It wasn’t the first newborn session where the mom told me, “She isn’t usually this fussy. I don’t know what the deal is.” A few days after my most recent shoot with a newborn, the new mom called me and educated me in a really understanding way after she had gotten some tips herself. Neither of us knew the following and I hope that other new or expecting parents will take these under consideration:
1. Before the photo session starts, have your newborn in a onesie to make any clothing changes have as minimal an impact on their skin’s temperature as possible. A warm baby is a happy baby!
2. During your few clothing changes, keep them in that original onesie and layer-up!
3. Do the session early in the day. Less stress and less chance for things in the day to go awry…
4. Ensure baby arrives fed and at a time when you THINK they might be tired. With newborns, you probably haven’t developed a schedule yet and that’s ok too.
5. When moving the baby initially into a new location to pose on a prop of some kind, I will typically move them while they’re in a blanket and allow them to settle into the new location before removing the blanket again.
6. I use sanitizer on my hands in front of the parents and then I tell them to sit back and relax while I work.
7. It may take awhile for the newborn to cooperate in the way we’d like them to-that’s ok! I schedule that time in for you.
8. I learned that newborns can be overstimulated by having several guests over to the house at once, all the new smells and being passed from one set of arms to another. . . In an attempt to minimize the stimulation, try to limit guests and extra activity or travel in the 2 days or so leading up to the session. Being in the same place for long periods of time and smelling consistent smells is a fantastic thing.
9. Lastly, when you know your approximate due date, give me a call to get your session on my calender’s radar. When baby arrives, we’ll see how you guys are doing as a family and when the optimal time would be for our session-hopefully within the first week of age.
Here’s a look into one family’s moments before their little one has a photo shoot with me. Notice, the little one actually took a nap in the clothes she’d wear for the shoot-no need to change clothes a lot if you can help it. Yes, this little one is just over a year old, but it’s still fun to see what other parents do. Prepare yourself for some awesome cute-ness: HERE (Thank you to Matt + Allie!)
I hope this helps!
