Tips for Tricky Toddlers
Picture this: you’ve spent a month coordinating outfits for your family; you helped everyone get dressed and did everyone’s hair; you got the kids in the car and then, right as you walk in the doors, something goes wrong. Sound familiar? It’s an experience every parent goes through at least once! Planning a family photoshoot can be stressful, and oftentimes, that stress can trickle down to your kids. For little ones, that can be especially hard! Toddlers and babies can be a wildcard due to their short attention spans and big emotions. However, this doesn’t mean you should have a negative experience! Keep reading for all our toddler tips as well as how to best prepare for your next session!
Tip 1: Have Good Communication with your Photographer
Here at Camera Shy, we give you up to an hour to make sure we can fit in all the pictures and poses you want. However, toddlers and babies generally have shorter attention spans than their siblings, and it is common for them to be done before the hour is up. For that reason, it is important to run the session as efficiently as possible! Talk to your photographer about any desires or concerns you have! Our photographers will touch base with you on what you would like to take pictures of that day and what your priorities are. Is it a fabulous family photo? A cute candid picture with all your children? Or stunning individual pictures that capture each of their personalities? Laying out the groundwork for what your session will include and what you need the most will help your photographer make decisions on how they can most efficiently serve you. With young kids, we often recommend starting with the big family shot as those poses are the most traditionally posed. Hopefully, your toddler will be fresh, excited, and able to smile along with the rest of your family! As your child starts to lose their temper, your photographer might try to capture more candid moments or work with them individually to help the session “go with the flow”.
“Go with the flow”
Remember, it’s a time of life! Life can feel a little crazy with small children, but you’ll miss that stage once they grow up!
Tip 2: Consider their Nap-Time
If there’s one thing we understand here at the studios…..it’s that you don’t mess with nap time! Even adults hold their nap time sacred! You wouldn’t do your best at family photos if you were tired, so understand that your child won’t either. To avoid a massive meltdown, be careful to schedule your photoshoot at a time that doesn’t conflict with your toddler’s naptime. If you know that they have a hard time falling asleep or tend to have late naps, make sure to take that into account. If your baby or toddler is having a hard time the day of your session, consider rescheduling your session to give yourself a better chance for good photos. As a family-oriented company, we understand that sometimes things just happen. Camera Shy has no penalty for sessions that need to be rescheduled!
Tip 3: Prep your Children
As funny as it may sound, you can try to train your kids to smile! We have a lot of families who come in and tell us that they’ve been practicing smiling with their children and toddlers. When they say “cheese”, they smile! While the forced, cheesy smiles aren’t usually your child’s best smile, it is a great starting point for pictures as it sets the expectation for what they need to do in this unfamiliar environment. Toddlers aren’t used to getting their picture taken in a big studio with flashing lights, so it can be intimidating (and scary!) for them. Try to introduce picture-day as a fun experience! Let them know what it will be like and always talk positively about the subject. Some children are inherently going to be more shy than others; our photographers have experience with all ages and oftentimes can get shy children to open up. However, sometimes, it’s just not your child’s best day.
Tip 4: Bring Distractions
You know your child better than anyone, so what things give them a burst of happiness? Do they love Cheerios? Bring some! Do they love a specific stuffed animal? Bring it! Is your child obsessed with dinosaurs? Do your best T-Rex impression! The trick is to wait until your child is just starting to get grumpy. If you bring things out too soon or all at once, your child will lose interest in everything very quickly. One thing we love to do, especially during a grumpy toddler’s individual portraits, is to pull out some music! This often results in some smiles, and of course, some dancing. Don’t be embarrassed to play whatever your child loves, we’ve heard it all! “Baby Shark”, the entire Encanto soundtrack, the theme from The Pirates of the Caribbean, or random rap songs they heard on the radio….regardless, we love laughing with your family as we try to capture their smiles. Try not to play any tv-show theme songs or music they often watch with an accompanying video. This results in them wanting to hold your phone, moving from their pose, and getting upset and frustrated when you don’t give the phone to them.
If we could give one last piece of advice, we would say to keep an open mind! Photoshoots tend to go smoother when you can roll with the punches! It is common for us to hear: “Those turned out so much better than I expected!” or “How did you do that?? They barely sat still!” from our clients during their viewing appointments. In fact, those are some of the most rewarding moments for us! If you have any questions about our sessions or want more tips, give our studios a call! Our photographers will be happy to give you any advice!
