How to Prepare Your Baby for a Milestone Photo Session
Simple styling can be especially effective for sitter portraits. Bare feet, baby rolls, a favorite bonnet, and a clean background keep the attention on your baby and the little details that change so quickly during the first year.
Baby milestone sessions are usually much simpler to prepare for than parents expect. You don't need to practice smiling, teach your baby to sit still or completely rearrange your baby's routine for photographs.
In fact, some of the best preparation is simply making sure your baby arrives rested, fed, comfortable and ready to interact.
Milestone photography is different from newborn photography. An older baby is awake, curious and increasingly aware of unfamiliar people and surroundings. The session works best when we plan around the baby you actually have rather than expecting your baby to perform for the camera.
Quick Answer: How Do I Prepare My Baby for Milestone Photos?
For a successful baby milestone session:
Schedule photos during a time when your baby is usually happy and alert
Protect your baby's normal nap schedule
Make sure your baby is well fed
Bring a bottle, snacks or feeding supplies if appropriate
Bring a favorite toy, song or video that reliably gets your baby's attention
Choose comfortable clothing that fits properly
Avoid an unusually busy day before the session
Bring an additional adult when possible
Don't worry about getting your baby to smile on command
The most important preparation is knowing your baby's normal routine and planning the session around it.
Schedule the Session Around Your Baby's Happiest Time
Some babies are happiest first thing in the morning. Others need breakfast and some time to wake up before they're ready to socialize.
You probably already know when your baby tends to be at their best.
That is the time we want.
If your baby routinely becomes tired and cranky at 11:00 a.m., scheduling photographs at 10:30 because it happens to be convenient isn't ideal. If your baby wakes from an afternoon nap cheerful and ready to play, that may be a much better window.
The best session time isn't necessarily the same for every baby.
Don't Skip a Nap for Photos
This is one of the most important things you can do.
Try not to keep your baby awake in the hope that they'll somehow be more cooperative for the photographer. That's a strategy sometimes associated with very young newborn sessions, but milestone photography is different.
We want an older baby who is awake and engaged, not exhausted.
Whenever possible, maintain your baby's usual nap schedule and plan photographs during one of their normal awake periods.
If your baby's nap schedule suddenly changes the week before the session, don't panic. Babies aren't known for respecting calendars. We can work with what they're doing at the time.
Make Sure Your Baby Isn't Hungry
A hungry baby has priorities, and posing for photographs isn't one of them.
Feed your baby according to their normal schedule before the session. There is no benefit to delaying a feeding to get a particular expression or reaction.
Depending on your baby's age, bring whatever you normally use for feeding as well.
That might include:
A bottle
Nursing supplies
Formula
Water, when age appropriate
Familiar snacks for babies already eating solids
A quick snack or feeding break can sometimes reset an older baby who has decided they're finished with photographs.
Bring a Favorite Toy
Photographers have plenty of tricks for getting babies to look toward the camera, but nobody knows your baby better than you do.
If there is a particular toy that always gets a reaction, bring it.
It doesn't necessarily need to appear in the photographs. We can use it behind the camera to attract your baby's attention.
A favorite stuffed animal or comfort item can also be useful if your baby needs a few minutes to settle into an unfamiliar environment.
Bring the Music and Videos Your Baby Loves
This can work remarkably well.
If your baby has a favorite song, nursery rhyme or video that immediately gets their attention, have it available on your phone.
Sometimes the first few notes of a familiar song are all we need to get a baby to look toward us.
You don't need to worry that using music or a video somehow makes the photograph less authentic. We're simply using something familiar to help your baby engage with an unfamiliar environment.
Choose Outfits Before Session Day
If you are working with us at Panos Productions Photography in Los Angeles, we have an entire studio full of clothes you can use for your session. But if you want to bring your own outfits, don't wait until you're walking out the door to decide what your baby will wear.
Try everything on ahead of time.
Baby clothing sizes are notoriously inconsistent. An outfit labeled for your baby's age may be enormous, while another in exactly the same size may barely fit.
Fit matters in photographs.
Very oversized clothing can bunch around a sitting baby and hide their shape. Complicated clothing can also become frustrating during outfit changes.
Simple clothing, dresses, rompers, overalls, suspenders and pieces that allow little arms, legs and feet to show can all photograph beautifully.
For more help planning outfits, see what your baby should wear for milestone photos, including colors, clothing styles and choices that photograph particularly well during the sitter stage.
Bring More Than One Outfit
I like creating variety during milestone sessions.
When the session and baby's temperament allow, we can photograph up to three outfits or looks.
You might choose one more traditional outfit, one casual look and something completely different for the third.
You don't necessarily need to purchase three new outfits. We can also discuss what is available in the studio and how different clothing will work with the backgrounds or props we're planning to use.
Don't Dress Baby in the Most Important Outfit for the Car Ride
The baby can wear the most comfortable clothes possible for the ride and change when they get here. Babies have an impressive ability to spit up, drool or create a diaper emergency at exactly the wrong moment.
If you're bringing a special outfit for photographs, consider transporting it separately and changing your baby after you arrive.
That also keeps the outfit from becoming wrinkled or bunched in the car seat.
Bring a backup outfit as well. It may never leave the bag, but it's useful insurance.
