Tips for a Stress-free Newborn Baby Photo Session

You’ve had your newborn baby photo session booked since your sixth month.  Now your baby has arrived and the day is finally here.  You have been dreaming and planning for nine months, and you’re finally holding your precious little bundle.  Your newborn baby photo session is coming up and you are so excited to have your brand new family documented.

I have put together a list of helpful tips that will make your newborn baby photo session, not only stress-free, but also a relaxing and enjoyable experience.

 

The number one most important rule of a successful newborn baby photo session is to RELAX:

• And again……relax!  Your baby is in safe hands.  I am very comfortable holding and am highly trained in safely posing newborns.  As a new mom, you may feel like everything is chaotic and this is a new experience for you.  You may feel a little bit stressed because you aren’t used to the waiting game we play during a newborn baby photo session.  Don’t worry – I can stay awake longer than baby can 🙂
• You may see your baby fussing and having a difficult time getting settled….you begin to think “This is a disaster!  We aren’t going to get any good photos!” – It isn’t and yes, we will!
• I take baby’s lead and like to joke that they are my employer.  They will tell me how the session is going to go.  Don’t fret – a good 50% of the session is spent feeding and cuddling so that baby feels comfortable and secure.  Just remember, they can sense mommy’s stress, so it’s SUPER important to remain calm and relaxed.

The time of day does matter:

• I always schedule sessions for first thing in the morning between 9 and 10.  This is usually when baby sleeps more deeply and soundly.  They have been up and fed and are almost ready to settle in for a good nap.
• You just had a baby, so I don’t expect you to be right on time.  Just do your best….I understand and am completely ok with it.  I’ve been there too!

 

Keep baby awake before the session:

• I know this may seem like mission impossible, especially since you are having trouble staying awake.  But trust me, it helps alot.  I always recommend to keep baby awake for at least 90 mins – 2 hours prior to the session.
• A good plan of attack is to strip baby down to their diaper and let them kick naked on a blanket while you interact with them.  Then give baby a bath.  This is an awesome way for baby to exercise their lungs a bit and will tire them out.  It also makes their hair nice and fluffy (if they have any!)

 

A full belly = a happy baby:

• Make sure to feed baby until they are completely ‘milk drunk’ right before you leave (or I arrive) for the session.  A baby with a full belly will sleep much more soundly.

It will be HOT:

• Dress yourself in layers because it will be very warm.  A baby loses body heat quickly because their internal temperature isn’t quite fully developed yet, especially when they are naked.  So it needs to be super hot for them to be comfortable during their session.  If we are sweating, then it is the perfect temperature.  We should look like we just finished a hot yoga class!

 

My stuff will get peed on, pooped on and everything else’d on:

• Your baby is going to be naked for the majority of the session.  And the reason for this is because newborns are best photographed in their new skin.  Newborn clothes just don’t fit properly at all.
• Please don’t feel bad if your baby pees or poops on anything.  This is natural and I fully expect this to happen!  So, please don’t worry or feel embarassed, because they all do it.  I get peed on at every single session and often pooped on too!  No big deal – I quickly wipe up and carry on with the session.  Everything gets washed after every session.

 

Props:

• I will provide absolutely everything we need for the session.  You don’t need to worry about anything.  I will ask you in our consultation what color theme you prefer – creams, beiges/browns or grays and I will hand coordinate the session just for you around your chosen color theme.
• If you have a special prop that you would like included, just let me know and I will definitely try to fit it in.

Enjoy:

• A newborn baby photo session can take up to 3 hours (and sometimes even longer), simply because I don’t rush and I follow baby’s lead.  I will spend a lot of time soothing and snuggling your little one.  Please feel free to relax on the couch, read a book or take a much needed nap.  You can rest assured knowing your baby is in safe hands and I will let you know immediately if you are needed, which you probably will be.
• Take it all in and enjoy the process.  After all, this only happens once!

 

And again no worries, I will call you to chat about how to prepare your baby and yourself for their modelling debut!

Go back to Start Page