There are some childhood stories that just seem to follow us through life, and Winnie the Pooh is definitely one of them.

This year feels especially fitting to talk about Pooh because 2026 marks 100 years since A. A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh first appeared in book form. A hundred years later, families are still reading the stories, loving the characters, and passing them down to their own children.

We’ve photographed quite a few Winnie the Pooh First Birthday sessions over the years at Cloud 9 Studios, and you would think that after doing the same theme more than once, they might eventually start to feel the same.

But they don’t.

While Winnie the Pooh might be the theme, the reason a family chooses Pooh is usually completely different. Sometimes it’s sentimental. Sometimes it connects back to Mom or Dad’s own childhood. Sometimes there is a funny family story behind it. And sometimes Mom just REALLY loves Winnie the Pooh and has been planning the outfits for months. I love all of those reasons!

That is why I always want to know not just what theme you picked, but why you picked it … because that is where the true meaning of the experience begins. It’s where a cute idea becomes something personal, and the photographs start telling a story that could only belong to your family.

A Winnie the Pooh Story That Started Before She Was Even Born

Our most recent Pooh session had one of my favorite explanations yet.

When Mom was pregnant, she decided she didn’t want to find out whether she was having a boy or a girl.

Her sister, however, apparently did not have nearly that much patience. LOL.

So her sister found out.

Of course, now she had to keep the secret, so she started calling the baby “Yellow.” Yellow worked for a boy. Yellow worked for a girl. Perfect solution.

And then the nickname stuck.

Even after their baby girl was born, Yellow was still part of the family story. So when it came time to choose her First Birthday theme, Winnie the Pooh just made sense. Pooh is yellow, the character works beautifully for either a boy or a girl, and this funny little nickname that started before she was even born became part of her First Birthday celebration.

How cute is that?

Someone else might simply see an adorable Winnie the Pooh session.

Mom sees the baby they once called Yellow.

And that makes the portraits mean something completely different.

Sometimes Pooh Carries a Piece of Mom’s Childhood With It

Another Pooh session we photographed had a completely different story behind it.

Mom and her sister grew up with Winnie the Pooh. Reading those stories was one of the core memories they shared from time spent with their mother.

They kept the books throughout their lives because those books weren’t really just books anymore. They were connected to their mom, to bedtime stories, and to being little girls together.

Then Mom had a little boy of her own.

When it came time for his First Birthday portraits, she wanted to bring Winnie the Pooh into his childhood too. She brought those books with her, and suddenly we weren’t simply photographing a cute First Birthday theme.

We were photographing something that had moved from one generation into another.

I think about that kind of thing a lot.

As parents, we sometimes assume the BIG moments will be what children remember. But so often, what stays with us are the smaller things: the bedtime book, the stuffed animal we carried everywhere, the silly nickname our family called us, the song Dad always played in the car.

Those little things become childhood.

And when we can weave one of those pieces into a portrait session, I absolutely love it.

And Sometimes Mom Just Really Loves Winnie the Pooh!

Now, before everyone starts thinking they need some incredibly deep generational reason for choosing a First Birthday theme, let me say this … You do not. LOL

We had another Pooh mom who simply loved Winnie the Pooh. She had been planning the outfits for months, knew exactly what she wanted, and was ALL IN.

For that session, we actually photographed the entire experience on our Pooh tree background. We created variety with different outfits, expressions, and all the little things her son did throughout the session.

And he was adorable.

Mom later left us the sweetest review, talking about how easy the process felt from scheduling through the session, how much she loved the personalized welcome sign when she arrived, and how patient we were with her little guy.

She also mentioned that we got him laughing.

And THAT is where all the planning ultimately has to lead.

We can have the perfect background, adorable outfits, the cutest cake, and every detail ready to go.

But there is still a one-year-old in the middle of it all.

And one-year-olds do not care about our plans. HA!

Some babies love the camera immediately. Some need time. Some dive into the cake. Some touch the icing with one finger and look at us like we have completely lost our minds.

That unpredictability is part of what makes First Birthday sessions so much fun.

Mom ended up loving so many of her portraits that she created an album, which is exactly what I hope happens. The Pooh theme gave us the setting, but her little boy gave us the story.

Start With the Story, Not Just the Decorations

When parents begin planning a First Birthday, it is easy to start with the stuff.

What color balloons? What cake? Which outfit? How many honey pots do we need to make this feel like Winnie the Pooh? LOL.

And yes, I love all of that.

But I think the better question is:

Why this theme?

Maybe Pooh reminds you of your own childhood.

Maybe you read the books every night.

Maybe there’s an old Pooh bear sitting on a shelf that belonged to Dad.

Maybe your baby’s nickname is Yellow because your sister couldn’t resist finding out the gender.

Or maybe you simply saw the cutest Winnie the Pooh outfit six months ago and knew immediately what the First Birthday theme was going to be.

All valid answers.

Because the best themes are not about recreating somebody else’s Pinterest board.

They’re about creating something that feels like it belongs to your family.

Winnie the Pooh May Be the Theme, But Your Family Is the Story

After more than 20 years of photographing children, I think that is one of the biggest things I’ve learned about themed sessions.

The theme gets us started. It gives us colors, ideas, outfits and something fun to build around.

But the theme is not actually what makes the portraits important.

The family does.

It’s the baby who was once nicknamed Yellow.

It’s the childhood books Mom saved because they reminded her of her own mother.

It’s the outfit that had been hanging in the closet for months waiting for this exact day.

It’s the laughing, the cake, the funny expressions and all of the little stories that surround the photographs.

Winnie the Pooh may give us the setting, but your family gives us the story.

And that is what I want to create with every First Birthday session we photograph at Cloud 9 Studios.

If you’re planning your baby’s First Birthday and have a theme you’ve been dreaming about, tell us the story behind it.

That’s where I want to start.

Explore the Cloud 9 Studios First Birthday Experience

With love,
Jeanine