This is a silly question, but I am wondering...... At what age could your kids smile on demand - like, for pictures? My son is 20 months old an din every single picture he is staring blanky at the camera :p
And yes, I know there is a difference between being able to smile for the camera and being willing to, but just wondering when he can develop that skill.
Around 2 he started smiling "on command". Before that it involved my husband doing some ridiculous dance to get him to smile.
My daughter started around age 3, although if it is "on demand" it tends more to be a teeth-bared grimace than a nice natural smile. I have more success if I can get her laugh about something!
My 3 y/o sees a camera or a camera phone and automatically looks up at it and says "cheese" and grins! He loves getting his picture taken, but a year ago was a totally different story.
My nine month-old perks up and smiles when he sees the camera.
Maybe this is a sign I take too many pictures of him.... :)
I started getting giggly laughing pictures of my son when he was about 4 months old.
Our first Sears portrait shoot when he was 6 months old was so easy:
6 poses, 3 outfits in 25 min and child was in the zone!
For the next 3 years I had to book double sittings because it would take that long to get a smile out of him.
Then it got easier again.
My son is 2.5 and he started smiling on demand around 2 I believe. I have your opposite problem though. Nowadays, he'll be having a grand ole time smiling and playing and when I whip out the camera to capture the moment he automatically goes into fake smile mode! I love his real smiles better than the posed ones though so I feel like I miss out on perfect photo opps! Argh!
My girls have been smiling for the camera for as long as I can remember...but then again that's only if they want to =)
When my girls were very little I learned the air trick from a professional photographer. She took a piece paper or anything to blow air in their faces while she took the photos. It worked every time to get a smile or giggle. :)
My little grandson wasn't even a year old when he would see the camera he would look and say "cheese". It always made him smile and us too.
I would say my three kids have a smile in pretty much every picture, starting from the 3 month ones. Of course, when they are a baby you are doing something to make them smile, so sometimes in group pictures the baby isn't smiling. I would say the "on demand" part, meaning when you tell them to smile and they do, was probably around age one (12-14 months).
He is capable at that age. My son is 23 months and has a blank stare as well for some pictures. The best way to handle is get your son comfy with the photographer. You can tell the good ones who can put kids at ease. We have some nice ones because the photo place we used had stuffed animals and he was engaging with my son...so some half smiles and amusement. I would agree with DVMMOM. By the time they are three they are more than capable....on demand
