Dos and Dont’s: Preparing Babies and Toddlers for your Sacramento Family Photos
Do you have Sacramento Family Photos planned with your young family? Are you scared of a potential tantrum or worried your toddler just won’t be smiling for photos?Sometimes babies and toddlers just have a fussy day, but there is actually a lot we can do as parents to prepare our children for a successful family photo session. So here is your comprehensives guides of things to do and things not to do, to help your baby or toddler have a fun time at your family’s session.
Do: Dress your child appropriately for the weather
I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve been to photo sessions where a baby or toddler was fussy, only to be instantly cured when we considered and changed their clothing. Being too cold or too hot is uncomfortable for anyone, but is especially not easy to tolerate as a young child, especially those who are unable to communicate what the problem is. Especially with outdoor sessions, it can be very easy to overlook that temperature might be playing a role in your fussy child. Here are some recommendations I have, depending on the season here in the Sacramento Area.
Spring, Fall and Winter:
Make sure to bring a jacket, even on a warmer day where you feel confident it won’t be needed. It is always better to have the option, especially because most photoshoots are near sunset when temperatures can rapidly decline, and the Bay Breeze sometimes can make things both windy and suddenly much colder. I’d always rather photograph a happy warm child bundled in a huge nonmatching jacket than a freezing unhappy one in a beautiful dress. You will love the photos more too! How cute is the little girl in the photo above with the massive grin on her face? The fact that she was wearing a jacket over her beautiful dress does not take away from that happy face at all and taking pictures of her in a jacket was the perfect decision!
Dress them in layers. First, if you would really like your child to wear a certain outfit that might not be warm enough, dressing in layers beneath that cute outfit can make all of the difference. Undershirts, layering onesies, double socks can all make a thinner outfit warmer. Adding accessories such as beanies and hats are super adorable and photograph well, but also give warming options. On the flipside, we can definitely have unseasonably warm days for Sacramento family photo sessions as well, so dressing in layers will also help prevent kids getting too hot as well. If the day is warmer than expected, it is usually pretty easy to then get rid of one of the under layers.
Summer:
Remember that babies and toddlers often need one more layer than you to be comfortable. It obviously gets very hot in the summer here in Sacramento and dressing in few and limited clothing is usually a good idea. But I have also seen underdressed babies for photoshoots as well, so don’t forget that they usually are more comfortable in warmer temperatures than we are and usually still need more clothing than we do even on warm days. Definitely do not overdress them by any means, but it is usually still a good idea to bring at least one extra layer along in case the evening cools off faster than expected.
Consider the fabric type. Some types of materials are definitely thicker or warmer than others, and this is doubly true for the nice/dressy baby and toddler clothes. If its going to be a hot day, make sure the clothing material breathes.
Don’t forget sunscreen. This one is self-explanatory :-)
Beyond that, there are also of course decisions I will help you make as your family photographer both in winter and summer. On hot days, we will definitely be looking for shade, and I have certain photo locations that are near water or are shaded for long periods of the day, which are going to be cooler than many other photo locations. For the really hot days, I sometimes have us switch to a morning session to help the temperatures stay appropriate. Depending on your child’s age and the location, there is also sometimes the option to play in the water, which both creates fantastic images and keeps everyone cool. For the winter, I always make sure to keep sessions fairly active and kids often warm up simply from being allowed to run and move during the session.
Do: Feed your child a snack before the Sacramento photo session.
In my experience as a Sacramento family photographer, 9 times out of 10, if a child is very fussy during a photo session they are either uncomfortable temperature wise or they are hungry! The latter is very easy to take care of simply by feeding your child a snack right before the session. This is usually sufficient for most children, but I also have no problem with a mid session snack break, whether your child is eating solids or needs a bottle or breastfeeding break. Taking that break when a kid is starting to get upset is usually sufficient to save the whole session and create much better photos afterwards.
Do: Bring a favorite toy along
It isn’t always needed, but it is always a good idea to have a beloved toy along to help comfort an upset child if needed, who might be feeling scared or overwhelmed at the new person (me) or location. I always bring my own along as well: Kiki my lens monkey and Charlie the teddy bear often get babies and toddlers excited about the photo session. A toy will help your child both if they are feeling scared or if they are simply bored, and can make the photosession fun for them again. Plus, the photos of babies and toddlers snuggling a toy are usually super adorable.
Do: Go with the flow Don’t: Threaten your child to behave
Try to keep the photo session positive no matter what, even if you feel that your child is misbehaving. Trust me, in my 15 years of experience working with kids, I’ve seen it all and worse (probably from my own child even) and I can handle it, and frankly I enjoy and embrace the energy! Photo sessions work best when your child is having fun, and if that means acting a bit wild or not sitting still, then we are going to go with the flow and find photos that can incorporate both. I will incorporate walking and running photos, fun props and all kinds of other things that will both generate great photos and let your child have fun and be themselves. Please do not talk sternly or threaten your child during the photoshoot. Even if your child is perfectly behaved due to a threat, their body language will be stiff and unnatural which does not lead to good photos. More often, it leads to tears and an unhappy child, which can be much harder to come back from. If you feel like your child is misbehaving during a session, I want you to take a deep breath, pivot with me to find an activity that your child wants to do that will work for photos, and always keep smiling. Misbehaving children usually still look super cute in photos but upset parents never do. We will go with the flow and I promise, it will lead to good photos in the end. Let me take the lead in these situations and you just love on your child, I promise we will get some amazing photos together.
Do: Tell me about potential nap conflicts.
The good news is that sunset sessions usually do not conflict with naptimes. However, it is certainly true that a missed nap can really set things up for failure so I am absolutely happy to accommodate you if you feel a slightly different time would work better for your baby or toddler due to a nap. Please let me know if you are worried about how naps might affect your session and we can work on a solution, such as meeting a bit earlier or later. We can even change photo locations to somewhere farther away, if desired! I generally try to choose photo locations that are close to where my clients live. However, I’ve had families prefer a 45 minute drive to a location because their baby was great at napping in the car, and a longer car ride meant a longer nap and was therefore desireable. This is totally fine with me! I have great photo locations all around the Greater Sacramento Area. Just let me know and we can change things around to create a better nap schedule possibility.
