Easiest way to do baby 1st passport?

[Sofiegiraffe]

I'm confused by the many different ways there seemingly are to apply for a baby's first passport - there's PO check & send paper, check and send digital (which costs almost £100?!), then there's the option to upload your own photos and do it yourself .... Can anyone help please? What's the best way (without bankrupting myself) to do this for an 11 month old who definitely will not keep still for a passport photo?! 🙈

Do it yourself, just lay them on a white sheet and take photo from above

I did it online but took him to a local photography studio who charged £6 to do passport photos (he was the same age and wouldn't have been able to do it myself at home).

They got him to eat whilst they did the pictures so that he was concentrating on something and then just snapped away until they got a few where he was looking at the camera and had his mouth closed with chewing (although they apparently aren't as strict about mouths being closed and so on for little ones anyway).

I would go to a local photography shop. Many give you a code for the online application and will retake the photo for free if it’s rejected.

I’ve just done one and my baby was 8 weeks old. I took (about 100) photos of her lying in her Moses basket on a plain white sheet. The only thing I had an issue with was her head was usually slightly turned and it needs to be straight on.

When you upload the photo it grades how likely it is to be accepted. Was very easy and the cheapest option.

Lie them down on a white sheet and take as many photos as necessary until you get a good one. The guidelines are a lot more lenient for babies. The online system says whether they are acceptable or not.

And if the photo does get rejected, you just have to upload another one... my daughters one was rejected and it held up the application for 2hrs only.

When you upload the photo it grades how likely it is to be accepted

I was told this comes up as rejected a lot of the time even though if you submitted it it would be accepted because it's a small child. Just because it's a computer system.

The one I submitted was apparently no good according to the online system but the photographer who did it said it would be fine once a human looked at it and saw it was a baby.

Brilliant thank you all. I will lay her on a white sheet and take a million photos until she cooperates Presumably if it's rejected by the online system you just keep going until one is acceptable?

@Sofiegiraffe

Brilliant thank you all. I will lay her on a white sheet and take a million photos until she cooperates Presumably if it's rejected by the online system you just keep going until one is acceptable?

As many as you need.

I think sitting watch YouTube or eating somthing in front of a white wall might be easier. Lying down is grand when they can't sit up but I think it would be difficult with an 11 month old.

I tried and failed to take passport photos myself when DC1 was a baby. Ended up taking him to a local photography shop and it was easy. Did the same with DC2 about a year ago and they gave me a code as well as the printed photos so I was able to do it online. It's really easy now, you do most of it online and just have to post the birth certificate. No need for check and send or anything.