P#10 Q4: Can You Suggest Any Poses That Work Well For Babies and Siblings?

Picture Perfect Babies

Carrie Sandoval: I've come to find that most of the time when parents want a baby to pose with a sibling, that sibling is usually about two or three years old. I don't feel completely comfortable with them holding the baby by themselves. That's when I'll go back to the beanbag.

I will lay the older sibling down in the beanbag and then lay the baby on one arm. Have the older sibling bring the other arm around and tell her to hug the baby and tell her what a good big sister she is. "Look how safe you're making your baby!"

I try to get their heads touching so it shows the sibling closeness. The older sibling can also sit "criss-cross applesauce" on the beanbag. If they're a little older, they can sit on the floor. The beanbag really helps keep everything safer.

Audri Lanford: Don't want to drop that baby!

Carrie Sandoval: Yeah! When the legs are criss-crossed like that, it makes a nice little nest for the baby to fit into. Everyone feels safe.

You can also have the big sister come and crawl up on her belly right behind the baby. Encourage her to keep her head close to the baby's head. She can touch the baby. Tell her to cup the baby's head in her hands.

Have her give the baby a kiss on the forehead or smell baby's ear. Ask her if it smells like apple pie. Ask her to point to the baby's nose, ear. Anything that uses a gentle touch. It will bring in the sibling closeness.

If they don't want to play that game, if they're giving you a hard time, try putting a sticker or something on the baby's forehead or on the ear. Hopefully, when they go in to give a kiss, they'll cover the sticker up. That's more of a game to them. It's like, "Oh, okay! I can kiss the sticker!"

Audri Lanford: You're really trying to get them to be close -- have their heads close, to have them be touching.

Carrie Sandoval: Yes. It also goes back to my using the shallow depth of field. You don't want the sibling to be too far out of focus. Keeping their heads close keeps both their eyes and the important features of their faces in focus.

In Closing

When posing a baby with a young sibling, it's really about keeping the baby safe and the sibling interested while capturing some great shots. Beanbags, crossed legs and stickers can all play a role in getting those perfect poses of babies and their siblings.