised cake smash & splash session with me, get in touch - I’d love to hear from you!

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