Cute Christmas Picture Ideas for Babies & Toddlers
Published October 28, 2011 | 
Article by Sue Devito
A lot of great picture ideas come from thinking out of the box, and getting away from doing the same old Christmas picture. One of the most common mistakes people make when taking photos of their infant or toddler is to make the child face forward. This takes away from the natural look of the picture. When is the last time your little one just sat forward? Little kids are always moving, checking out what is around them.
*For example if you want a picture of your child in front of the Christmas tree, place them in a direct line beside the tree, and have them face it. They will be so enamored by the bright lights and sparkling ornaments, that you will be able to catch the wonder and excitement on their beautiful faces. They will be so absorbed in the tree that all you will have to do is zoom in and get some great shots. Another variation of this shot is to give your child a large Christmas toy to hold by the tree. Make sure he or she is even with the toy when you take the picture.
*Simple props are also another way to get a great Christmas picture. One idea is to get a chefs hat with a Christmas color and a holiday themed apron. Then on a low table put out all the ingredients to make cookies. Make sure you also have out a Christmas cake, some decorated Christmas cookies, and a gingerbread Christmas house. Have a sheet of cookies half filled with cookies ready to go in the oven. Put out some ready made cookie dough already flat on the table. Then give your child a rolling pin and show them how to roll out the dough. You will get a great shot of your little chef baking for the holidays.
*An idea for an infant is to place your baby in a woven basket filled with either white tulle, or a white or creme colored material, which ever you prefer. Make sure you have a small pillow beneath the upper half of the tulle/material to support your baby, then lay her in the middle. You can choose whatever color tulle you like, as long as it doesn’t clash with the baby’s outfit. If you like you can also put large burgundy Christmas balls in the basket. Another idea if your baby is too young to reach or grab for things is to put them in the basket and place them slightly under the tree. Try to put the baby in a color that goes with the decor of your tree. You can also put a festive bow on the basket if you like.
*A Christmas tea party is another nice shot. You just simply set up a small child’s table with Christmas saucers and child size tea cups. In the center of the table place a small pile of wrapped Christmas gifts. Dress up you baby or toddler in their Christmas best, girls can wear fancy hats and pretty necklaces like pearls, boys can wear fedoras. Make sure you place the baby’s chair right in front of the backdrop where another adult (hidden from the shot) can hold your baby securely in place while you take the Christmas picture.
*If you have a rough and tough boy, you can build a fort out of presents (just get some cardboard boxes and wrap them in Christmas paper). Then have your toddler peak out of it. Your son will think this is just play and you will get a really great picture. Photos come out so much better when kids are in their natural environment then posed and stiff.
*The classic Christmas picture in front of the tree works great with either toddlers or infants. If you have one of each you can have your kids sitting in front of the tree with your toddler reading a Christmas book to the baby. You can also take a picture by the fireplace, but for safety reasons its best to do this in front of an electric fireplace.
*Another shot for infants if they can hold their head up, is to put them on their belly, then behind them have a large wrapped Christmas box. You will have to wrap the top and bottom separately, then place your child so his feet are halfway in the box, so it looks like he is crawling out. Place the top of the decorated box on the side. This will give the look that he just popped out of the box. Put some Brightly color Christmas balls in front of him. Then get on the floor and take the shot. He should reach for the balls and when he is looking up take the shot! This is really a cute picture. You can also put a holiday plant next to the box for decoration. Make sure you pick a square size box that your child could actually fit in, it will make the picture look more realistic.
*There is always the classic red wagon Christmas picture. If you have toddlers, sit them in the back of the wagon and fill the front of the wagon with yards and yards of colorful Christmas ribbon. If you have an infant and a toddler, place the infant in front of the toddler. If you don’t like ribbon, you can place wrapped Christmas presents, or a cute stuffed animal. Another idea is to put cute santa hats on the kids.
*Lastly, if you’re a nature fan, take the picture outside. You can sit your kids on a porch swing or chair that is decorated in Christmas lights, silk poinsettias, or even with some wrapped Christmas presents. If you are really feeling adventurous you can add some fake (or real if you have it) snow on the ground. If you have an outside tree decorated with lights, you can add some strings of popcorn and cranberries, and take a picture there Use the tree as your background and zoom in on your kids to get a great shot.
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