How to Prepare for Your Newborn Session
Congratulations on the birth of your baby! For months you’ve dreamt up exactly what your little one would look like and the features they may come out with. You dreamt of those perfectly posed and curated newborn pictures of your own little baby! Now’s the moment to freeze time because when you blink, you’ll be celebrating her first birthday! I’ve gathered some of my favorite tips to help you have a laid-back newborn session.
Give Your Baby A Bath
On the morning before your session, remove all bandaids and tape. Give your baby a warm bath. This can be soothing for baby and nice clean hair photographs beautifully. Please do not lather your baby in ointments or diaper creams. You want the skin as clean as possible. Editing flaky skin or red patches is a billion times easier than an oily baby.
Dress Your Baby in Loose Clothing
The morning of your session, dress baby in a loose outfit that zips or snaps up the front with a loose diaper and no tight socks. We want to minimize marks and indentations on baby’s skin. We also want to be able to remove clothing without disturbing baby too much.
Bring A Pacifier
Even if your baby doesn’t typically use a pacifier, always bring one as they serve as a wonderful distraction for the baby during the session. They are incredibly helpful in keeping your little one happy when moving from pose to pose. Also, SOFT pacifiers, such as the Soothie brand (without the stuffed animal attached) are preferred over pacifiers with a hard outer shell because they tend to leave marks on the baby’s face.
Arrive on Time
I get it - adding a newborn to your family dynamics is hard. They are unpredictable and not to mention, you’re lacking sleep. But arriving at your newborn session on time will help to alleviate the stress for everyone! You don’t want to walk into a newborn session feeling rushed and overwhelmed. Your baby feeds off of your emotions. So if you’re stressed, so is baby.
Sit Back and Relax
While I get that you’re excited to have your baby photographed and letting go can be rough, trust that you hired a trained and experienced professional to do the job. We love on your babies and follow their cues. At no point in time will I put your baby in danger. If at any point, you are uncomfortable, speak up and let your photographer know. Both you and your baby should feel 100% comfortable during the session.
So use this time to date your partner for a few hours or even catch up on some sleep. I’ve had clients bring some wine and just talk and listen to their partners during the session. Enjoy the little downtime!
Overall, make this an enjoyable experience. Your baby will only be this tiny for such a brief period of time. Take it all in and cherish these memories forever.
If you’d like more information on booking your newborn session, feel free to reach out to me! I’d love to chat with you!
Melanie Amparo
Owner and Photographer
melanieamparo.com