photographing infants/small children

[jmcder53]

i don't have alot of experience around small children. i don't even know how you are supposed to hold them, or interact with them. but my friends want me to take some photos of their kid and i said i would. there's no hurry but i don't want to wait around until the kid is too old.
i'm sure this is a well discussed topic, but i'm lazy at the moment from lack of sleep. i have a set of three hot lights and a manual flash that i could use with a white umbrella to soften.
so what works best with a simple setup.

[eddie1]

get down on their level ( i.e your knees) smile a lot
show them the results in the back of the camera they like that and it gets their trust
dont patronise them
respect their attention spans ( short) and they will get bored quick if you try to contol 'em