Creating a mini photo shoot for your baby’s first birthday at home is easier than you think! After three babies, and the help of our amazing photographers over the years, we’ve picked up a few tips for styling beautiful baby cake smash photos and first birthday pictures right in the comfort of our living room.
Adelaide’s First Birthday Photos
Adelaide’s first birthday photos are finally here! We set up a mini cake smash and photo shoot for our sweet girl’s first birthday and I’m so in love with how the whole thing turned out.
In case you missed it, our big plans to have a cake smash and mini first birthday party were majorly derailed in February when the whole family got covid for the first time. (It was not fun!)
Thankfully, everyone is feeling great again and our photographer, Sam, was able to reschedule us for a new photo shoot in March. 😅
Adelaide’s first birthday photos are everything I could have ever dreamed of and more.
And just as we did with our two other little girls when they each turned one, we styled their cake smash photos at home!
How to Style Baby’s First Birthday Cake Smash Photos at Home
Taking first birthday and/or cake smash photos at home is such a fun way to capture those precious memories. Whether you hire a photographer or shoot baby’s first birthday photos yourself, taking pictures of your baby at home makes life so much easier. Baby is comfortable in their surroundings, and you’ll have everything you need at home to create the adorable backdrop for baby’s photos.
Tips for Styling Baby Cake Smash and First Birthday Photos at Home
|1| Plan outfits ahead of time.
Plan outfits ahead of time. I chose and coordinated outfits for all three of our girls to match and had everything laid out in advance.
|2| Choose cake smash photo shoot props.
We used Adelaide’s Moses basket that she used as a newborn, plus a french market basket filled with flowers for a few of the photos. A toy they love, or fresh flowers either in a little arrangement or on the cake, are fun ways to add a little pop of color.
Adelaide also a had a little first birthday crown that she wore in a few of the photos, and of course, the cake!
|3| Good lighting is key.
Find a spot near a window and aim to take your photos when the light is best in that spot/room. For us, the girls’ playroom gets a ton if natural light in the early afternoon.
|4| Set up a neutral backdrop to shoot photos.
Our go-to for a cake smash backdrop is a white linen sheet. Hanging a white sheet will block out any mess/toys/etc., gives the photos that studio feel backdrop, and bonus: makes for super easy cleanup if baby makes a cake/frosting mess. (We have and love these linen sheets from Amazon. They get softer with each wash and I think the linen adds a really subtle feel to the photo backdrop.)
Remember: less is more when it comes to a cake smash baby photo shoot, keeping the focus on your baby and their adorable reaction to their very own cake.
|5| Choose a simple, small cake for the cake smash.
A simple cake for a baby’s cake smash is always the answer. Whether you bake a vanilla cake for baby (we love and use this easy vanilla cake recipe for every cake smash we’ve done over the years) or pick up a simple cake from a bakery or the grocery store, choose something small that you don’t mind getting destroyed.
Also, be sure the cake is a on a sturdy surface. A plate or lower cake stand will work just fine!
|6| Include siblings.
When we took Emmeline’s cake smash photos for her first birthday, we included her big sister, Scarlett in the cake smashing fun, and those are some of my very favorite photos.
And I feel SO lucky to have three sisters who absolutely adore one another.
Also, I can’t believe how much our sweet baby has grown in just a year.
Adelaide’s First Birthday Cake Recipe
We made our own mini birthday cake for Addie’s cake smash photos and used this tried-and-true recipe for easy vanilla birthday cake (that comes our perfectly every single time!)
A few of my favorite baby girl first birthday cake smash photo shoot outfits and props:
Impromptu Portraits of All THREE of Our Beautiful Little Girls
And let’s not forget – if your baby does have siblings – you or your photographer can also get a few great photos of your kids individually, since they’re all dressed up and the “studio” is set up!
Hi, I’m a puddle of emotion. 🫠
So there you have it: a few of the best tips and tricks we’ve learned over the year’s to style the sweetest first birthday cake smash photos for baby at home.
SHOP BABY’S FIRST BIRTHDAY CAKE SMASH PHOTOS | CLICK LEFT & RIGHT ARROWS TO EXPLORE
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Photos by Sam Brooks Photos for Glitter, Inc.
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