Tips to prep your little one for his first photoshoot

Many photographers have called our little one lovely to work with. To be quite honest, we can get quite a nice bang for our bucks most of the time because he looks and poses straight to the camera. Unlike his old man, this little boy is not camera shy and even knows how to put his best face forward. 

I am not entirely sure if this is trained by me but I am happy to share a few tips and at the same time spam more photos. You know I love this collection from Bite Size Affair! Hehe.

1. Pick a good timing: Preferably pick a slot immediately after your child's nap. This would ensure that the child is in good mood and you have more awake time to attempt to capture the shoots you want.


2. Bring lots of snacks: This is a common but really handy advice. Most kids would settle down better as the are munching. We ended up with a lot of photos of our little red panda holding some snacks in his hand with a cheeky grin. It wasn't what we expected but the effect was pretty good. 


3. Pick a studio shoot: Personally I prefer that option especially when a cake smash is involved cos the aftermath cleaning is massive. I know some parents DIY but I totally can't imagine myself doing that. 





4.  Discuss on theme/ expectations: I think this is very important. A lot of parents end up being disappointed because they expect perfect shots. I do take a bit of photos of my boy at home but sometimes when the smile is right, the background is chaotic. Either that he is on the move. Realistically, perfect shots are hard to come by. Having said that, Bite Size Affair had so many hits. I am very pleased. 


5. Baby clothes: Generally, you have the option of wearing your own or going with the photographer's available wardrobe. We used our because I had this suit in our cupboard that was so appropriate for the woodland theme. Honestly, if you are ok with a slightly less fitting clothes, I think you should avoid using your own clothes especially when a cake smash is involved. It took me 3 washes before I could get all his cake off. #Exhausting 


6. It is not all about the baby: Remember to get some shoots together as a family too. I love this series as well because it captured the happy moments I have as a mother /parent amidst the bad, grouchy days. It also reminds me how much baby love me and I enjoy his company. 

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Quote "ba13yg" for an additional 10% off for a photoshoot with Bite Size Affair!

All you need to know about cake smash ft. Skinny Tofu Tarts

Funny story - I was first exposed to cake smash when one of my BFFs had a baby. I still remember in the group chat we were all like "Huh, what?" "Why would even want to do a photoshoot on that?" I was so baffled. Now that I am a mother with my own little boy, I am like we need to give him a photoshoot on his first birthday to capture that moment. 

To be frank, I am not hard on a cake smash. I just wanted a fun concept so I explored several options:

• Smashing a watermelon - The photographers told me the photos won't come up as good
• Coloured cereals as confetti - Was too worried he would eat them all, how unhealthy
• Milk Bath - Still thinking about it (maybe I will save it for #2) hehe

In the end, we settled for cake smash cos I found a baby-safe version at Skinny Tofu Tarts (less than $30 too!). And it was really pretty too, so pretty in fact I hesitated to let my son smash it. The cake is made of tofu and fruits (actual tiny fruits pulps mashes can be found).My son loves tofu so he was more than happy to eat it, he ate a good half of it in fact. 

The photographers actually recommended a 5" cake. Ours were 4" and I think it works well. I just couldn't imagine the consequences if my son tried gobbling down a 5" instead. This cake doesn't come with cream but it still creates a decent amount of mess for the effect. Some babies hate being messed up by cream so cakes like this scare them a lot less and you can still get to take photos of them interacting with the cake. 

Some of you may be wondering so what's the whole deal with this cake smash concept? Based on my research, it supposedly commemorates their first exposure to sugars (babies don't take sugared products before 1YO). When they taste it, they might give the confused face or flash the sweetest smile. And also the mess they made is adorable.

Parents can either choose to do the photoshoot themselves or engage a photographer. We chose the later because the mess can be massive. His red panda costume is of our own (regrets) LOL cos I took a while to clean off the cake. And it does help to have an experienced photographer as they can help to encourage to take a bite and know the better angles!

We happen to take the shoot on our baby's lunar birthday so I decided to get the mini tartlet versions (8 for $16) as well for the family. After trying them for ourselves, I can understand why my baby love it. They are like egg tarts with fruit flavours. My BIL hates tofu but he took 2 LOL! Quoted from him "the smell of tofu is effectively masked!"

Overall, I would think both the custard and crust is very well done. The price for the cake is definitely a lot more affordable in comparison. Don't be too surprised if you see us ordering more for the special occasions in the family! It also does help that these sweet treats are healthier versions and can be enjoyed by both the very young and very old (which we have both in our family!) Haha. 

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Bite Size Affair is currently having a 10% discount in Oct. Quote "ba13yg" for an additional 10% off! After Oct, quote "ba13yg" and you still can get 10% off!

Thing to do prepare for baby's Lunar Birthday

Before having a baby, I never knew all this. Just to caveat, this is not really a "tradition". Both the Hub's parents and my own never did that for us. It is probably an IG trend thing. But we did it cos I:

• Love eating Ang Ku Kueh, the one we got only cost like $13 per pair (which was quite reasonable) 
• Needed a pair of nice shoes and IMM is not that far
• Created our Zhua Zhou Kit which we will share on a separate post. 

These giant ang ku kuehs are called "脚龟". To step on it symbolises a smooth journey in life. We do come from a traditional family it was prayed first before we did the stepping. Tip: Wrap the kuehs up in food film so that it is cleaner logistically and you can eat it too after the meal. 

However, I do think most people are doing it for "trend" or "IG". We got ours from Kueh Garden at $13 a pair, it actually even tasted yummy, we finished it up after the shoot! There are even rainbow 脚龟 available in the market at an eyepopping $40 (including delivery). Note: Our baby refused to put his feet even on it (maybe cos of the texture). Just these 3 photos took a lot of coaxing and patience. 

We put a lot more thoughts into his shoes because we reckoned he is going to wear it for his first walk and that might effect his development. We decided to go for traditional shoemakers instead of some unknown brands. Heard from some Mummies that IMM has the best prices so we went there and got this Gudetama piece from Reebok at $40 (more than half price off!) There is even a button on top that will squeak when you press it. 

The only grouse would be that the design selection is quite limited. For a budget of $50, this was the only piece which caught my eye even after going to all the shoe shops. The first pair of walking shoe is usually gifted by the maternal grandmother (don't know why). My Mum was quite kind to let us choose the design because LOL I am very particular about such things. :P

Zhua Zhou (抓周) gives you a quick peek into your child's future. Usually a list of items which represent certain careers will be placed on a red mat and the first item/ 2 items that the kid pick will be his/ her future career. This set was provided by Bite Size Affair. You just have to top up an additional $10 to include it in your photoshoot ($250)

You can either buy ($20+ onwards) or rent ($8 onwards/ free) if you intend to do yourself. We did a DIY one too! But to be very honest, you will only use it for 15mins max but it can be fun for the parents and child. :P

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Bite Size Affair is currently having a 10% discount in Oct. Quote "ba13yg" for an additional 10% off! On normal times, you can quote and get 10% off.