30 Baby Christmas Photography Ideas You Can DIY at Home

Your baby’s first Christmas is supposed to be unique and memorable, maybe not so much for the baby but you. One way to make sure this first Christmas is special and memorable is with a baby photography session.

Sure, you can pack your baby up and spend hundreds of dollars getting that perfect Christmas picture with a photographer, but you don’t have to. By using one of our baby Christmas photography ideas, you can capture the perfect first Christmas photo from the comfort of your own home.

For these DIY Christmas pictures, all you need is your baby and some cute baby Christmas photo props.

30 Cool DIY Baby Christmas Photography Ideas

#1 Light Up Baby’s First Christmas

This is one of our favorite 4-month-old Christmas picture ideas as any younger babies won’t hold onto the lights. To create this photo opportunity, place your baby on a Christmas blanket in front of a lit Christmas tree. Plug in a strand of lights and let your baby go to town.

#2 Cuteness Under the Christmas Tree

An excellent idea for 2-month-old baby Christmas pictures as they are just starting to come into their personality and are engaged in the world around them. Use a Christmas blanket or your Christmas tree skirt for the baby to lay on and place them underneath the tree; how far back depends on the shot you are after.

#3 Delivering a Christmas Tree

Not all Christmas pictures have to be indoors; take advantage of the outdoors to create unique Christmas picture ideas for toddlers. Decorate their favorite outdoor push toy with a festive wreath and tie down a miniature tree on the roof. Dress your toddler up in a warm flannel jacket with a cute fleece hat and snap away.

#4 Baby’s First Sleigh Ride

We are not talking about being pulled around in the great outdoors for a baby’s first sleigh ride. Use a shimmering white cloth for a backdrop or a white wall with cascades of small lights. Place an old-fashioned sleigh on a white blanket, add some foam balls for snowballs, and your baby dressed in their special First Christmas outfit.

#5 Perfect Christmas Gift

No matter what else you receive on this spectacular holiday, nothing beats the gift of your precious baby. Wrap an empty box with your favorite Christmas wrapping paper, sprinkle some ball ornaments around the ground, and place your baby inside.

#6 Baby Comes Down the Chimney

Your fireplace and mantle make an excellent backdrop for newborn photos. Use a footstool padded with a soft, fluffy, white blanket to lay the baby on. Dress baby in a first Christmas outfit or wrap them up in a bow. Decorate the mantle with Christmas stockings and some pine boughs.

#7 Baby in a Christmas Wreath

Christmas wreaths come in all sizes, some even large enough to cradle a baby. Either purchase a premade wreath or create your own with fresh pine boughs and some pinecones and bows. Use a Christmas blanket or soft, white towel or blanket in the center and place your swaddled baby inside.

#8 Nothing Says Christmas Like a Bright Red Wagon

A baby or toddler sitting in a red wagon is one of those classic Christmas picture ideas. Newborns can lay inside the wagon wrapped in a bow or dress older babies up in an elf or other Christmas inspired outfit and head outside to your favorite park full of evergreens.

#9 Traditional Baby’s First Christmas Photo

This traditional first Christmas photo idea can be adjusted to suit babies of all ages. For newborns who can’t hold their head up, use something to support them. Cover the support in a white blanket or towel and spread out various ball Christmas ornaments in your preferred color scheme.

#10 The Wonder of Christmas

Babies are full of wonder from the moment they start realizing there is a bigger world around them. Capturing the wonder that Christmas can be done with a single ornament, a tree, and a dressed-up crawling baby. Use a shiny ball type ornament and dangle it from a lower branch.

#11 Baby’s First Letter to Santa

If you have a toy mailbox, you can capture the image of your baby dropping a line to Santa for the first time. You can paint and decorate a toy mailbox or create a makeshift mailbox with a wooden crate and some red paint.

#12 Cookies for Santa

It’s never too early to teach your baby the importance of leaving cookies out for Santa. Bake up a batch of your favorite cookies (and maybe make some Christmas baby food in the process), spread them out on a cute Christmas plate with a handwritten note, and you are off to a great start.

#13 Happy Baby Among Lots of Presents

Nothing says Christmas like lots of colorfully wrapped presents sitting under the tree. Instead of using actual presents, grab different size boxes and wrap them in your favorite wrapping paper; foil paper looks amazing in pictures. Stack the boxes in front of the lighted tree.

#14 Baby’s First Christmas Present

If you want to focus on the joyful face of your new baby, try using a single present rather than multiple. Sit your baby down in front of a tree or a white lighted background. Hand them a wrapped box and let them explore.

#15 Headed Out for a Snow Day

Everybody loves a white Christmas, so why not capture your baby’s first Christmas in this fashion. You can head outdoors with your baby all bundled up, but if you want to skip the red noses and brightly colored cheeks, find a snowflake backdrop to use instead.

