Baby & Child Passport Photos: what actually changes

The size, background and quality rules are identical for every age. What's relaxed — and what isn't — is the pose. Here's the practical version for parents.

First: the size never changes

Babies get the same photo format as adults: 2 × 2 in for US documents, 35 × 45 mm for UK/Schengen/Korea/NZ, 50 × 70 mm for Canada. Check the full size chart for your document, then make the photo with the matching preset — the framing bands (head 70–80% of frame) apply from birth.

What IS relaxed for babies

Eyes: the US State Department explicitly accepts a baby or infant whose eyes are not entirely open. A sleeping newborn or a mid-blink photo will not be disqualified. This is an infant exemption — from toddler age on, eyes must be open and looking at the camera.
Expression: a neutral expression is expected but nobody expects a co-operative newborn. No crying in frame is the practical bar.
Head position: a young baby lying down counts as facing the camera — the head does not need to be upright, just square to the lens.

What is NOT relaxed

Nobody else in frame: no parent's face, and keep supporting hands out of shot — a hand behind the head or shoulder, or hidden under a white cloth, is fine if invisible.
No objects: pacifiers, toys and bottle must be out of frame.
Background: plain white (or light, for UK/Schengen/NZ), no shadows — see setups below.
Mouth closed, face fully visible: nothing covering the face: no hats, no hair over the eyes.

Three home setups that work

Newborn (0–6 months): lie-down method. Lay the baby on a plain white sheet or blanket on the floor, camera directly above, shooting straight down. Diffuse the window light; make sure the sheet fills the whole frame so there's no horizon line.
6–18 months: car seat trick. A white sheet draped over a car seat or bouncer gives you a white background plus support, and the slight recline keeps the head steady. Keep your hands behind the seat, out of frame.
Toddlers+: white chair method. Cover a high chair with white cloth, seat the child, and shoot at eye level. Now the adult rules apply: eyes open, mouth closed, looking at the lens. A toy held by the photographer (right behind the camera) buys you the 2 seconds you need.

Lighting and camera

Same as the adult home photo guide: daylight from a window, no overhead lamp shadows, no flash on a newborn's face. Phone at face height (or directly overhead for the lie-down method), 30–60 cm away, tap to focus on the eyes before shooting. Take 10–15 frames in a burst — with babies, volume beats precision.

Then crop it properly

Upload your best frame to the idpixo ID photo tool with your country's preset, let face detection frame the crop, and export the exact size. Everything runs in your browser — your baby's photo never leaves your device.