Newborn Session Prep

Prepping for a newborn session can be overwhelming for many parents! There’s so many questions - what to bring, what to wear, what if baby doesn’t cooperate, all the what if’s…. But don’t worry! I always send out a prep guide to help new parents prepare for their newborn session. I am going to run down most of the same questions I receive when parents are booking their newborn session!

1. What should we expect?
- You should expect to come into studio and relax! No, really, do it! Once you arrive I will take baby and get them stripped down and asleep if they are awake. You can sit down on my sofa, enjoy some snacks or water & just relax, take a nap if you’d like (don’t be surprised at the amount of parents I have had do this!)! I always have an assistant working with me for newborns so I have all the help I need. I want this to be a relaxing experience for parents. Ps. The studio will be very warm too so I suggest dressing in layers just in case you get too warm but you can always step outside to cool off if needed.

2. What do we bring?
- In lesser terms, nothing. I have a studio packed full of newborn props, wraps, headbands, backdrops, buckets, etc. I only ask that you bring something if there is something specific you’d like to be in the photos. I really don’t suggest the crotchet outfits because they generally don’t fit babies like we would like them to & end up up looking really big on them.

3. What should we wear? (if you’re doing parent/sibling shots)
- Keep it simple! I love the look of neutral tones & simple outfits. There’s no need to go out and buy a new outfit because chances are you already have a simple shirt in your closet! Don’t even worry about what is on your bottom half, I do not photograph new mom’s mid section. So wear those yoga pants & be comfy! For older siblings, I always suggest the same thing. 99% of the time I will have sibling cuddled up with baby laying on the fluffy rug or they will be sitting up cuddling them.

4. What if baby doesn’t cooperate?
- Please don’t even let this be a concern in your mind! I will just say they don’t call me the baby whisperer for nothing! Most of the time babes come in sleeping & adjust quickly because I keep my studio very warm for them. I also play a shusher sound machine with white noise, this really helps keep them asleep and drown out any background noise going on. If for some reason baby is wide awake, I will wrap them like a little burrito and sway with them until they fall asleep. Or, I will photograph them swaddled while they are awake. Typically the swaddle soothes them & they fall asleep while wrapped. I can do many setups with baby wrapped to give a variety of images. If baby will absolutely not settle and cries for 2-3hrs straight, I will see you next week haha! I can assure you though, that has literally only happened once in my 9+yrs of photographing newborns.