Your baby's first birthday is coming up, and it's time to party! What better way to celebrate than with a portrait session? Personally, cake smashes are my FAVORITE!

We've come up with a list of the most popular (and also some of the most unique!) ideas for first birthday sessions and cake smashes. We hope that you'll be inspired to plan a one-of-a-kind cake smash for your baby's first birthday!

Cake Smash Themes, Nicole Starr Photography

Classic themes:

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
Construction/Trucks
Baseball
Nautical
Tea party
Circus
Flowers
Airplanes
Dr. Seuss
Rubber Duckies
Music/Band/Instruments
Sock Monkeys
Superheroes
Rainbow colors
Bohemian
Circus
Camping
Shabby Chic
Ballet

Animals:

Unicorns
Teddy bears
Farm animals
Woodland animals
Ocean animals
Zoo animals
Bumble bees
Monkeys
Owls
Whales
Butterflies

Seasonal:

Winter wonderland
Valentine’s
At the beach
Surf’s up
Cherry blossoms
Spring garden
Falling leaves
Halloween
Christmas
New Years Eve
Snowmen

Cake Smash Themes with Children's Books, Nicole Starr Photography

Classic Children’s Books:

The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Guess How Much I Love You
Corduroy
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
Oh the Places You’ll Go
The Little Prince
Peter Rabbit/Beatrix Potter books
Where the Wild Things Are
Make Way for Ducklings
Blueberries for Sal
Goodnight Moon
Harry Potter
Winnie the Pooh
Peter Pan
Alice in Wonderland

Cake Smash Alternatives, Nicole Starr Photography

Food alternatives:

Spaghetti & meatballs
Watermelon
Pumpkin pie
Pancakes
Seasonal fruit (strawberries, blueberries)
Cheerios
Pineapple
Apples/apple pie for fall
Tacos
Waffles
Donuts
Ice cream
Pie
Cookies & milk

You've got the perfect theme -- now what do you decorate with? I provide all of the decor for my cake smash sessions at the studio. Here are some of my favorite items I like to keep on hand to make our sessions a little more whimsical, creative, and fun!

Decor ideas:

Paper bunting in many shapes
Tulle balls
Tissue paper puffs
Twinkle lights
Patio lights
Lanterns
Cotton clouds
Hanging flowers
Ribbon streamers
Flower garlands
Eucalyptus garlands
Fake flowers to hang from the ceiling
Mason jars
Beaded curtains