If you want to make mommies cry and hug you and love you for the rest of their lives, just add drama to the portrait. This is a very personal opinion and a regular part of my work – and I can assure you, that a lot of mommies are loving me 
Movies are my most important source of inspiration. I love quiet, minimalistic scenes with intense emotions that you can feel without a word being said. Try to picture a scene – romantic, melancholic or sad – and recreate it in your studio with the child. Not every child can do this, but most of them can. Try to explain the story you want them to act and give them time to improvise. You might even want to send mom outside, so the child can concentrate on the role to play. Turn of your studio lights, go to high ISO and use natural light or a single light source for the photo. I prefer B&W images for this kind of photography to get close to that movie-feeling, but colour can work too.
