Congratulations on the birth of your little one, and thank you for trusting me with these important moments in your lives.

Ok…. Here’s what you need to know for your newborn session:

Ideally, it is best to schedule your newborn session within the first two weeks. Newborns are sleepiest during their first two weeks, so photographing them during this time period will allow your session to run smoothly. After two weeks, babies can begin to get gassy and develop baby acne, so I find the first two weeks to be the magic window.

If baby is over 2 weeks, please don’t worry. Anything younger than 5 weeks can also work.

You will most likely need more time than you think to get ready for your session. Babies can be unpredictable and want to be fed or changed frequently – and often at the most inopportune times!

Please don’t feel rushed. If baby is nice and sleepy, we will start with baby, so this gives you another hour to get ready.

Newborn Session Tips Guidelines

Keep Baby Awake:
I recommend keeping your baby awake for as long as you can before the session. If the baby has slept all morning and then arrives at my studio, they just might be ready for a long awake period, which makes the job of getting them sleepy all that much harder.

Keep Baby Full:
Make sure baby has a full tummy before you leave the house and come to my studio. This way, assuming your drive isn’t too long, the baby should still be full and will probably have a little snooze in the car. When you arrive, baby will be removed from the car seat and I can immediately get started on the session when you arrive. Hopefully, we can get as many photos done before the baby needs a feeding break.

DO NOT forget the pacifier:
If the baby takes a pacifier, you can trust me that you’ll want it there during the session! If baby doesn’t take a pacifier, I would encourage you to bring one anyways, just for the session. They tend to want to nurse the entire session so the soother helps us stretch out those feeds within the 2-hour session.

Babies Clothing:
Bring baby in a button-up or zip-up sleeper, preferably a loose-fitting one. One of the worst things is when a baby arrives sleepy in his/her car seat and then I have to remove shoes and socks, pants, and take a shirt off over their heads – which almost always wakes them up. Instead, it’s easier to zip down and slip off pyjamas while the baby remains asleep! And if the pyjamas are loose-fitting, then ideally there won’t be many lines left behind on the baby’s skin.

My studio is WARM
So it’s really important to me to warn parents of this before their arrival. Babies are happier when it’s toasty warm!! I keep my studio very warm to help keep them comfortable and sleepy. I always suggest you dress lightly. Feel free to pop outside if you need a break from the heat!

Coffee
For those early morning sessions, don’t worry! There is complimentary coffee or hot chocolate.

Bring something to do!
Newborn sessions can be really long. Most of the time I won’t need your help. So bring your laptop, a book and something to do while you sit for 1 – 2, sometimes 3 hours. Feel free to take a nap 😉 If you have other children coming, bring snacks or toys in case they get a little fussy, as these sessions can be very boring for them.

What should I Wear?

If you want to be in the photos with your sweet little baby, I find that solid colours generally look best. Neutrals like Black, white, blue or earth tones keep the focus on where it should be, your baby. (I will note that moms do tend to look great in floral as well, just make sure your colours coordinate). V-neck type shirts for mom and a t-shirt or collard shirt for dad. Make sure you bring an extra outfit, in case of oopsies! Please keep in mind, these are professional photos, therefore treat them like professional photos. Avoid hoodies, ball caps, and logos on shirts.
Also, consider where you want to display your photos and coordinate with your home decor.

What should Siblings Wear?

If you have girls neutral-coloured outfits are lovely.
If you have boys, please bring them in jeans or khakis and a shirt – Neutral colours, no Logos.

Music:

I play soothing, calming music for the babies. This may put you to sleep if you had a rough night. (Just kidding). But a calm environment is what I’m trying to aim for as we need baby to ideally sleep throughout their photo session.