Newborn Session Prep Guide
The Guide to a Beautiful Newborn Session
Follow these steps to help us create beautiful, stress-free images of your newborn!
Does the below text look too overwhelming and too much? No problem! Click below to to go to the short and sweet version!
The Day of the Session
Preparation & Setup
Please read over the list of how to best prepare your family and newborn for the portrait session below. When I arrive, I will look like I am moving it! (Generally it takes me three trips to the car). I will come with a table to pose your newborn on, lighting (if needed), vinyl faux flooring, baskets/buckets, and an assortment of wraps for your family to look through based on the colors you select on the questionnaire at the very bottom of this page. I can get through three wraps/outfits plus whatever you want your newborn to wear for family photos. It can take me 20 minutes to get everything in and setup, so feel free to take that time to get baby very fully fed. Do not cut the feeding short to save time please. Full baby = Happy baby!
Family Photos
It always works best to start with family photos, especially when there is an older sibling involved. You will read below that I will ask that the home is nice and toasty, and starting with family photos means that your faces will be less shiny from the heat. :-) If you do not have an older sibling involved and you want to do family photos after the newborn only portion, that is fine. I cannot stress enough how important it is to do family & sibling photos in the beginning if there is a sibling involved though. Year of experience has shown me that siblings get bored and act out more if we wait to do the family photos after the newborn only photos.
We will spend 30 minutes or so capturing your family in a relaxed and cozy manner. Master Beds are my favorite place for this! We have a LOT more posing options than on a couch and it doesn’t look like your family might be watching Netflix behind the camera. A place with natural lighting that is not backlit is the best place for family photos. Nurseries are another great place, so that you can capture all the hard work you might have put into decorating it. :-)
Newborn Only Portion
This is where the magic begins! I will take your little one and wrap them carefully in long, stretchy swaddles, pose them with expertise and skill, into the cute little positions you have seen on my website. The absolute best location for this portion of the session is a bedroom, where we can shut the door, keep the heat in just that room (you can turn the heat down in the rest of the house then), and keep sudden loud sounds at bay. You want your baby in a deep, heavy sleep ideally for this. Sudden sounds (like dishwashing, ice machines, dog barking, sibling screaming) can keep them in a light sleep, making it much harder to pose them. Think about the conditions you like for a good, restful sleep… it generally doesn’t include slamming doors, the clatter of toys, etc, right? Same goes for your baby. I will bring a Baby Shussher and portable space heater with me to keep the baby as calm as possible during the session.
Preparation the Day of the Session
Set the temperature to 75-80 degrees for the session
The absolute best piece of advice I can give is to keep whatever room we will be doing the photography in very, very warm! Ideally 75 to 80 degrees. The warmer baby is, the calmer they are- even if they are not asleep completely.
I will bring a portable space heater too, which helps a lot.
Full Belly = Happy Baby
Give your baby a full, complete feeding. Even throughout the session, don't be afraid to feed her, we have time and a fully belly will help her relax. Prior to the session or close to when I arrive, if you can feed your little one, it will help them to be calm and sleepy. The more asleep she is, the easier she will be to pose. It does take me 15 minutes or so to set up, so feel free to start feeding when I get there or so.
Do NOT cut this feeding or any feeding that needs to happen in the middle of the session short. Babies who are half fed are only half settled and I may have to ask you to finish the feeding.
One things to know too, babies get hungry during these sessions because they are being touched often, which can be a cue to them that it is time to eat. Do not be surprised if your baby eats more than normal after the session or in the middle of the session.
Diaper + Blanket Only Please!
If you want swaddled baby in family photos, when I arrive, please have baby in just a diaper/blanket combo. That way he or she does not need to be disturbed with taking PJs off for the start of our session. You wouldn't be happy either if you were taken out of your comfy warm jammies! :-)
If you have a special outfit to put baby in, make sure it is easy to get on and off without upsetting baby. Get them dressed in that after their feeding and burping (hopefully they won’t spit up on it before we start photos!
Don’t Let them Snooze!
Keep Baby Awake before I get there! It will take me 20+ minutes to get in the house, set everything up and work with you on an outfit plan. If you have your little one all happy and asleep before I get there, then we have lost sleepy time which can be precious! The more asleep they are during the session, the smoother things will go. So please try to keep them awake until I arrive and then start the process of feeding, rocking and shushing them to sleep. You know the rhythm of your baby, if it takes longer than 20 minutes to get them asleep, go ahead and start earlier.
One note of caution, sometimes babies can get over-tired and then will NOT fall asleep. If you think this would be your little one, go ahead, let them snooze before I arrive.
Relax!
I know, easier said than done! Your baby will pick up on your energy though. If you are nervous or stressed, your little one will start fussing. We have lots of time and we will use it how we need to get great photos.
Sometimes I have asked parents to step out of the room because their nervousness is triggering baby. It is fascinating how in tune they are with your emotions! One time, baby relaxed beautifully when the parents stepped out and went to another room. I could tell that Mom was coming back before she even touched the door knob because baby tensed up again.
I have done hundreds of newborn sessions and can assure you we will capture beautiful photos. We just need to be calm and flexible through the process.
How to get the Best Sibling Photos
Getting great sibling photos is honestly the hardest part of most newborn sessions. Your older kiddo(s) will likely be jealous about the arrival of their new brother or sister, so it is very important to talk to them before I arrive.
This is what I would suggest telling them:
*They are the Star of the Photo Session!
(We will start with sibling photos, then family photos, then newborn only photos, so by the time the older sibling is bored with photos, they will want to go play anyways)
*Remind them how special they are to you!
(This is a super scary time for them, they are no longer your entire focus)
*Tell them how beautiful/handsome they are and show them where you are going to hang the Sibling Photo in the house
(This will encourage them to look their best because they will know it will hang in a super special place)
Sibling photos will be done FIRST!
Newborn posing is hard work!
That is why I provide lots of time for these sessions. We may not get your little one to cooperate with us at first and we may just have to wrap her up and start there. Wraps make the little ones feel comfortable. Once he or she is all settled and the heat in the room is bumped up, we can start moving towards the poses on the belly. We will want as few of "touches" or clothing changes as possible, just to keep him or her snoozing.
Please make sure you have any stuffies, blankets or special toys you want in the photos ready as well. I LOVE personalizing sessions- I have posed babies with motorcycles, with Magic cards, with football helmets, etc. If you want to do the same, pull those items out so they are ready.
Sorry this is a lot of information! I give it to all my clients though, that way we can all work together to get the beautiful images you want of your little one!
Remember, I have 3+ hours or more for this session so that we can relax and understand that baby will need food, burping, rocking, etc. to get her settled in. I will come with a world of patience, so don't worry if things start off rocky- it will all work out!
As for payment, I can accept cash, check, Venmo or credit card- no problems there. Just tell me what is best for you guys.
Let me know if you have any questions!