I always do a happy dance when my clients choose to be a part of my “Baby’s First Year” package, simply because it means I get to be a part of all of the HUGE milestones that baby reaches during their first year. I simply adore milestone sessions, and I have so much fun documenting these unique moments in time. I often have parents ask when is the “best time” to come back for a milestone session, and frankly…there isn’t an easy answer! I have had some clients choose to come in every month, come come in once between baby’s newborn session and their cake smash, and some come in every few months. All are great options, and all will capture beautiful images of your baby as they are in that moment.

Here are some typical milestones by age, as well as some adorable images of babies at different milestones. Keep in mind that there is a HUGE range of when baby will reach each milestone, and I like to encourage parents to focus more on what they’d like to capture vs baby’s actual age. For example, I you’d like to capture baby sitting in cute props, etc, wait until baby can sit confidently unassisted. This can happen anytime between 4-9 months! The milestones and images below might help you choose what works best for your goals, if one of these milestones speaks to you…that might be the age range to focus on.

3 Month Common Milestones:
Baby smiles
Baby tracks/eye contact
Tummy Time
3 month milestone photos are typically shot overhead, with baby laying down. Baby typically loves the camera, likes to smile, wiggle, and look right at the camera.

6 Month Common Milestones:
Sitting unassisted
Smiling regularly
Rolling over

9 Month Milestones:
Smiles
Sitting unassisted
Crawling/all fours
Standing (assisted)

12 Months/First Birthday Milestones:
Birthday! Cake!
Standing
Walking (some)
Crawling
Sitting
Smiling
MOVING

2 Year Milestones:
Running
Walking
Sense of humor
2 year milestone sessions can be very high energy! 2 year olds have minds of their own, and sometimes want to run the show (that’s ok!) Some 2 year olds like to run, some like to pose, some try to avoid the camera, and all are totally normal! This is a super fun age to document, and I often refer to it as the “wild card”. You never quite know what to expect! When MY son was 2 years old (he’s 8 now, and loves the camera)…he would scream and run away whenever he saw a camera. I was so nervous when we had our family photos done by a photographer friend because I was sure they wouldn’t be able to get any good images of my little man. Turns out, those images are some of my favorites of my little man. They are such a great representation of his little personality in that moment in time!

All of this to say: ANYTIME is a great time for a milestone session!

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