How to Prepare Toddlers for a Photo Session

How to Prepare Toddlers for a Photo Session

How to Prepare Toddlers for a Photo Session? The answer is, you can’t. Just kidding. But you know how toddlers love to move? That is completely normal! They don’t want to sit still. Over my 15 years of photographing toddlers, I only recall one, 2 year old who sat still for his photos and followed every direction. He was way ahead of his time, very smart, and he was the sweetest little guy. And I have photographed hundreds of toddlers.

So rest assured, if your little one is running in the wrong direction from the camera, they are in good company. Now that we can agree that preparing toddlers for a photo session is not completely in our control, let’s talk about mindset and ways to cope with this normal behavior. 😉 And of course, there are a few things you can do in your routine to help things go your way.

Throughout this post I’m sharing some images from one of my favorite outdoor family sessions with toddlers. These adorable twins were active and fun! Their parents are also awesome!

Keep Calm

My first tip is to let them be themselves and be relaxed about it. No toddler is going to sit still just because you want them too! It is developmentally appropriate for them to be on the move, explore things, and be inquisitive about the world around them. So don’t feel bad if they don’t “follow directions.” I would instead have the mindset of being pleasantly surprised if they do respond to all requests. Do you feel more relaxed now? The one caveat to this is, we definitely don’t want toddlers handling photography equipment if we are in the studio, but aside from that we’re good.

Interact and Explore

Our job is to capture their attention just long enough to click the camera shutter. So here are some ways that we can “trick” them into getting the photos we want. I say this of course, with a little chuckle. If we are outdoors, they will let us know what they want to look at, so we’ll follow them and ask them what they think about the leaves, the flowers, the tree trunk, the fountain, etc. Maybe they will sit on your lap for 2 seconds to examine a leaf. Honestly, some of the best photos I’ve taken are the unexpected ones. I like the spontaneity that toddlers bring during a photo session.

Food and Rest

What can you do before the session to prepare a toddler for a photo session? A well rested and fed child is happy child. Maybe. It depends. Sticking to your normal routine before your photo session might be helpful for you. Bring snacks and their favorite toys or have their favorite song ready to play on your cell phone.

Time of Day

Many young children are at their best in the morning, but will do fine during an evening photo session. If the weather is very cold, we will be in the studio anyway, from November-March. But if left with the choice to schedule outdoors or in studio from April-October, you may consider the time of day for your toddler.

Outdoor sessions before sunset

How to prepare toddlers for a photo session in the evening might take a little extra planning. I photograph outdoor family sessions within the two hours before sunset. In the summer, this can be as late as the 6:30pm-8:30pm timeframe. If your child has an early bedtime around 7:00pm, then you may choose to schedule during the Spring season instead of the summer when the sun sets a little earlier. That being said, I have found that most children do just fine at our outdoor sessions, even if it is out of their normal routine. To quickly check time of sunset on a specific date, you can google it or visit the website Time and Date.

Season for Toddlers during Photo Sessions

A little side note about what season to have your photos taken; outside temperatures do matter. I will say that when little children are outside in warmer temperatures, it does make for a happier session. It is really challenging for little ones to go without a coat for photos in temperatures lower than 50 degrees Fahrenheit. In Maryland weather, the temperatures can really fluctuate in the shoulder seasons. For that reason, I really love the months of May and September for photos with younger kids. It just feels the most comfortable.

Family outdoor sessions last up to one hour. With this flexible timing, if we achieve the photos that you are looking for within 30 minutes and the children are ready to go home, then that’s all the time we need. We will go through a checklist and make sure you got the family combinations you wanted. Some of these combinations include full family, mom with kids, dad with kids, kids together, and kids individually.

While I do try to get those quintessential “smile and look at the camera” group photos in the beginning, the rest of the session I love to photograph candid interactions of your family. I will give you some prompts to help you know what to do, but I’ll also prompt you to be yourself with your children so we can document those special relationships.

Studio sessions in the morning or early afternoon

Preparing toddlers for a photo session earlier in the day might work best for you. I photograph studio sessions usually between the hours of 10:00am and 2:00pm. This includes newborn sessions, and milestones (baby) sessions. If you have a newborn session scheduled, and you will be bringing your older child or children that are toddlers, you can have them come for all or part of the session.

Sometimes a toddler will come at the beginning of a newborn session for family and sibling portraits and then leave with a parent when their session portion is over. This might mean they get dropped off at school/daycare, or they go for a car ride home to take a nap. If parents arrive in the same car, then sometimes dad will return at the end of the newborn session to pick up mom.

For milestones (baby) sessions, I recommend choosing a start time that coincides well with nap times. Bring your baby and toddler in for photos after a nap or well before it is time to take a nap.

How to Prepare Toddlers for a Photo Session

How to prepare toddlers for a photo session is a combination of routines and also being somewhat flexible. Before they were “toddlers” babies were finding their way to start moving. Crawling and wiggly worms, what have you. Once babies are on the move, we just move with them. For baby milestones sessions, the 7 months timeframe is a perfect time to catch a baby sitting up, a possibly before they are crawling everywhere. Check out this blog post with an adorable 7 months milestones session.

For ideas on outfits for toddlers and babies, check out this blog post. These can be used for milestones sessions.