Newborn

Having a new baby is a big adjustment for a big brother or sister.

Having a new sibling can be a huge adjustment for a toddler or even an older child. in order to have a great session together I like to remind my clients to go easy on their children.

here are my top tips for having a great time in my studio.

#1: Have low expectations of your toddler.

I like to remind my clients to let their toddler know that “we’re going to go see my friend Lisa and she’s going to take some pictures”. Toddlers can often be a wild card on how they behave during a session. Sometimes there is a bit of jealousy with a new baby and sometimes you never know if the toddler is going to cooperate, in my experience it’s best to put a lot of low pressure on your toddler that we’re going to go to my house to play and leave it at that. Threats to get a toddler to behave never seem to work and end up stressing out your toddler. I try to prepare my clients that not all toddlers and not all children will cooperate for a sibling image and that’s okay!! I will do my best to work with your child but ultimately they are the boss.

#2 Do not bribe them with chocolate or anything that can stain their face or clothing.

One of the biggest mistakes I see his parents trying to bribe their children with items like chocolate, Smarties , lollipops, and things that will stain in their face!

This makes things really impossible to edit when they’re covered in chocolate and their teeth are covered in chocolate! If you do choose to bribe your children I suggest items like Rice Krispies or baby marshmallows things that will not stain and are easy to photoshop out of the image.

#3 Pre Plan Your Outfits

I suggest my clients pre plan the outfits are going to wear and change at my studio I know how impossible it is to keep children clean so I always had in a little extra time for outfit changes in my studio. number four put low pressure on your children.

#4 Remember this is supposed to be fun

I cannot express how important this is when children are put in a position where there are forced to behave or they are forced to perform it will stress them out and they usually will not ( mom experience here! )

Threats to behave will stress out your kid , and my job as your photographer is to make friends with your kids and get them to take a picture. After 14 years of working with toddlers and small children I have my tricks and tips to get them to work with me and I would say 99% of the time it does work!

#5 Stay Calm & Carry on

My friend, don’t freak out if your child won’t behave. sometimes it happens sometimes we have a situation where a toddler absolutely refuses to get near their sibling, and absolutely refuses to get near the baby, or refuses to be held by Mom and Dad, or just refuses to be part of the entire experience .

it has been rare that I have had to have a client come back, but in those situations I typically will.

So if we don’t get it the first time don’t worry I’m a professional.

if I need to have you come back and try a different day I do.

#6 Embrace the outtakes and the chaos

Fun fact, out takes are my favourite. I may be known for those images with toddlers with their eyes closed and everyone looking peaceful and dreamy, but Im a gal that loves to include the funny and hilarious moments that happen in a session too.

In a nutshell the experience for your children should be fun it should be about making memories it should be about of taking a snapshot at this time in your life, it should leave them with a good experience with me. But most of all they should have fun.