I’m not gonna lie. Newborn sessions don’t always go as planned. You never know what your child is going to do so I’ve gone ahead and written down the steps to make it as successful as possible!

Please note: that if this session will have multiple babies or multiple families, these tips might need to be slightly altered based on the circumstances.

Timing

Newborn sessions typically take place within two weeks of birth. This is when they are the sleepiest and easiest to maneuver. If it takes places outside of that window, I can’t guarantee that the baby will look like the sweet sleeping pictures you see all the time on my website. You also have to take into account sleep schedules and eating schedules. Babies, kids (and adults if I’m being honest) typically behave the best right after eating. This is the time when I would shoot the individual shots of them.

Lighting

Window light is key with at-home lifestyle sessions. I try not to use extra flashes since it won’t look as natural. What this means for you: If you are thinking of places in your house, think of rooms with access directly to the sky (i.e. no porch or overhang above it). This might mean that we can’t use some rooms you were thinking about though.

Bring on the heat!

As soon as you wake up, start cranking up the heat in the house. A lot of people don’t like this step, but when your baby is naked, they like to be warm. A cold baby typically means a crying baby. If you don’t want to heat up the whole house, you could also just close off the room we will be using. Space heaters and heating blankets are great ways of keeping the baby warm too!

Stay up and party!

Okay not actually party, but keeping the baby awake will help them sleep soundly during the session. Probably try to keep them up for at least an hour before. I know this will be hard, but it will totally be worth it later!

Naked baby time

About 20-30 minutes before I’m set to arrive, go ahead and change the diaper and wrap the baby in a soft blanket. This will get them used to be naked.

Happy Belly = Happy Baby

I typically recommend feeding them right before I show up. Probably 15 minutes before would be best.

Don’t forget about yourselves!

Whenever I do newborn sessions, I like to have a little time with pictures of the parents. This can be on your bed or on your couch. Any where there is ample window light that you feel safe taking the baby. This is when you get cute shots of the parents and the kids