If you’ve been following my work for a while, you’ll know that I LOVE designing themes for birthday cake smash and splash sessions and I have loads of props and decorations in the studio, to choose from to create a unique look for your little one’s birthday portrait session (whether a first birthday or older).

I find that most of my families will come to me with an idea, or colour in mind and pick something they fall in love with, from my extensive range of birthday props and decorations that match their idea. I then suggest complementary backdrops, props and decorations to suit to bring the whole birthday theme together so you have a personalised photoshoot set for your baby’s first birthday celebration portraits. 

We then spend some time thinking about outfits and the cake. I’ve another blog post written on choosing a cake which you can read here - with plenty of tips on how to pick the perfect cakesmash cake whether you opt for a store bought celebration cake or a bespoke handmade one.

All that is then left to decide is what your baby is going to wear. I have a little selection of outfits for boys and girls available in my studio, for you to choose from, covering the most popular birthday theme colours. But of course, this is one of those areas where you may wish you bring your baby’s own clothes and pick a special outfit for the photo session, yourself.

My cakesmash sessions consist of three parts - portraits before the cake comes out, photos of the cake being devoured and smashed, and images once your baby is in a shallow tub of water and bubbles cleaning off the cake and mess. Because of this, you can choose up to two different outfits if you want to. Sometimes my families will pick a favourite dress or birthday party outfit for the pre-cake portraits and then choose a different outfit for the cake smash part itself. If you opt for a different outfit pre-cakesmash, then just be sure to consider how the colours will suit the overall theme we’ve designed. 

For the actual cakesmash outfit here’s a few tips to take into consideration:

• Boys often wear nappy cover bloomers or (denim) shorts complemented with braces, bow ties or ties.

• Girls often wear tutu style skirts or pretty nappy cover bloomers, with accessories like pearl necklaces and hair bands with flowers or bows.

• Do you want your baby’s skin / body to be on show in the photos? Some families opt for their baby to wear a vest or similar during the smash, which then comes off for the splash part of the session.

• Babies don’t wear shoes or socks for any part of the session, so that's one thing you don't need to plan for.

• If your baby doesn’t mind accessories in their hair, then it can be fun to add pieces like birthday hats and hair bands.

• Avoid outfits with writing on the vest, especially if not a tight fit, as the fabric can fold and ruck up during the shoot, meaning you can’t read the writing in the photos.

I’ve included some links to some cute outfits and accessories I love the look of, which are easy to order from Amazon. Click the links to see more - just be sure to leave enough time for the order to arrive before your session!

Girl’s bloomers - I’ve got one of these in the studio and it’s so pretty!

Various girl’s ruffle / tutu bloomers and lots more colour options here. And another one I have too. 

Girl’s tutus - these ones look like they can be washed and re-used for dance classes or similar… I have one similar to these.

And for something more disposable in nature you could try these. 

And finally for girls, some gorgeous accessories like these pretty head pieces and party hats plus pearl necklaces for decoration. (Remember to ALWAYS watch your baby if using something like this - safety always comes first).

For boys you could try bloomers with options for braces / bow ties / ties - I have a few of these in the studio already and love them.

Boy’s vests - this one only has the number 1 on it rather than a written ONE meaning there’s less chance of the letters becoming illegible in the photos. Or even better, you could try this vest which features no writing at all. 

Boy’s headpieces (also some girly options from the same seller) if your little one is happy to wear one! And some more beautiful headpieces for boys with great colour combinations right here too. 

If you fancy supplementing your cake with a cake topper - this is gorgeous. Just remember, these are best used when not using a cake stand for the cake (other wise things like cake toppers can cover your baby’s face in the photos).
 

Hope you’ve found the tips and products suggestions helpful. If you’d like any help designing your cake smash theme - just drop me a message. Always happy to design cake smash themes!

Sara x