All the details on how to prepare for your newborn session


Congratulations! Your baby has arrived and your heart now beats outside of your chest and you’ve discovered how to love someone so much that you literally just met! Doesn’t parenthood exceed all of your expectations?!…


Ideally, we have chatted during your pregnancy and we already have a tentative baby photo date in my calendar, but I always say, “call the grandparents and then call me when baby arrives!” If we didn’t get to do that in advance, it is best to contact me to get scheduled within the first two weeks of baby’s life, however, I have done newborn sessions after that window of time and many of those “older” babies are still able to do those squishable, scrunched up poses that parents are looking for.


So, once your session is booked, some helpful prep steps include the following:

  1. On the day of your session, do your best to keep the baby wakeful and playful (in whatever sense that means for a very new baby. So, simply put, try to keep the baby awake for an extended period of time and then feed just before leaving to come to your session. If you live a distance from me… sometimes it is best to arrive early and feed or even stop and feed in a nearby parking lot if you are the type that doesn’t like to arrive so early.
  2. Be prepared to be in the session for up to three (yes 3) hours. So that means you are welcome to take whatever coffee, water or snacks that you need for yourself and whatever feeding supplies you need for baby. If you are using special lotions, pacifiers, hair brush, wipes and diapers, you should have those packed and ready to go. Come comfortable if you haven’t opted for the parent-posing. Bring slippers. Yes, I am serious about that. I try to keep the space shoeless so slippers are always a nice way to stay comfy during your session.
  3. Climate: I keep the space toasty… for the baby…. A warm baby makes a sleepy baby. At the same time, it makes for sweaty parents and photographer, too, so you may want to wear/bring a T-shirt or dress in layers, if you opted for parenting posing.
  4. All props/wraps/accessories are provided by yours truly. However, if you have special items/blankets/accessories that you would like to incorporate in your session, it is best to let me know in advance so I can plan how to incorporate it into the session. And I mean no offense, however sometimes I will suggest that the item not be used if it is itchy fabric or too big for the baby.
  5. For families that opt for “newborn plus” packages that include siblings and/or parent posing, we need to discuss family outfits to coordinate for the session. Always best to pick a coordinating neutral, timeless color from the waist up. It is suggested you stay away from distracting or bold prints and opt for lighter colors with minimal to no print/pattern. The most common are the pastel version of neutrals, muted tones or the gray family. If you have a question, just ask! I’ll steer you in the right direction!
  6. Preparing the toddler sibling for their session is always a roll of the dice, right? I will try to warm them up first to get them comfortable with me and get their sibling shots with baby done first so they don’t have a restless, toddler implosion! (Although sometimes that will happen, and I roll with it, so don’t stress!). I have a pretty good track record on ensuring that at the very least one shot is captured with the siblings and newborn. Safety is paramount, so they are usually laying on a fluffy rug while “holding” the baby and a parents is always in arms reach to make sure the big sibling doesn’t impulsively decide they are “DONE”!
  7. Bribes!… they are a good thing for the recently promoted siblings. Tell me what they like! Tell me what their interests are and bring them their favorite snack or toy to encourage them to participate. I always make them feel like a big deal and even sometimes let them play in front of my camera to get their own picture snuck into the gallery.
  8. Got some favorite poses you’ve seen me do or wraps, colors, etc that you like….? Let me know ahead of time, or put them on your Inspiration board and show me! We can discuss and I my answer to poses or suggested set ups will typically be “we can try it, but the baby will tell me whether they want to follow through with that pose”. I will never force baby to do something they wont tolerate. Safety is bigger than getting that shot, in my opinion. Sometimes things look Pinterest-perfect and some babies make perfect nearly impossible. Sometimes what you see is actually a digital composite that looks easily captured, but is not always safe for the baby. And as for set ups, if you are set on something very very specific that I do not have, I reserve the right to add an a la carte decor fee to make that shot happen for you.
  9. Some health and wellness prep: If your other children or you are not feeling well, lets reschedule…(fever, diarrhea, vomiting are all things I never feel like sharing, so please be mindful). If you have a shy child, a rambunctious one, or a neurodivergent one, just let me know! I love to know how to best prepare for siblings to make them feel peaceful, calm and relaxed for the newborn session. So important for success!
  10. Skin questions?: Yes, newborns get acne and blocked tear ducts and scratch their faces, etc. I have successfully been able to photoshop those issues away. but if you are concerned that your baby has broken out in a skin issue, just snap a pic and I will ease your worry and let you know what we should do.
  11. Payment and gallery delivery: Final payment is due at time of session and gallery will be delivered in about two weeks from your shoot. Time of year may impact the length of delivery time by a few days in either direction. But rest assured, you always get a sneak peak within 24 hours of your session!
  12. Relax!!… its going to be great! This is a once in a lifetime session for your newborn, let’s roll with it! I tend to be a baby-whisperer and many families ask if they can call me at 2am when their baby is fussy, LOL. I always enjoy newborn sessions… even if the newborn doesnt seem to be enjoying it, Ha!!