#16 Cutest Little Reindeer

Use a fake fur rug and your baby dressed up as a reindeer to create this fantastic photo. For younger babies, use reindeer outfits with a cute hat, don’t use headbands until they are toddlers. When getting the perfect shot, try standing directly above your baby, so they look up at you rather than off to the side.

#17 First Christmas Photo for Twins

One of the best Christmas photos for twins is where they are snuggled into each other. If you use the right props, the cuddling happens automatically. A wooden bucket lined with a soft fleece blanket creates the perfect backdrop, drape some lights around the edges to brighten things up.

#18 Crocheted or Knitted Outfits

It seems every baby is gifted a cute, crocheted outfit, so why not use it to create your baby’s first Christmas photo. Bonus points for those winter clothing or outfits that are crochet or knitted to look like your favorite winter animal. Create a backdrop based on the outfit, such as a white snowy background for penguins or dainty pink dresses.

#19 Baby’s First Taste of Snow

At some point, everything goes into your baby’s mouth, so use that to your advantage to create a fabulous Christmas photo opp. Add in some fake Christmas trees and lots of foam snowballs with a white curtain background. Hand one of the foam snowballs to your baby.

#20 Candid Christmas Scene

Giving your baby free range to move about and play is one of the best ways to capture natural images. Place desired props out along the base of the lighted Christmas tree and let baby explore. If using lights, be sure to turn the standards on for the best images. Add baby safe ornaments and snap away as your baby begins to engage.

#21 Traditional Baby’s First Santa Picture

We all have that one picture of ourselves screaming or crying while sitting on Santa’s lap. To recreate this timeless photo, have somebody you know dress up in a Santa suit and let them hold your baby on their lap. Use a tall wooden chair to create Santa’s throne or a nice classic upholstered chair from Grandma’s house.

#22 Introducing Santa

If you aren’t after the screaming baby photos, consider the introduction of Santa. Have an adult use a Santa jacket and offer your baby an ornament or other Christmas related item. Have the baby sitting down on the ground on top of a Christmas blanket or a white rug.

#23 Baby’s First Christmas with Siblings

Create a fantastic photo opportunity with siblings in matching Christmas PJs; it’s also one of the most popular Christmas family picture ideas around. Pose the siblings in front of a light Christmas tree; how you pose the baby depends on the siblings’ age.

#24 Here’s to a White Christmas

If you love a white Christmas, use it to create the perfect photo opportunity for your new baby. Find as many white, fluffy accessory items as you can, including the hat and dress or suit for the baby. Use a dark wooden weaved basket lined with a white furry blanket to set the baby inside.

#25 Sleepy Santa Baby

This picture works well with newborns, mostly because they tend to sleep through most pictures. Create whatever version of Santa you desire. The traditional Santa hat with a suit works well, but Santa onesies or knitted Santa suits work well. Use a wooden box filled with a fluffy blanket to position the baby and sprinkle the outside with traditional ball ornaments.

#26 I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause

Capture the entire family in this Christmas photo. Dad dresses up as Santa Clause while Mom gives him a quick kiss on the cheek. This photo opportunity is a family favorite each year as the baby grows and can adapt to include siblings.

#27 Christmas Magic

Whether it’s mom or dad holding baby up to the tree, you get some of the best reactions. For a fantastic picture, turn off all lights in the room and use only the lights from the tree. White lights produce the best lighting for that warm glow on the baby, but multicolored lights also work.

#28 First Tree Decorating

As Christmas approaches, capture the magic of decorating the tree with the help of your baby. Before handing them ornaments to hang on the tree, make sure the lights are set and turned on for a warm glow in a darker room.

#29 Snowman in a Bucket

The best way to pull this adorable picture opportunity off is to use a snowman costume or perhaps snowman footed pajamas. Turn the photo area into a winter wonderland with all white blankets, add a bright-colored bucket, and plop your baby inside.

#30 Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer Baby

Buy or knit yourself a cute little Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer hat. Prop up a sleeping newborn on a beige or tan colored blanket wearing the hat. Can swap out the cap for other popular Christmas characters, including a snowman or Santa.

Conclusion

Make your baby’s first Christmas memorable and magical by using one of our baby Christmas photo ideas. One of our favorite baby Christmas picture idea is the “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus,” as it allows a photo opportunity for the whole family.

Most baby Christmas photo props required can be found within your current Christmas decorations or child’s toys, but others might require borrowing from friends or family.

If you enjoyed any of these poses or have some of your own, please feel free to share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below.

Found any of our ideas useful? Please take a second to share our articles with other parents you know! Remember to pin this article to come back it later.

—