Whatever next

DGD3 on her first birthday

I saw one of these photos and thought it was a joke, please tell me that mothers don't really let babies cover themselves in gaudy coloured icing

Gosh kitty - I don't know what to say! She looks a very sweet GD.

I suppose I find it distasteful because of my obsession with not wasting food.

I have to say that it wasn't my idea and I was slightly horrified but the photos were fabulous. I hope it's a passing phase but this was 3 years ago.

Would it not encourage them to play with their every day food ?

Great picture kitty

Apparently so, according to the article! And part with up to £800 for the privilege .

I hate this trend, but suspected I was just being a grumpy old woman. Then I saw a thread on Mumsnet where many of the young women felt pretty grumpy about it too. Someone on the thread had paid £100 for their toddler's cake, just for the joy of seeing it demolished.

There are some in Asda for a tenner though, that have a smashable top and a layer of sweets inside it, over the cake itself. I could live with that.

Ridiculous! More money than sense I think.

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It is a lovely photokittylester I was just about to say but £800 is a bit over the top. Then I remembered that I'd paid £500 each for three professional photos of my own grandchildren about 11years ago. If memory serves me well my reasoning was that I wanted to capture a snapshot of their childhood. To be fair the photographs have bought me immense joy over the years. Ps don't let on how much I paid. It's between myself and DiL. I didn't lie I just didn't make it completely clear that it was £500 each not £500 for the three. It was probably the most indulgent thing I've ever bought.

DD3 didn't pay anything like £800 for hers - I think it was a Groupon deal and about £100. Another mitigating feature was that she was still with the idiot, very unhappy and his only redeeming feature was, occasionally, having lots of money and using it to try to keep DD sweet!

Sorry if I sound like an old fuddy duddy, but I really hate to see food wasted - this is what comes of being a post war baby!

I also get quite cross when I hear about what some photographers charge - it really is disgraceful. I worked as a photographer for the last 10 years of my career and would not have dreamed of making such charges! I just wanted everyone to have the chance of having lovely photos of their loved ones. I know the real cost of producing those photos and hate to see people ripped off. I am not surprised you kept the cost under your hat morethan !!!!

I really am Grumpy of Herefordshire this morning!

I think this is very popular and I've seen some charming ones. I don't know about the £800 thing though, A photographer friend of my daughter charges £100 for the photo shoot and decorations but you bring your own cake .

I think its just one step on from those pictures we have all taken of a little one covered in food....this is one of mine ( no money was spent taking this picture )

DGD looks lovely kitty - for a moment I was alarmed at what it was she was holding!

The type of photo-shoot in that BBC item is on a par with other 'set-up' scenes e.g. barefoot brides and grooms up to their ankles in the sea, apparently many are taken nowhere near the wedding. Keeps photographers and cake makers in business I suppose!

Eugh! What a waste of a cake! To my mind there is nothing 'cute' about a baby smashing up a cake which might even be edible, though that lurid icing might put even the greediest hungriest party guest right off! I used to have a lovely (?) picture of DS1 covered in chocolate pudding but can't find it. Perhaps I can run it to earth in time for his 50th birthday.

Off topic I know, but still regarding parties and smashing things . I picked up a cute monkey pinata from Asda's clearance shelf for £1.50 for my DGS3's party, filled it with goodies, then couldn't bear the thought of encouraging a gaggle of two year olds to smash its head in. I adapted it with curling ribbon lengths hanging down so that only one opened the little trapdoor I'd cut into his bottom.

My DC had a good laugh, but even they could agree I'd done the right thing when they saw how cute that monkey's face was!

We have a photo of DGS1 looking like (but worse than!!) n&g's photo. We had it as a screen saver on the laptop while we were in Japan after DS1's stroke and I swear it was the only thing that kept us sane!

I think this is awful - and of course it hails from the US. Why pay for the privilege if parents feel they HAVE to keep up with the 'trend'? Make a cake, shove the child on it and have the mobile phone to hand to record the 'wonderful' event.
I think we're either going mad or becoming desperate to be different!!!
What happened to pass the parcel????

I wouldn't be surprised if the parents who throw away money on a cake smash like this are not the ones who do messy play with their kids in their own kitchens and gardens, with paint and glue and play dough. That's why they find it so amazingly cute. Does the price include paying for someone else to clear up the mess? Bet they don't have it in their own houses, actually.

Oh well, if you've got £800 to throw away...

... no, it's still a bit of a sick idea, I think.

luckyg, if it's any consolation, I wouldn't call green sugar goo like that food.

Never mind cake, sweet potato and squash can be quite colourful too.

Oh look at that cute little rosy face harrigran made me smile today.

I think she was teething at the time, just six months old but had the appetitenof a six year old

This did indeed start in the US. My daughter had her own designer cake-making business when she lived there and did very well out of 'smash cakes'. I thought a cupcake would have been good enough, but it is only a bit of fun and there is no need to waste the cake, or pay an extortionate amount to a photographer.

Here is a photo of DGD with her smash cake (made by her mum) and photographed by a friend who did it as a gift. I will now duck behind the parapet as most of you seem to disapprove

I'm with you Bella. I can see the contra indications but i love the end results!

I meant to say what an adorable, happy photo of your little DGD, kitty. Definitely a super end result