A smashing birthday trend

Lilly prepares to get messy.

Giving your baby a cake to destroy may sound a bit crazy, but it makes for a great 1st birthday photo.

And it seems cake smash photos are popping up everywhere as the messy trend takes off in Australia.

Some parents are even forking out upwards of $500 dollars to capture the action on camera.

But a cake smash doesn’t have to break the bank.

Why not give it a go yourself?

All you need is a cute outfit, some colourful decorations including about five balloons, a cake (obviously) and a camera.

The outfit can be a tutu or something you already have in the wardrobe, while the decorations can be purchased from the supermarket or a discount store.

When it comes to the cake, a vanilla sponge with white buttercream icing is a great choice.  

The sponge is easy to break apart and the white frosting will look pretty sweet in the photos.

The cake will end up everywhere, so make sure you have a bath ready and the baby wipes on hand.Mum Ally Singh said she had a ball doing a cake smash for her daughter, Grace, on a budget.

She bought a sponge cake from the supermarket, topped it with buttercream icing, got a tutu from an op shop and purchased all the decorations from a discount store.The cake smash, including the set-up, took a couple of hours. And the clean-up didn’t take too long.

“I just threw her in the bath and had the cat help out with the clean up,” Ally said.

Happy snapping!