Toddler Won't Sit Still? 9 Tips for a Passport Photo
Set everything up before you bring your toddler in, sit them in a high chair or car seat covered with a plain white sheet, and have a second adult get their attention right above the lens. Take many shots and keep the best one. The closed-eyes exception is for infants, so plan for a toddler's eyes to be open.
A newborn lies still. A toddler does not. Most of the work with a 1, 2 or 3 year old is in the set-up and the timing, not in the camera. If your child is still a baby who lies down for the photo, our baby passport photo page covers that case. This post is for the age after that: a child who sits, wiggles, grabs the phone and looks everywhere except at the lens.
The tips below are practical tips, not rules. The rules come from the State Department’s passport photo page, and we list the ones that matter most for toddlers first.
The rules that still apply to a toddler
A child’s passport photo follows the same rules as an adult’s. The State Department makes some exceptions for babies, but a toddler is past most of them. These are the rules that cause the most trouble with young children:
| Rule | What it means for a toddler |
|---|---|
| Eyes open, looking at the camera | The partly or fully closed eyes exception is for infants, not toddlers |
| Nobody else in the photo | No hands, arms or shoulders of the adult who holds or steadies the child |
| Nothing over the face | No pacifier, bottle, toy, blanket or hand in front of the face or chin |
| Plain white or off-white back | No patterned cushion, no busy high chair, no shadow behind the head |
| No hats or head coverings | Unless worn for religious or medical reasons, with a signed statement |
| No glasses | Unless medically necessary, with a signed statement from the doctor |
| Neutral face or natural smile | A natural smile with the mouth closed is fine; a wide-open laugh is a risk |
| Recent and not edited | Taken in the last 6 months, with no filters, retouching or “beauty” effects |
The size rules are the same too: the photo is 2 × 2 inches, and the head measures 1 to 1 3/8 inches from chin to top of head. For the full list, see our passport photo requirements.
Set up before you bring the child in
A toddler gives you a few good minutes, so don’t spend them on the wall and the light. Get these ready first:
- The background. A plain white or off-white wall, or a white sheet without wrinkles. If you use a sheet, hang it so that it is flat behind the child’s head.
- The seat. A high chair or a car seat, covered with a plain white sheet. A seat keeps the child in one place, and the sheet hides the pattern.
- The light. Soft daylight from a window in front of the child or to the side. No flash: it can cause shadows and red eyes.
- The phone. Clean the lens and open the camera before the child sits down. Turn off portrait mode, beauty filters and anything else that changes the face.
- A helper. One adult takes the photo. A second adult gets the child’s attention. Two people make it much easier.
9 tips for a toddler who won’t sit still
- Pick the right time. A rested, fed child is much easier. Just after a nap and a snack often works better than the end of the day.
- Bring the child in last. When the wall, the seat, the light and the phone are ready, then bring the child. Every minute of set-up with a toddler in the chair is a minute of patience lost.
- Use a seat, not your lap. If you hold the child, your hands and arms are easily in the frame. A covered high chair or car seat keeps adults out of the picture.
- Put the attention right above the lens. The helper stands behind the phone and holds a favorite toy, makes a sound or says the child’s name just above the camera. The child looks toward it, and the eyes face the lens. Keep the toy out of the frame.
- Get down to their eye level. Hold the phone level with the child’s face, about an arm’s length away, not from above. A camera that looks down on a sitting child makes the head tilt and the face look wrong.
- Take many shots. Use burst mode or tap the shutter again and again. With a toddler, most frames will not be usable. You only need one good one.
- Clear the face. Take out the pacifier, take off the hat and the hair clips that cover the face, and move hair out of the eyes. Wipe the face first: food and a runny nose show in a sharp photo.
- Choose a colored top. A white shirt against a white wall makes the shoulders blend into the background. A mid-tone color, such as blue or green, keeps the outline clear.
- Keep it short, and stop in time. If the child starts to cry, stop. A crying face won’t pass, and a second try after a break is often quick.
What to do with the photo
When you have a few good frames, check each one against the rules before you print or upload it. Look for these problems first, because they are common with toddlers:
- the head tilts to one side
- the eyes look away from the camera, or are half closed
- a hand, an arm or a toy shows at the edge
- a shadow falls on the wall behind the head
- the mouth is open in a laugh
The State Department applies its rules to every applicant, so a cute photo is not enough. If one rule fails, the application can be put on hold until you send a new photo.
How PassportOwl helps
You can take the photo with your phone and check it with PassportOwl before you pay. The check is free, and you pay $11.99 only if the photo passes. We only crop and resize the photo. We never retouch a face. Your photos are deleted 72 hours after you upload them. If a passport office rejects the photo for a photo reason, you get your money back.
If you need photos for more than one child or for the whole family, see our family passport photos page.
The rest of a child’s application
The photo is only one part. A child under 16 applies in person with Form DS-11, and the child must come to the appointment. Both parents or guardians must agree. If one parent can’t come, bring that parent’s signed and notarized statement of consent (Form DS-3053). The fees are $100 to the State Department plus a $35 acceptance fee, and a child’s passport is valid for 5 years. For the full list of documents, see our child passport guide and the State Department’s page for children under 16.
Bring one printed 2 × 2 photo to the appointment. Keep a spare print at home.
Sources: Passport photos - travel.state.gov , Apply for a child's passport under 16 - travel.state.gov . Checked on Nov 13, 2026. How we keep the rules up to date