Toddlers do not sit still and should not be asked to. These sessions are short, played rather than posed, and photographed at their height.
Expect movement, expect to be ignored, and expect a few frames that are unmistakably them at this age.
Two-year-olds do not pose, and should not be asked to
A toddler's attention is measured in seconds and cannot be negotiated with. Anything built around sitting still will fail, and everyone will leave frustrated.
So the session is built around movement instead: photographed at their height, following them rather than placing them, with the camera set to keep up.
Short is better
The useful part of a toddler session is usually the first stretch, before the novelty wears off. Trying to extend it past that point rarely produces anything the earlier part did not already.
Better to finish while it is still going well than to push for one more frame.
What tends to work
- Somewhere they can move — a floor, not a chair.
- A parent just out of frame, close enough to be reassuring.
- Simple clothing without fussy collars or anything that needs constant straightening.
