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One of the most common questions in our\u00a0Feeding Littles Clients Only Group<\/a>\u00a0on Facebook has to do with a baby\u2019s first birthday cake:<\/p>\n \u201dWhat kind of healthy smash cake should I make for my baby? Do I need to make a low-sugar cake?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n I always love reading the wide array of responses and seeing the smash cake photos that are inevitably posted. (True story: photos of babies eating are my favorite thing\u00a0ever.<\/em>)<\/p>\n What do we think about a baby\u2019s first smash cake? If you\u2019ve taken our\u00a0Infant<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0Toddler & Kid<\/a>\u00a0online courses, you probably assume that we have a flexible approach to this. Why yes, we do.<\/p>\n In short:<\/p>\n Do whatever causes you the least amount of stress.<\/strong>\u00a0Seriously.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Not a baker?\u00a0Buy something, don\u2019t make it.\u00a0<\/em>Super anxious about added sugar?\u00a0Don\u2019t offer it (but make sure to read our thoughts on it below).\u00a0<\/em>Not into the idea of a smash cake in general?\u00a0Do something different. Or do nothing at all.<\/em><\/p>\n Seriously, friend \u2013 this is meant to be fun. Don\u2019t let it stress you out.<\/p>\n You will have enough on your plate planning your baby\u2019s first birthday. Worrying about a smash cake only makes your life harder. Below are a few things to consider.<\/p>\n A little sugar will not hurt your baby or cause them to become a sugar fiend.<\/strong>\u00a0Your baby already knows what sweetness tastes like and is predisposed to favor sweet flavors. Don\u2019t believe me? Taste breast milk or formula. Yup, your baby has been drinking sweet milk for a year now. (Yes, it\u2019s perfectly healthy for her to have milk sugars and fruit sugars, and while they\u2019re probably \u201chealthier\u201d than added sugars from sucrose, honey and syrup, they\u2019re still technically sugars. Your baby\u2019s diet has not been \u201csugar-free\u201d up until now.)<\/p>\n It\u2019s very important for our kiddos to have a\u00a0normal relationship with food<\/a>\u00a0and to know how to manage their food environment. Introducing baby to some added sugar on their first birthday will not ruin their taste for healthy food, I promise. Most babies who go to town on their cakes act no differently afterwards either (according to the thousands of parents we\u2019ve asked!). You can go back to serving the foods you have always served after the party.<\/p>\n To read more about how to not stress about sugar, head\u00a0here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Most \u201cPaleo\u201d or \u201chealthified\u201d cakes still contain added sugars.\u00a0<\/strong>Yes, maple syrup, agave nectar, and coconut sugar are still sugar. They may have a few extra nutrients,\u00a0but the difference is pretty small. These cakes may be great options for kiddos or party-goers with food allergies, and some of them taste pretty darn good.<\/p>\n We’re not worried about your baby having a little sugar via their birthday cake. We’re more frustrated by “health bloggers” telling you how dangerous sugar is for your baby, then\u00a0suggesting a recipe filled with maple syrup or agave.\u00a0It’s still sugar, people. No need to get on your high horse.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Want to use\u00a0a “healthified” cake\u00a0for your baby\u2019s birthday? Great! Just don\u2019t feel pressured to make a maple syrup-based cake if a more \u201ctraditional\u201d (or heck, store bought) cake is easier for you.\u00a0<\/p>\n Oh, and watch out for \u201csugar-free\u201d cake recipes. If they\u2019re sweetened with applesauce or fruit, that\u2019s great (and technically they\u2019d be \u201cfree from added sugar\u201d since fruit has fructose, or fruit sugar). Truly sugar-free cakes usually contain artificial sweeteners like sucralose (Splenda) or aspartame, which we don\u2019t recommend for babies.<\/p>\n Many babies do not touch their smash cakes anyway.\u00a0<\/strong>Parents oftentimes go overboard ensuring that their baby\u2019s cake is beautiful (or healthy, tasty, themed)\u2026and baby won\u2019t even eat it. This happened to my first baby, and it happens all the time with our clients.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n See that frosting on her hands and face? Yup, it\u2019s because we pressed her hand in the cake and put some on her lips just for the photos. Girlfriend refused to try any at all. I\u2019m glad I got a bundtlet from\u00a0Nothing Bundt Cake<\/a>\u00a0because it was so easy (and it photographed so well)\u2026and when she didn\u2019t eat it I wasn\u2019t disappointed that I had spent too much time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n This photo from one of our group members cracks me up. Baby wanted nothing to do with her beautiful cake, but mmmmm, that carrot! (Just be careful if it\u2019s bitten through since raw carrots are a choking hazard!)<\/p>\n Remember, offering your baby a birthday cake (or something else) is all about the moment, the memory, the tradition.\u00a0<\/strong>It\u2019s a rite of passage for many families. Think less about the \u201chealthfulness\u201d of the food and focus more on the memories you\u2019d like to make. Your baby\u2019s first birthday is a celebration of surviving the first year (more for you than for them!), and having birthday cake if you want to is about celebrating. Food has an important part in our culture, and it\u2019s OK to eat certain foods as part of a celebration. Think long-term about what\u00a0you<\/em>\u00a0want for this moment.<\/p>\n I think super messy cake smashes are a hilariously appropriate way to usher in toddlerhood and the joyful craziness that it brings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n You don\u2019t have to do a smash cake.<\/strong>If you still want to do \u201csmash\u201d food or messy play, get creative! Check out the awesome ideas\u00a0here<\/a>. The sweet girl in the photo below did a quesadilla\/taco smash, which was a perfect option for her family.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n What if your baby has allergies? Check out the links below to some allergen-friendly cake recipes:<\/p>\n Gluten-free allergen-friendly smash cake<\/a>\u00a0by the Pretty Bee Remember, your baby\u2019s first birthday is a momentous occasion for the entire family! Enjoy it, and have some cake if you\u2019d like \u2013 or not!\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Corn and rice-based cake<\/a>\u00a0by Huffington Post
Allergen-friendly chocolate cupcakes<\/a>\u00a0by Allergy Awesomeness
Healthy first birthday cake<\/a>\u00a0by Mamacado\u00a0<\/p>\n