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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To hate this smashcake craze?

588 replies

skerrywind · 09/04/2017 10:35

A close member of our family has just spent £100 on a smashcake for her 1st baby's birthday.
I find it quite disgusting to waste food like this. It surprises me that I have quite a gutteral reaction to this. I also find it disgusting to see people in baths of beans etc.

Anyone else feel like this or am I just a killjoy?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
7
Ooopsohdear · 09/04/2017 11:16

I spent £800 on my dd cake smash, it's up to the individual person and if they like it, so what?

Pigface1 · 09/04/2017 11:17

YANBU. Just seems so crass to be so deliberately wasteful and to revel in it. Also don't understand the appeal!

insancerre · 09/04/2017 11:17

This is more like it

PurpleDaisies · 09/04/2017 11:17

What on earth did you get for such a ridiculous amount of money ooops? Confused

Lweji · 09/04/2017 11:19

I spent £800 on my dd cake smash

Was it a cake made of gold?

ChardonnayKnickertonSmythe · 09/04/2017 11:19

Surely a typo?

Only1scoop · 09/04/2017 11:20

Perhaps the dummy necklace and matching crown were?

pirsonal · 09/04/2017 11:21

Vulgar.

Ooopsohdear · 09/04/2017 11:21

Session fee was £100
Specially made cake £60
And I purchased all the pictures, which are sold in packages. I saved for the whole year of her first year of life to be able to pay it, because I love them. Just like some people save for other things, like hobbies or holidays.

SleepFreeZone · 09/04/2017 11:22

They saw you coming.

Frazzledmum123 · 09/04/2017 11:23

Sleep free - not going to get into a massive argument about it but this is my third child and she is dressed mainly in her sister's hand me downs brought from mainly Tesco, Sainsbury's and Asda with a few things from Next when they gave me 25%off. No designer stuff at all but if people want to buy that with money they have earned them fine. Absolutely bloody not got her ears pierced either, hate hate hate that but that's another thread! Grin

Cainil - I don't buy cakes really anyway, it's one thing I try and do myself for some reason(they are usually a disaster). Like I said I will probably do my own version. But your point kind of makes mine, do the people moaning actually donate to such charities? I'm sure some do but I bet most don't and I bet they are wasteful in other areas. I hate hypocrites who like to make a big deal of things but do nothing to actually help. Is them not doing this going to help feed others? No so unless they do as you said I don't think they have the right to criticise

Felicia - I think it looks better the whole thing as you get the progression of it but believe me, if we do do one said cake will not be wasted in our house!! Most the cake remains anyway but my husband would happily eat any crumbs, he has no shame lol

WarwickDavisAsPlates · 09/04/2017 11:23

I have to say I do think they are very tacky and I really can't understand what people find "cute" about it.

I really can't stand children with messy faces, my SIL always leaves her son wandering around with mess all over his face and hands and it makes me feel physically sick. I couldn't bring myself to take a picture of it and display it proudly as a wonderfully (staged) family moment.

Bobbins43 · 09/04/2017 11:24

I don't know what this is!

Lweji · 09/04/2017 11:24

Ah, it's a photo session con?

RNBrie · 09/04/2017 11:25

Marks and Spencer have just brought out smash cake Shock

I loathe it as an idea. I realise it's just supposed to be a bit of fun but it makes my blood run cold.

PurpleDaisies · 09/04/2017 11:26

I saved for the whole year of her first year of life to be able to pay it, because I love them. Just like some people save for other things, like hobbies or holidays.

I think that's a terrible waste of money that could have been spent on things that your child would actually enjoy such as hobbies or holidays. It was hard enough to understand someone with £800 to spare deciding to spend it on a cake smash, but to have to save up of a year is madness.

Original poster
skerrywind · 09/04/2017 11:27

I spent £800 on my dd cake smash, it's up to the individual person and if they like it, so what?

I find that quite sad actually.

£800 would provide safe drinking water for a village of 100 people.

OP posts:
SleepFreeZone · 09/04/2017 11:27

Frazzled I can sort of see your point that you want to memorialise your last child. I had similar thoughts myself when I has DS2 after years of infertility and miscarriage. But I have my head a wobble and stopped being a sentimental nutcase. Children don't give a shit about all this stuff. They aren't interested in their crusty biblical cord, their positive piss stick or a thousand professionally taken photos of their first this or that or them smashing a cake up. To my mind that money would be better spent on something that actually meant something or better still whacked in a savings account for their Uni fees.

I am a Marcy bitch though so just ignore me.

SleepFreeZone · 09/04/2017 11:27

*mardy 🙄

WarwickDavisAsPlates · 09/04/2017 11:27

To be fair I also hate those weird staged family photo sessions where everyone pretends to tickle someone while wearing matching jumpers.

I always think a photo is to remember a fun or special time. Not just "ah remember when we went to that studio and fake laughed for an hour?"

watchoutformybutt · 09/04/2017 11:28

I love them because it helps me avoid the types that do it. Along with being a "full time yummy mummy" and hunning. If I see a cake smash photo I know we just don't work out Grin

Only1scoop · 09/04/2017 11:30

Warwick
Oh yes

FlyingDuck · 09/04/2017 11:31

I'm going to market myself as a photographer for 'that time your baby pooed on the floor photo shoots'. Feed baby a big lunch, remove nappy, and stalk child for the afternoon waiting for that "omigod! babies do the wackiest things!" shot.

It's strange that cute, funny, little bits of life are being contrived and commodified in the way of cake smashes. If baby Duckling went face down in his first birthday cake, it would have been memorable because of the mixture of horror/delight/amusement at the unexpectedness of it. Not because you have staged a situation to let that happen.

FeralBeryl · 09/04/2017 11:33

I think some of you may be getting the bought cakes confused with the photo session?
Asda do a 'smashable' cake but it's just a shit cake with a hollow chocolate dome atop filled with sweeties. The birthday child then twats it with a spoon/stick until the chocolate breaks revealing the sweets. Like a pinàta.
Cake remains sadly intact Grin

RainyDayBear · 09/04/2017 11:37

YANBU. I find it really, really distasteful. And I love adorable pictures of babies all smushed in food! I wouldn't mind if it was a baby enjoying a slice of birthday cake or a cupcake and naturally getting it everywhere, but the idea of getting a fancy cake (and usually a fancy outfit) solely for the purpose of destroying it just seems wasteful and unnecessary!

I really dislike them and hope it's a fad that goes away soon.