Parents usually arrive with a theme in mind and a child whose stage does not suit it. That is a solvable problem, but only if it is solved before the set is built.
Newborn to about three months
The baby will be asleep and curled for most of the session. Themes that work are the ones where the child lies within something: a floral bed, a nest, a moon, a basket among foliage. Anything requiring the child to sit, hold a prop or look at the camera is out.
Soft, quiet palettes photograph better here than bold ones, because the subject is small and still and you want the eye to go to the face.
Six to eight months — the sitter stage
This is the widest-open window in the entire first year. A baby who sits unaided but does not yet crawl away is, from a photographer's point of view, close to ideal. They are alert, they respond to faces, they will hold a prop, and they stay where they are put.
Almost any theme works. This is the stage to choose the elaborate one.
Nine to fourteen months — crawling and cruising
Now the child moves, and the session changes from posed to reactive. Themes that give the child something to do — a rope bridge, a set with levels, a basket to pull things out of — work far better than themes that ask them to stay put. Expect to shoot faster and keep more frames.
Eighteen months and up
Old enough to play along with an idea, which unlocks the theatrical themes: little royals, little boss, astronaut. A toddler who has decided they genuinely are royalty produces better photographs than any amount of set-building. A shy toddler needs a different approach entirely, and it is worth saying so when you book so we can plan a quieter session rather than discovering it on the day.
The honest constraint
If you have a theme you love and a child at the wrong stage for it, the options are to wait, or to adapt the theme so the child does what they can actually do. We will always tell you which we think is better, including when that means booking later and taking your deposit later too.