Learning a new skill is exciting at any age but this guy is really enraptured with clapping, and he’s very good at it so that’s fair enough!

He simply lit up when he was showing off his applause skills and that’s true of a lot of babies – when they’ve mastered something new, they are super proud and excited to show it off.  Sometimes, that can be a great way to settle babies that aren’t feeling super confident in the new environment of the studio.  For example, when a baby can stand supported, sometimes I get them to pose for their photos that way if they’re not feeling very happy.  Concentrating on their new achievement and also the praise they get for it is a real confident boost and once we’ve got this nailed, then it’s easier to move on through the rest of the session.