The first year of your baby’s life will seemingly flash before your eyes and you’ll soon be wondering where the time went. One of my favorite ages is six to seven months. At this age, your baby will have developed socially and physically by leaps and bounds. They are much more responsive, especially to you, and have by now formed a tight bond. Moms can often distinguish their different cries between those of hunger and those of pain, boredom, tiredness and joy. Six-month-old babies reward you with lots of smiles! They’ve reached, by far, the easiest age from which we can capture a genuine smile.
They have developed physically, too. Nearly doubling in size from their birth weight, they have more fine motor skills, and will reach out to grasp and play with a nearby object that interests them. They are also learning how to sit up independently. Once this skill is mastered and they have entered the “sitter” age, it is the ideal time for taking milestone portraits.
I like to call these sessions ‘sitter sessions’ because not all babies will develop this skill by six months of age. For some babies it is earlier, and some take a little more time. It is best to wait for your child to reach the sitter milestone before scheduling their portrait session. Being able to sit up opens a whole new world of options for the photographer to pose the baby.
At this age, you can expect a well-rested baby to cooperate for about 45 minutes in the studio. Babies who have been exposed to social environments outside their home may be more easy-going around the photographer, while some babies may take longer to warm up to a new person.
Sitter sessions have always been my favorite. Six-month-old babies are simply FUN! Every mother should have her baby photographed during this stage, especially before they learn how to crawl and walk. Once your baby becomes mobile, it will become a lot more difficult to capture these memories because they will always be on the run!
