If you've attended first birthday parties of yours or your loved ones’ babies, you've probably come across one where cake smash was a fun addition. But have you wondered how this popular trend came into being? Read on to find out.
What is a Cake Smash?
If you've somehow managed to escape all the birthday parties in the last few years and have no idea what cake smashes are, we’re here to tell you everything you need to know.
This popular trend takes place on first birthdays, where the baby is encouraged to get messy with the birthday cake. The cake is usually 4 to 6 inches, making it smaller than a regular birthday cake. However, it is usually accompanied by a bigger birthday cake that is served to the guests.
The small cake is then placed in front of the baby who’s turning a year old, and they are allowed to do whatever they want with it. Eat it, play with it, smash it on their face, or simply get excited with tiny fistfuls of cake; nothing is off the table. The whole ordeal is quite fun and leaves people laughing, especially captured candidly by a professional photographer. The cake smash is usually followed by a bubble bath, which is also captured by the photographer.
Where Did This Trend Begin?
It is unclear how this trend became so popular in the United States. However, the popular theory suggests that it is a variation of the popular Mexican tradition known as Mordida. This tradition is similar to a cake smash and takes place on a child’s first birthday.
The word mordida means ‘bite’ in Spanish. After the baby blows the candles, the guests chant, ‘Mordida! Mordida!’ to encourage the little one to take a bite. However, just before they eat the cake, the parents sneak up behind the baby and smash the baby’s face in the cake - gently of course. Everyone cheers at the moment. What’s even better is that the pictures you take at that moment come out wonderful!
While there is no way to know for sure, there is a high possibility that the Mordida tradition somehow morphed into the Cake Smash tradition in the United States over the years.
