DIY Hot Cocoa Bath Kids Photoshoot

Another Christmas Cards season snuck up on all the photographers around the world. And with the weather in Cleveland being too brutal for outdoors family photography, I have no choice but to get creative indoors with this DIY Hot Cocoa Bath Kids Photoshoot.

The photoshoot we did last year with the little one being one year old was a lot of fun, and great for this infant-toddler transition age. We could position him in the tub pretty easily without risking him running away and getting the mess all over the house.

Kids are easiest to photograph when they are occupied, and sure enough the water got his attention, so did marshmallows. I appreciate when my husband acts like my photographer’s assistant and gets the baby’s attention.

The recipe for the bath is super straightforward: I just used warm water with brown food coloring, and a splash of milk to make the water opaque. Be careful with this step if your baby has sensitive skin. Breastmilk might be an alternative, but full disclaimer: I am a photographer and not a doctor. Please don’t take health-related advice from strangers on the internet.

The candy cane was simply a rolled up red poster board with white stripes created by taping it together with the masking tape. Marshmallows were simply the jumbo kind actual marshmallows.

Being a family photographer that often photographs families with little kids I learned my lesson many times: you only have limited amount of time before they “lose their chill”. In this situation, we had to get some pictures in under 5 minutes. Truly a mini session 🙂

But they turned out wonderfully! For a behind-the-scene video, check out this instagram post

Would you like to book a similar creative photoshoot for your kids in the Cleveland and Northeast Ohio area? Hit me up! I would love to work with you!