For my daughters first birthday, I made a home made carrot cake. I had a small heart shaped pan for her smash cake, and then a big cake for the grownups.

My only objection is to wasting cake. Because some of those pictures are a whole entire full-size extra cake just for the purpose of smashing up!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I generally think that any time anyone does the same thing that everyone else is doing for no reason other than the pictures - it is tacky. Giving a baby a smash cake so you can post the pictures of him with cake all over his face is so overdone and boring. It's not as if a one-year-old can do anything else when presented with a cake so where is the surprise or originality?

Yes, put me down for "tacky". And it is wasteful.

I agree. It is tacky. We are so frinking wealthy in this country that we can devote an entire decorated cake just for a baby to smash up - it's kind of disgusting when you think about it.

Aren't they really tiny? Like the size of a large cupcake? It's no more wasteful than giving the kid a slice of cake. And it's their birthday, for Christ's sake.

Haters - do you have a problem with giving a baby a cake knowing that baby will likely smash it, or calling it a "smash cake"?

I cannot see why there is any objection whatsoever to giving the baby a small cake on his first birthday and letting the baby do what they want with it within reason, including making a mess. Anyone who has a baby gives food all the time that the baby "smashes" and doesn't eat. "Birthday cake" is a Thing in this country. So of course that's going to happen, come on.

If you're talking about coercing the baby into smashing the cake, that's something different. If you put the cake in front of the kid and it doesn't get smashed, I think it is a bit odd (tacky?) to force the kid to smash it. I think the same of people smashing cake in each other's faces at weddings honestly, but I don't care as long as you don't make me do it. I also think the term "smash cake" is stupid and hadn't heard of it before this thread.

I see nothing wrong with a child having a piece of cake or a cupcake on their birthday. I made a cake for my daughter's birthday, she had a piece. There was no smashing--she poked it a few times, then she ate it. It was about as messy as anything else she ate at the time

I think buying a special "smash cake" for the public photo op is wasteful and stupid and not remotely creative. And I would shed no tears if the whole mommy blog/stage your life for social media culture died a quick death. It doesn't keep me up nights or anything, but when I see it, I just think "what a waste."

I think there are a few things going on here. I personally don't think a first birthday cake in and of itself is "trashy," or perhaps better described as trendy. Taking pictures of children messily enjoying cake on their first birthday is not a new thing. I do agree however, that those who do it (and feel the need to use the buzz word "smash cake" ugh) are probably more likely to blindly engage in the other trendy types of behaviors mentioned.

I am anti-bandwagon - not interested in the frosted professional pictures with color coordinating bunting and props, gender reveal parties, or any other type of thing that posters above have aptly named "trendy" or for "sheep." And I totally agree that it is a result of the "me, me, me" social media/mommy blog (omg those people need to go away) culture.

But, we did give our son his own mini cake at his first birthday party, which was just a small casual gathering of my family and my best friend at our house. I am a baking enthusiast and it was simply a matter of making one rectangular cake layer and cutting 2 circles for layers and then icing it. We got adorable pictures because (as someone stated above) it was his first real introduction to cake. He was extremely enthusiastic and we all took pictures and laughed a lot. It really felt like a celebration.

So I guess what I'm saying is that a "smash cake" does not always a sheep make, but a sheep will always have a smash cake

(As an aside, where are you people in my real life? I feel like I never meet anyone in real life who dislikes trends like this...)

16:46 said it best. Truly. Yes of course a child should have a PIECE of cake or a cupcake on his or her 1st birthday. Yes, a child with birthday cake on his or her face IS cute and should be photographed!

To have a full-sized cake to smash all over is tacky. Wasteful and tacky. A child with frosting in his or her hair, on his or her legs, arms, diaper? Not so cute - then to have it PROFESSIONALLY photographed? Ugh. It's tacky and gross and that there is actually a name for this trend is something else!

I don't want to see brides and grooms smashing cake into each others faces either.

Although it's not nearly similar, this reminds me of that other trashy new trend of brides maids showing their naked butts in wedding pictures. Trashy "me, me, me" culture we live in. "Look at me! Look at my ass! Look at my baby smashing a $300 cake and smearing it all over the place! Isn't it cute? Aren't I fabulous? Wow, I am so, so fabulous. I bet you wish you were ME ME ME!!!!"

Charm school should be required for all. No one really has any sense of decorum anymore.

I guess I just don't get it...I really don't. Therefore, I have no opinion on this, really, other than I don't find photos of messy children "cute."

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if the women who buy smash cakes for their babies and then post the very predictable pictures online are the same tacky women who let their four-year-olds pee on trees during outdoor music festivals and carry around potettes for them to defecate in? Same women who asked a friend to throw them a "sprinkle"?

Lots of tacky women on this forum. I always thought DC was a mecca for young sophisticates but I was clearly wrong. This here is hillbilly country!!!

To me, nothing says classy like looking down on your fellow human beings.

I wonder if the women who buy smash cakes for their babies and then post the very predictable pictures online are the same tacky women who let their four-year-olds pee on trees during outdoor music festivals and carry around potettes for them to defecate in? Same women who asked a friend to throw them a "sprinkle"?

Lots of tacky women on this forum. I always thought DC was a mecca for young sophisticates but I was clearly wrong. This here is hillbilly country!!!

Smash cakes are tacky. Posting pictures of your baby while smashing up his cake is tackier. Defending a ridiculous and "sheep-following" trend is tackiest. Tacky, tackier, tackiest.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I generally think that any time anyone does the same thing that everyone else is doing for no reason other than the pictures - it is tacky. Giving a baby a smash cake so you can post the pictures of him with cake all over his face is so overdone and boring. It's not as if a one-year-old can do anything else when presented with a cake so where is the surprise or originality?

Yes, put me down for "tacky". And it is wasteful.

I agree. It is tacky. We are so frinking wealthy in this country that we can devote an entire decorated cake just for a baby to smash up - it's kind of disgusting when you think about it.

I'm sure there are plenty of things you do that others would consider wasteful so cut the hypocritical bullshit

So name one wasteful thing you think I do, oh-defensive-one, and we'll see. I think smash cakes are tacky and wasteful. Period. If you have another question to ask - go ahead. Start a new subject line and ask.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I generally think that any time anyone does the same thing that everyone else is doing for no reason other than the pictures - it is tacky. Giving a baby a smash cake so you can post the pictures of him with cake all over his face is so overdone and boring. It's not as if a one-year-old can do anything else when presented with a cake so where is the surprise or originality?

Yes, put me down for "tacky". And it is wasteful.

I agree. It is tacky. We are so frinking wealthy in this country that we can devote an entire decorated cake just for a baby to smash up - it's kind of disgusting when you think about it.

I'm sure there are plenty of things you do that others would consider wasteful so cut the hypocritical bullshit

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I generally think that any time anyone does the same thing that everyone else is doing for no reason other than the pictures - it is tacky. Giving a baby a smash cake so you can post the pictures of him with cake all over his face is so overdone and boring. It's not as if a one-year-old can do anything else when presented with a cake so where is the surprise or originality?

Yes, put me down for "tacky". And it is wasteful.

I agree. It is tacky. We are so frinking wealthy in this country that we can devote an entire decorated cake just for a baby to smash up - it's kind of disgusting when you think about it.

love the smash cake. Gave my boy a huge green one. i'm trashy, tacky, I don't care. In my culture, one is a big deal