Bring the Everyday Baby Supplies You Normally Need
Bring the things your baby normally needs during the amount of time you'll be away:
Diapers
Wipes
Feeding supplies
Pacifier, if your baby uses one
Burp cloth
Snacks, when age appropriate
Favorite toy or comfort object
Backup clothing
If your baby has something specific that reliably calms them, bring that too.
Consider Bringing Another Adult
An extra adult can be surprisingly useful during a baby milestone session.
While I am photographing your baby, someone may need to grab an outfit, prepare a bottle, retrieve a toy or stand behind me making ridiculous noises.
Having another familiar adult available can make all of that easier.
It can be especially helpful when we're doing several outfits or photographing a very mobile baby who has recently discovered crawling.
Keep the Time Before the Session Relatively Normal
A photo session doesn't need an elaborate preparation day.
In fact, I would avoid packing the hours before photographs with unusual activities if you can.
A long outing, missed nap, crowded event or other overstimulating activity can leave a baby tired before the session even begins.
Normal is good.
Let your baby eat, sleep and play according to their usual routine as much as possible.
What If My Baby Is Teething?
Teething happens. So do growth spurts, unpredictable naps and inexplicably grumpy mornings.
You don't need to cancel a session simply because your baby is teething.
Bring whatever comfort items you normally use and let me know what's happening.
If your baby is actually sick, that's different. A sick baby shouldn't have to work through a photo session. We can deal with scheduling rather than expecting an uncomfortable baby to perform.
Don't Practice Smiling
You don't need to teach your baby how to behave for photographs.
You also don't need to spend the week before the session trying to get your baby to smile on command.
Babies give us all kinds of expressions during milestone sessions: enormous smiles, tiny smirks, serious stares, curiosity, surprise and occasionally a look suggesting that the entire photography industry is questionable.
Those expressions are part of who your baby is at this age.
I would rather photograph genuine interaction than spend the session trying to manufacture the same smile in every frame.
Give Your Baby Time to Warm Up
Older babies can be much more aware of strangers than newborns are.
Your baby may smile at everyone they meet, or they may look at me suspiciously for the first ten minutes.
Both are normal.
Sometimes the best approach is simply giving the baby a little time to look around, hear Mom or Dad's voice and decide that the studio is an acceptable place.
We don't need to start demanding smiles the second your baby arrives.
Tell Your Photographer What Your Baby Can Do
Milestone sessions should be designed around your baby's actual developmental abilities.
Before the session, let me know whether your baby is:
Holding their head up confidently
Sitting with support
Sitting independently
Crawling
Pulling up
Standing with support
Beginning to walk
This helps me plan setups that make sense for your baby.
A six-month-old who isn't sitting yet needs a different session plan from a six-month-old who has been sitting independently for several weeks.
If your baby is beginning to sit independently, you may also be approaching the ideal stage for sitter photos, a type of milestone session designed around this particular developmental period.
Neither is better. They're simply at different stages.
Don't Force a New Skill for Photographs
If your baby can't sit independently yet, we don't need to make them appear as though they can.
If they aren't standing, we don't need a standing portrait.
Milestone photographs are supposed to document development, not manufacture it.
Tummy time, lying down, supported positions, sitting, crawling and standing can all produce wonderful portraits when they're appropriate for the individual baby.
What If My Baby Doesn't Cooperate?
Babies don't really understand the concept of cooperating with a photo session.
They have good moments, tired moments, curious moments and moments when they would rather crawl away.
That's why milestone sessions need flexibility.
We can change activities, introduce a favorite toy, take a brief break, switch outfits or let Mom or Dad step in.
Your baby doesn't need to spend an hour sitting perfectly still and smiling at the camera.
That's neither realistic nor necessary.
The Best Preparation Is a Comfortable Baby
Parents sometimes worry that they need to do something extraordinary before a milestone session.
You don't.
A rested baby, a full tummy, familiar comfort items and clothing that fits are the fundamentals.
Everything else is about allowing enough flexibility to see what your baby gives us that day.
Your baby may arrive ready to smile at everyone.
They may need ten minutes to warm up.
They may think my camera is fascinating.
They may decide that the wooden floor is considerably more interesting than I am.
That's milestone photography.
The purpose isn't to document a perfectly behaved baby. It's to document your baby at this particular point in their first year.
Knowing what happens during a baby milestone photo session can also make planning easier, especially if this is your baby's first professional session since their newborn photos.
Preparing for Baby Milestone Photos in Los Angeles
At my Los Angeles-area studio, milestone sessions are planned around your baby's age, abilities and personality.
Before the session, we can discuss outfits, colors, your baby's current milestones and anything you would particularly like to capture.
During the session, we'll work through different looks as your baby's temperament allows, with breaks when needed.
A little preparation helps. But you don't need to arrive with a baby who has been trained for picture day.
Bring me your baby as they are. We'll work from there.
Continue Learning
When Can My Baby Have Sitting-Up Photos?
Learn how to tell when your baby is ready for classic sitter portraits and why developmental ability matters more than an exact age.
What If My Baby Doesn't Smile for Photos?
Find out why smiles aren't required for a successful milestone gallery and what we can photograph instead.
Best Age for Baby Photos After the Newborn Stage
Compare the different stages of your baby's first year and decide when you most want to schedule professional portraits.
Explore Milestone Photography
Learn more about baby milestone photography in Los Angeles, including sitter sessions, first birthday portraits and session options for documenting your baby's first year.
