Baby passport photos, without the studio meltdown

Babies get their own passports in most countries now, and the photo is the part parents dread. The good news: the rules relax a lot for infants, and the lying-down method below is what studios themselves use.

The lying-down method

Lay a plain white sheet (or the background colour your country requires) over a car seat, changing mat or the floor, smoothed flat.
Lay the baby on it and shoot from directly above, camera parallel to the sheet — this keeps the head shape true and the background perfectly plain.
Use bright, even light (near a window, no flash). Take 30 shots; you need one with eyes open or, for very young infants, acceptably visible.
Your hands may support the head from behind the sheet, but no hand, toy, pacifier or other person may be visible in the frame.
Crop with the maker: head guides still apply loosely, but centring the face matters more than the exact percentage for babies.

What the rules relax for infants

Expression: most authorities (US, UK, EU included) accept a non-neutral expression for babies; mouth slightly open is fine.
Eyes: newborns and very young infants may have eyes partially closed in some countries' rules — check yours; toddlers generally must have eyes open.
Head position: the strict crown-to-chin range is applied leniently, but the face must face the camera and fill a good share of the frame.
Not relaxed: plain background, no visible support person, no pacifier, no hat, and the photo must be recent — babies change fast, so within the last month is wise.

Toddlers (1–3 years)

Sit them on a stool against the wall right after a nap and a snack, put the camera on a tripod with a self-timer or burst mode, and have a second adult stand directly behind the camera making the noise that always works. Shoot bursts of ten. You are not looking for a smile — neutral and eyes open is the whole job.

Country rules differ in the details; confirm the infant allowances with your passport authority before the appointment.