Listen friends. I understand that when you come to your cake smash session, you want your baby to be in the happiest, smiley-est (?) mood ever. I get it. Lately, I have had so many mamas in for sessions that apologize profusely for their baby crying during photos. No more.
I get the disappointment when you come to your session with all of my adorable sets ready to go. You get baby dressed in a gorgeous outfit and sit them down for their photos and BOOM. Tears. It happens. It may not happen right away, but IT. ALWAYS. HAPPENS. Here is some proof mamas:
Disclaimer: Some of these photos are very old and do not align with my style anymore!
From now on, I want every mama to understand that you are not alone. You do not need to apologize to me. I get it. I get it. I get it.
So what do we do? We are patient and cheery and let baby's mood pass. First, I will try moving to a different set (don't worry, I always try to circle back around later). We play with them and continue photos when we feel like we will be successful. We play music, dance, blow bubbles, play with toys, drink a bottle, cuddle.. We do what we have to do. We will get those beautiful photos despite a few tears!
These are a few adorable photos of some of the same babies as above:
BABIES CRY. They will cry at theirs session, I am almost certain of it. That's why I have tricks up my sleeves! We WILL get those photos. Don't you worry.
So what can you do?
- Try giving your baby a taste of frosting or cake (cupcake?) days before their session so the sweetness isn't so new to them.
- Find a song, silly noise, face, toy, dance etc that consistently makes baby smile. Repeat this with baby in the days leading up to your session.
- Bring a bottle, puffs, and favorite toys to your session. BUT DON'T PULL THEM OUT UNTIL WE NEED THEM!
- Do not pull out your phone during the session. It is all baby will want and we will only get pictures of them blankly staring at it, then when we put it away.. tears. I have an Alexa for music!
- Stand right next to me... like right next to me, in my bubble, during the session. (I wear a mask). If baby is locked in on you, then getting photos of them looking at the camera becomes much harder if you aren't right next to the lens.
- Bring a helper. 1st birthday sessions are a WORKOUT for parents. You have to constantly put them back in their "spot" and someone needs to be spotter for falls.