STORY | AMSTERDAM

A Toddler and a Baby Bump Around the Amstelveld

By Aleksandria Rudenko | Published 1 November 2026

Mother with a baby bump laughing as she holds her toddler upside down at a canal railing, old canal houses across the water

A toddler and a baby bump: that was Olena and Andriy’s family on a warm June evening in Amsterdam. Their son Lev was almost two, and his little brother or sister was due at the end of the summer. So they wanted one last evening as a family of three, on the Amstelveld, the square with Lev’s favorite sandpit.

Evenings like this one are what my family photoshoots in Amsterdam are about. The child brings the energy, the parents play along and keep their little one close, and I guide the hour.

Swinging Under the Trees of the Amstelveld

We met at ten past eight under the big trees of the Amstelveld. Lev wanted to move right away, so we let him. Olena and Andriy each took a hand and swung him over the low stone blocks, again and again. After that, they picked him up together, and between two giggles he finally looked my way.

Parents swinging their little son over low stone blocks under the big trees of the Amstelveld, a lamp post behind them

Laughing mother and smiling father holding their blond son between them in the evening light under the trees of the Amstelveld

Father holding his son as he points across the Amstelveld, the mother's hand resting on her baby bump under the big trees — The Amstelveld, a quarter past eight

A Sandpit, a Digger and Miffy

Next, Lev led us to the sandpit. Behind its fence stands the white wooden Amstelkerk, with a café terrace beside it. A big yellow toy digger waited on a sand table, but Lev preferred a yellow bucket. He filled it, poured it out and filled it again, while Andriy crouched beside him.

Toddler in striped overalls pouring sand from a yellow bucket in a sandpit, his father crouching beside him by a toy digger

Then he walked along the edge of the sandpit with one hand in each of theirs. Every few steps, they lifted him into the air. Before we left, he rode an orange Miffy spring rider by the swings, and his mother laughed as hard as he did.

Little boy lifted between his parents along the edge of a sandpit, a black fence and the open square behind them

Toddler on an orange Miffy spring rider by the swings, his mother laughing over her baby bump as his father bends down

A Baby Bump on the Canal Bridges

At twenty-five past eight, we walked a few minutes along the Reguliersgracht. At the first railing, Olena rested a hand on her bump, and Lev sat on his father’s arm. Behind them, the low sun lit up the water under an arched bridge. Then, up on the bridge, a tour boat slid underneath them, and a few passengers raised their arms.

Expectant couple with their toddler at a canal railing, her hand on her baby bump and the evening sun under an arched bridge — The Reguliersgracht, 20:27

Close family portrait by the canal, the mother's hand on her bump and the toddler on his father's arm in striped overalls

Family on top of a brick arched bridge over the Reguliersgracht as a tour boat full of people passes underneath, gabled houses behind

Toddlers rarely stand still for long, so I keep any pause to a few seconds. In between, Olena swung Lev upside down, and he laughed so hard that she pulled him in for a hug. A minute later, both parents crouched down for a round of tickles. Lev then held Andriy’s hands for a slow walk across the bridge.

Mother hugging her blond son close and smiling at the camera, a canal corner and a row of gabled houses behind them

Parents crouching on a bridge to tickle their giggling little boy, who hides his face behind his hands

Father holding his son's hands as he walks across a bridge, with a lamp post, bicycles and arched bridges behind

His little yellow toy bulldozer had come along too. From his father’s shoulders, Lev drove it right across Andriy’s hair, with the arched bridges behind them. For me, this is what a toddler and a baby bump look like on one evening: busy, sweet and never quite in order.

Little boy on his father's shoulders driving a small yellow toy bulldozer across his hair, an arched bridge behind them

Parents crouching on a canal bridge while their son plays on the bricks, a bicycle with a red crate parked beside them — On the bridge, 20:38

Roses, a Shark Scooter and Giant Hands

At a quarter to nine, we found a dark house with cream doors, a lantern and climbing roses. The three of them sat down on its stoop, while Lev’s blue scooter waited at the bottom step. It has a shark’s head on the handlebar, and soon Lev was rolling along the bricks again, with Olena strolling behind.

Family of three on the stoop of a dark canal house with cream doors and climbing roses, a blue scooter at the bottom step

A few minutes on, we reached a second, quieter playground. Here, giant pale blue hands lie on the ground, and Lev walked straight across the fingers with a parent on each side.

Blond boy riding a blue scooter with a shark head on the handlebar along a brick sidewalk, potted plants and a stoop behind

Little boy stepping across a giant pale blue hand sculpture in a playground, holding his father's and mother's hands

Small Hands on the Baby Bump

Suddenly, Lev turned around and put both hands on his mother’s bump. Olena tipped her head back and laughed, and I kept the shutter going. In that frame, a little boy is about to become a big brother.

Toddler resting both hands on his mother's baby bump as she laughs with her head tipped back in a small playground — Two small hands on the bump, 20:54

For the last few minutes, Andriy took Lev for a walk, and Olena had a few portraits of her own among the green plants. She laughed, held her bump and, for a moment, simply looked down. It was just after nine, and the light had turned soft and even.

Woman in a long brown halter dress cradling her baby bump with both hands and smiling, green plants with red flowers behind

Among the green plants, just after nine

Planning photos with a toddler of your own? My guide to a photoshoot with little kids covers sandpits, toys, breaks and how long little ones keep going.

Expecting a new little one, or simply enjoying the one you have? Discover how my family photoshoots in Amsterdam work.