Baby and newborn passport photos: how to take them at home

Getting a passport photo of your baby is one of those tasks that sounds simple until you’re actually doing it — crouched over a squirming infant, phone in one hand, trying to keep a white sheet flat with the other. You’re not alone. It’s genuinely tricky, but it’s completely doable at home with a little preparation. This guide walks you through every step, from newborns who can’t hold their head up to toddlers who won’t stay still.

The rules for baby passport photos

The good news: babies follow the same core passport photo requirements as adults. That means a 2×2 inch photo (or the equivalent for your country — check passport photo sizes), a plain white or off-white background, and the face centered and properly sized within the frame.

The relaxed rules: most countries accept that babies under one year old may have their eyes closed or partially open, and a neutral or even slightly open mouth is fine. The U.S. State Department, for example, explicitly states that infants do not need to have their eyes open. Still, aim for open eyes if you can get them — it makes processing faster and avoids any chance of rejection.

What’s never acceptable at any age: other people in the frame (no hands holding the baby), toys, pacifiers, hats, or headbands (unless for religious reasons). The baby’s face must be fully visible with no shadows falling across it.

The floor method (best for newborns and young infants)

This is the go-to technique for babies who can’t sit up on their own — typically under 6 months.

1. Lay a white sheet or blanket flat on the floor. A plain white fitted sheet stretched over a carpet works well. Avoid sheets with texture or patterns — they can show up in photos.
2. Place your baby on their back on the sheet. Their face should be looking straight up at the ceiling. The white surface beneath them becomes a perfect, shadow-free background.
3. Stand directly above your baby and point the camera straight down. You want the lens perfectly parallel to the floor — angling even slightly will distort the face shape.
4. Frame the shot so the head and shoulders fill most of the image. Leave a little room around the edges; you’ll crop precisely later.
5. Take 20–30 shots in burst mode. Babies blink, look away, and wave their arms constantly. The more shots you take, the better your odds of catching that perfect open-eyed, calm expression.

For very young newborns who can’t hold their head straight, gently position it with your hand just before shooting, then move your hand out of frame before the shutter fires. A helper makes this much easier.

The car seat method (good for 3–9 month olds)

Once your baby has some head control but isn’t quite sitting independently, a car seat or bouncy chair can work well.

Drape a white sheet over the car seat so the background behind and around the baby’s head is fully covered. Sit the baby in the seat, make sure the sheet is taut with no wrinkles behind their head, and shoot from straight in front at eye level. The main challenge here is keeping the sheet smooth — clothes pegs or binder clips behind the seat can help pull it tight.

Lighting: avoid flash, use window light

Flash is your enemy with baby photos. It creates harsh shadows, can startle the baby, and causes red-eye. Instead:

• Use natural window light. Position your setup near a large window on an overcast day, or in shade — bright but not direct sunlight.
• Diffuse harsh sun. If it’s sunny, tape a white sheet or a piece of baking paper over the window to soften the light.
• Avoid overhead indoor lighting alone. A single ceiling light tends to cast a shadow under the chin and nose. Supplement it with window light from the side.
• Check for shadows on the background. The most common mistake is a shadow falling from the baby’s head onto the white sheet. Move the baby slightly away from any vertical surface, or shoot in more open light.

How to get eyes open

Timing is everything. The best windows are:

• Right after a feed, when the baby is calm but still alert.
• During a diaper change, when babies often look around curiously.
• When you make a novel sound. A crinkly wrapper, a soft whistle, or calling their name in a new tone can trigger a brief wide-eyed look — have your finger on the shutter.

For newborns, try photographing in a slightly cooler room. Warmth tends to make them sleepy; a gentle temperature drop often keeps eyes open a little longer.

Troubleshooting common problems

Shadows on the face or background: Move closer to a window or add a second light source on the opposite side to fill in shadows.

Hands or arms in the frame: Swaddle your newborn snugly before laying them down. For older babies, have a helper gently hold arms down just off-frame.

Baby won’t stop moving: Shoot in burst mode and sort through the frames afterward. Ten seconds of burst mode can yield 30+ photos — at least one will usually be sharp and still.

Baby is crying: Stop and comfort them. A distressed face will be rejected, and you’ll get a better photo in five minutes than you will by pushing through.

Background looks grey, not white: Your camera is probably underexposing to compensate for all the white. Use exposure compensation (+1 stop) in your camera or phone settings to brighten the image.

Finishing and cropping the photo

Once you have a good shot, upload it to the passport photo tool. Select your country to get the correct photo size, then use the crop guide to position the baby’s head so it takes up 70–80% of the frame height — the same proportion required for adults. The tool will clean up the background and output a print-ready file.

If you’re printing at home or at a pharmacy, see the guide on fitting multiple photos on a 4×6 sheet to avoid wasting paper.

Take a breath — it might take two or three sessions to get the right shot, and that’s completely normal. The floor method, good window light, and a full baby are the three things that make the biggest difference.