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Hello! Incase you missed it, we welcomed our third child about two weeks ago! It’s been quite a journey already but we are so thrilled to have her. 🙂 We booked newborn photos all the way back in January, pre-pandemic. I went back and forth on whether or not we would still move forward with them but after talking to our photographer and going over all the precautions she’s was taking, as well as deciding to bring all of our own outfits, we decided to go ahead. We’ve done these photos with my two other children and the first time was insane getting out of the house, we also made it 20 minutes into the drive before realizing we forgot the diaper bag, hello first time parents, so I wanted to put together a post with some tips I’ve found helpful.
How to Prepare for Newborn Photos
- Before the baby – Most photographers will schedule your photos within the first week or two of the baby being born. That doesn’t leave a lot of time to go shopping after the baby. Mom’s outfit IMO is the most important. You just had a baby and it’s important for you to feel good taking the pictures. Plus the baby and other kid(s) will look good in anything! I recommend buying one or two options for tops, depending on the style also go up a size. This is not the time to put pressure on yourself to fit into a certain size, you’ll most likely still be in maternity pants and that’s ok! You just had a baby. This time around I found two shirts that were primarily navy, then found a navy shirt for my husband and settled on pink for the girls. I like to make sure our outfits go together but aren’t too matchy.
- The day before – The day before the photos I try on my options and decide which one I’ll wear. I try everything on the girls and make my husband find his clothes as well. Once we all have our outfits I pack up the diaper bag with extra clothes, diapers, a breastfeeding cover, comb, and anything else I think we might need. That way everything is ready to go in the morning.
- The day of – I try to communicate to my husband when we need to leave by and give him an idea of everything that needs to be done before then, for example the girls need to be fed, the baby needs to nurse at this time, etc. That way he has an idea of where I need help. I also build in time for myself to get ready. If I am spending this much time preparing for everyone else I’m not going to forget about myself. These are pictures for all of us. It’s also a good idea to plan ahead so the baby has just been fed when you arrive for pictures or as close as possible. I didn’t do this with our first child because I didn’t want to wake her, and the first 15 minutes of the session was spent trying to calm her down and then another 15 minutes nursing her. That was a waste of a lot of our time, luckily our photographer was super understanding.
Most photographers will have their own outfits for the baby to wear, but I have always enjoyed picking out 1-2 of my own to bring. Sometimes they are used and sometimes they aren’t. This time was a little different as I talked with her before and voiced my concerns about the pandemic and asked that we use what I brought. Depending on the type of pictures, I have had great luck on Etsy for pretty diaper covers, or lacy bodysuits.
It’s also important to find a photographer who specializes in newborn photography. Our photographer primarily shoots newborns and families and has three kids of her own. She’s more than happy to calm down a fussy baby and has also shared a lot of tips with me over our sessions.
Newborn photos can be expensive but I truly believe they are worth it. The newborn stage is so fleeting these pictures are the only memories we have of such a special time. Drop any questions in the comment section below!