Excited about your upcoming family photo session but feeling a bit stressed and overwhelmed about how to dress everyone? As an OKC family photographer one of my goals is to make sure the process from booking to delivery goes as stress free as possible for families. Keep these 7 tips for dressing your toddler for family photos in mind to make it go smooth for everyone!
7 Tips for Dressing Your Toddler for Family Photos
Dress your toddler with movement and comfort in mind
My family photo sessions are about relaxing and having fun together as a family. There is a lot of movement – Tossing kids in the air, dancing, twirling, walking, etc. So you want their clothes to allow them to move and be comfortable while doing it!
Try the toss test – to make sure the outfit fits your child well. toss your child up in the air, twirl them around and do a tickle fit to make sure the outfit isn’t too big or too tight. As well as making sure it works for all those positions (Cause believe me, we will do them during the session! 🙂 )
Toddlers need legging, shorts and/or tights
Because of all that movement their clothes will never stay perfectly in place. And especially with toddlers it’s even more so. You don’t want a diaper (or undies if potty trained) peeking out underneath their dress to distract from moments in the photos. Make sure they aren’t the itchy ones!
Plan ahead
You want their clothes to fit the weather and coordinate with everyone else. If you need some items by planning ahead you can make sure you have them in time (Yes, amazon prime can come in super handy but stressing on clothing is not!) And with that in mind here are the next tips on how to dress your toddler for your family photos.
Try it on ahead of time
You want to have everything ready ideally a week before the session. And make sure it fits! Big clothes are an annoyance to kids, tight clothes are itchy and uncomfortable…check it out and make sure it fits! This will make everyone a lot happier during the session. (Toddler, parents and photographer included!)
Try on their shoes – have them run and jump in them to make sure they don’t fall off or are not so big it makes them trip..This is not fun for anyone!
Don’t overdress – not too hot, not too cold
A cold child is the last thing you want during a session. Otherwise they will be quite grumpy (I mean I am too if I’m freezing) and just sit there and not want to do anything! But an overheated child will run out of steam quickly and be done way before you want them too. If it’s fall I always recommend having the option to add a sweater or such so the outfit can be made warmer if necessary.
Make sure your accessories match
think about their outfit from head to toe. You can use this as a great way to add in some contrast, pops of color and texture (colored shoes, hats, etc.) Textures always add so much to photos without the worries of color.
Looking for a laid back family photographer in the Oklahoma City or Norman area? Take a look around my website (check out my Family page or my About page) to make sure I fit what you are looking for. If fun, connection and a low stress time is your goal then I bet we are a good fit. Let’s get in touch and plan your session!
