Nothing is more exciting than welcoming a new baby into your family!  And by exciting I also mean exhausting, scary and overwhelming .  And if that’s how we as parents feel imagine how it feels to a 2 year old!  After having their entire life turned upside down, we can’t really expect them to step into a brand new environment, meet a new photographer, hold a floppy newborn and smile! Read on if you want to learn how to work with siblings during a newborn photo session!

Read on for my best tips to work with young kids and their brand new sibling:

Start or End with Sibling Images:

I know that pretty much doesn’t seem like I’ve told you anything!  Essentially, don’t make a toddler sit in the studio for the entire session.  Nothing will spell disaster sooner than a tired and bored toddler!  I always ask my clients if big brother/sister will do better first thing in the morning or later  (based on their nap schedule and temperament). If we start with sibling images, I often suggest that they bring another adult who can then take the child home (or just to a park etc) while we do the newborn only images.  If later in the morning is better for sibling, I suggest they have a dad or a grandparent come to the studio 2 hours after we start and we can end with sibling/family images.  Rule of thumb – don’t make a 3 year old sit in a hot studio waiting!

Start slow:

I never expect a 2 or 3 year old to “hold” a newborn.  Newborns are hard to hold!  They are floppy and wiggly and up until this point mom/dad have probably said “be careful” to older sibling a thousand times already!  Big kids are already a bit on edge and I don’t want to stress them out before we get started.  Be prepared for some images that get the siblings near each other but that don’t require much precision!  Baby laying on a bed while older sibling looks down is a great place to start!

Have spotters:

Maybe I should have mentioned this first, but ALWAYS have an adult within arms reach of siblings.  Toddlers are unpredictable little things.  You need to have someone close by in case big sis decides she would rather kick than kiss her new sister.  And be prepared for the “shove”. When little kid is done with what they are doing, they often “shove” anything (or anyone) who is in their way out of the way!

Don’t expect much:

For sibling images, I am not going for perfection.  Perfection is the killer of all things . . . well, maybe not all things . . . but certainly it will stress out big sis and cut the session short.  When you have 2 kids close to each other, get as many angles as you can and different “looks” . . . big brother looking at camera, looking down at newborn, kissing newborn etc.  You never know when he will be “done” so you want to have as many options as possible.

Bribery is your best friend:

I always have non-messy snacks in my studio.  Fruit snacks are my go to reward/bribery method for kids.  Nothing will make a child want to go check out their new baby more than a fruit snack!  If food doesn’t work, I will then try music or a video on my phone.  I hold my phone right on top of my lens and when big brother is watching the video I snap away!

Have mom/dad get in the picture:

This is quite often the best way to get siblings near each other!   The pictures are adorable and everyone is happy!  Don’t ask them to do too much – just get close and snuggle!

Want to learn more about newborn photography? Check out these posts:

The key to calm newborn photo sessions

Newborn Photography Training:

I hope you now have a few more tools in your arsenal for the next time you need to work with siblings during a newborn photo session!  

And because I can’t end a blog post without solo baby images . . . here you go!