We will probably take many photographs and snapshots throughout the course of our lifetimes. The most important that we will take however are those that capture those first fleeting smiles of our precious little ones. Having a baby is probably the greatest joy that most of us will experience. As new moms (and sometimes dads), we often find ourselves spending plenty of time on the opposite side of the camera. The problem is that most new moms are not quite professional photographers add to that the fact that those precious baby smiles seem to quickly disappear once mom’s face disappears behind the camera and those rare smiles that capture our hearts flee far too quickly.

The biggest dilemma when photographing our smallest stars is that they do not yet understand that you can still be there even if they cannot see you. I chuckle often at my two year old who will hide her face when caught doing something naughty. Her logic dictates that if she can’t see me I can’t see her. Even at younger ages, babies identify with that sort of logic. It doesn’t matter if you are in the same room, if he or she cannot see you your baby will become agitated to some degree, which makes those smiles far more fleeting.

If you would like to capture those smiles while being able to stay behind the camera there are a few tips, tricks, and techniques that will help you do just that. The simplest solution is for those who have digital cameras with the preview feature that allows you to see on the screen exactly what the lens will capture. This allows you to hold the camera away from your face and lower so that your little one can respond to your smiles and you can still capture the perfect moment on you camera without ever once needing to hide your face from your little one.

If your camera does not have this nifty feature you do not need to despair. You can try using a favorite toy in order to light your baby’s face with smiles and giggles. Music is another great thing to which our babies respond. Hum along to one of his or her favorites or make up a silly song about taking pictures. You can also dance around behind the camera and turn it into a game of peek-a-boo, be careful however that you are standing still when you snap that perfect shot.

Capturing your baby’s smiles for future enjoyment may seem to be a daunting task if you do not go about it with the attitude of having fun and sharing a special moment with your precious little one. The most important thing is that you have fond memories attached to the photographs you take of your baby and his or her beautiful smiles.

After you bring your baby home it will seem like he is able to do something new everyday. You wait anxiously for his quiet alert period and look constantly for a new milestone. During the first three months there are a lot of milestones your baby will probably reach. These include rolling over, lifting his head, pushing up, smiling, laughing and cooing.

Your Baby Is Lifting His Head!
Some baby’s are born with neck muscles strong enough to lift from birth. Many times you will first notice your baby lifting his neck when you cradle him on your chest in your hospital room. If your baby can not lift his head from birth, your pediatrician will probably not be concerned as it isn’t something that a baby SHOULD be able to do from the time they are born.

In order for your baby to strengthen those neck muscles he will need lost of tummy time. Whether he gets it on the floor or on your chest, tummy time is essential to your baby learning to lift his head. He will want to move and look around, and he will quickly learn that the way to do that is through turning his head. This is a great accomplishment that should be celebrated for your baby.

He Can Roll!
A baby’s first sense of independence is rolling over. At first he will only be able to roll over from one side to the other, but eventually he will be able to roll from front to back, and back to the front again. In most cases your baby will probably get bored with rolling over before he discovers that he can get somewhere by doing it, but once your baby is rolling easily, you should always be sure to be within arms reach so that he doesn’t get into something that could be dangerous for him.

Pushups!
At some point during time it will look like your baby is doing pushups. This may start in the first 3 months, however in many cases it doesn’t start till after your babies three month birthday. Your baby will discover his arms, and strengthen them during tummy time, eventually getting into a push up position where he looks like he is ready to go.

Pushups are an important step in your baby’s effort to learn to crawl which will come later. Your baby will also discover that they can roll over from a pushup position and may think that this is a blast. If your baby laughs, laugh along with him!

Toothless Grins
At some point during the first three months your baby’s gassy grins should lead way to full on, intentional smiles. These smiles will probably range from curved up lips to mouth wide-open grins that will melt your heart. For babies that have dimples, this is the time when they will really become noticeable.

Parents often wait for this, and consider it the biggest milestone of the first part of their baby’s life. You will notice recognition from your baby when he looks at you and grins so big that even the worst of days are made ok for mom and dad.

Belly Laughs
Shortly after your baby starts to smile, you should start to hear another noise coming from your baby. Following the grins come the giggles. The little chuckles that occur when you are playing with your baby, or when your baby hears you laugh is music to most parents’ ears. Even hearing mom or dad laugh can bring laughter to your baby’s mouth. As your baby perfects the giggling, it will turn into belly laughs that will be impossible to resist by anyone nearby. After all, laughter is contagious.

Coo Coo
It isn’t a bird outside of your window, it is your baby! Until now your baby’s only form of communication was to cry. Normally, during these first three months of life you baby will begin to make other noises that sound an awful lot like coos. Your baby will make these sounds when he is happy or wants your attention when you are near, hopefully cutting down on the crying that you hear everyday. When you respond to these sounds it will show your baby that they are doing something good, and your babies language will continue to develop over the next few months and years.

These milestones are generally done in the first three months, however it is best to remember that every baby is different and every baby reaches milestones at a different rate. If your baby seems ahead or behind his peers and you are concerned about it, be sure to ask his pediatrician during his next well-check.