It’s Tycho’s second Christmas and I’ve been reading up on how to avoid those dreaded Santa photo fails.

Last year’s one was great. At six month’s old, Tycho was blissfully happy – mostly because there was a fluffy white thing to yank on. But he’s a lot more aware of his surroundings this time and I’d kinda like to avoid emotionally scarring the poor kid with a bad Santa experience.

My desktop research turned up some universally-sanctioned tips for a tear-free Santa photo. Perhaps they’ll help you as much as I hope they will help me:

Get to know Santa. Strangers are scary, especially bearded ones, so make Santa a friend first. Walk past Santa with your child a few times and let them watch him in action with other kids. Talk about who Santa is and what he does. After a few trips to the shopping centre, try a non-photo visit, with perhaps a handshake, high-five or a chat. When your child seems comfortable with the idea of Santa, then attempt the photo session.

Physical preparations. It sounds obvious but don’t attempt a photo if your little one is tired, hungry or bored stiff from a long wait. Go early. Take toys to keep them occupied in line. And feed them up on snacks just before it’s their turn.

Provide security. Try organising a photo with your child and their friend or young relative. Let them take their favourite toy up to Santa’s chair for the photo. And be prepared to sit on Santa’s knee if you have to. Family portraits are pretty common.

Happy distractions. If you do convince your child to pose for a photo, don’t stress too much about making sure they show the perfect expression. Short and sweet is the best option. You can help bring a smile to their face with the usual goofy stunts you pull at home. But make sure you stand as close to the photographer as possible so your little one is looking in the right direction. If you can manage to snap a couple of photos with your own camera, do so. Sometimes the candid shots are the most precious.

Don’t push it. Don’t make your child do something their afraid to do. You can’t rationalise fear with a person who is too young to understand public safety (‘He won’t hurt you’) or the concept of time (‘It will only take a second’). As one parenting expert put it, don’t abuse your child’s trust in you by forcing them to endure a fearful experience. Leave without a fuss, praise your child for waiting patiently in the line and try again at a later time. And remember, it’s not the end of the world if you miss a year.

A specific technique. One woman I came across ended up in the photo alone with Santa, while her children watched from the sideline. She took the photo home and, with her children beside her, compared her latest photo with her childhood Santa snaps, talking about the experience. Sure enough, her kids decided they wanted their photo taken, too.

Now that I’ve imparted this wisdom on to you, I should admit that I won’t be practicing everything I preach. As a full-time worker, I won’t have any time to acclimatise Tycho to Santa between now and Saturday, when I take him for his Santa pic. But he will have his big cousin with him and I’ll feed him well beforehand, which I’m hoping will be enough. I’ll let you know how the event transpires.

In the meantime, send us your 2009 Santa photos – the fails and successes – and I’ll post them on the blog. Email your photo along with your child’s name, age and home city/town to kate@allaboutbaby.com.au.

Merry Christmas!

Kate