4 Tips to Prepare for Your Upcoming In-Home Newborn Session
When it comes to scheduling your in home newborn session, wait to schedule the session date and time until after baby has arrived, and make sure you've had a bit of time to adjust to your new routines. Why? Babies due dates are so unpredictable, as is the entire birth experience.
I always recommend the “wait and see” method for scheduling the actual session. Sometimes Mama needs that extra time to recover from a tough delivery (which is totally normal!) and just wants to feel more “human” before having photos taken. Often, babies can throw some unexpected curve balls at you - one of the most common things I see is the need for a biliblanket.
Look around your home. What time of day will you have the best window light? This can vary from home to home, and it also can depend on what direction your home faces. The best natural light comes from south facing windows. The worst light from north facing windows. If you plan to do your photos in the nursery, and that room has west facing windows, you may want to schedule the photos for later in the day.
My recommendation is to decide what rooms you will want to take photos in. The most popular choices are : Living room, nursery, and primary bedroom. Check out the light throughout the day, then plan for when it’s the brightest in your home! And no - lamps and overhead ceiling lights are not helpful! It can turn everything in the photo a yellow color.
To ensure baby is happy…
Most of my sessions take place in the morning/early afternoon, so if it’s at all possible, try and keep baby awake all day before the session! By the time I’ve arrived, they will be so exhausted, that they will be nice, calm, and sleepy for your session!
Feed your baby just before the session! Boob or bottle, it doesn’t matter! Just make sure baby is fed. A full tummy usually means a sleepy and happy baby!
Turn up the heat in your home! This is especially true when photographing a winter baby, or when baby’s outfit is a onsie or something where they won’t be wrapped up tight and swaddled. A warm and toasty baby usually sleeps better!
Any siblings? If baby has an older toddler sibling, plan something for them to do after their part of the photoshoot is over. I try to get the family and sibling shots done first because this is when your toddler has the best attention span! Then afterward, if you have something planned for them, they can do their thing, and we can get shots of just the baby! Most toddlers will watch a movie, play with toys, or eat!
With so much attention surrounding the baby, this can also make them feel more thought of and prioritized. It can be hard for toddlers when all of the attention is on the new baby, so planning a fun activity for them can help with this.
