Holiday pictures of the baby in the Santa suit are becoming passé. Small children do not feel comfortable in those stuffy suits anyway, and you want your baby to smile for the photo. Babies who feel uncomfortable won’t be very cheerful for a photographer.

Small babies tend to spit up, as everyone knows. So, it is a good idea to place a large bib on your baby until just when the photo shoot begins. Better still, dress you baby in something different and then change him or her into the holiday outfit when you’re ready for pictures.

For little girls in the crawling stage, watch out for overly long dresses or skirts. Once you set your toddler down for a second, she may get caught on the hem and fall, making for an unhappy photo subject. Consider leggings, a shorter dress with tights, or a cute diaper cover under a small skirt.

For all toddlers, avoid white or light collars, as they stain easily. New shoes can be cute for a photo shoot, but only if you preserve them until that day, because toddlers are very effective at scuffing new shoes.

Finally, think comfort. You want to see that dimply grin in spite of the strange atmosphere and flashing lights. So, you’ll have to compromise somewhere. That ruffled dress or button up vest may need to be exchanged for softer clothing.

However, more and more clothing manufacturers are catching on to the fact that dress-up clothes don’t need to be uncomfortable. So, look around and see if you can find something comfortable that can still bring the “Oohs! And Aahs!” that you want, when you pass your baby’s holiday picture around.