The best time to come for a newborn baby session

This is a question that most new parents ask and all babies are very different. Some newborns are sleepy heads and some are wide awake and alert; almost saying that they've been on this earth before! Sleepy babies are easier to pose into various curly positions whilst awake and alert babies tend to have their own agenda and the photo session will inevitably take longer.

1 week old

When is best to come for a newborn photo session?

I try to encourage parents to attend while the baby is still under 2 weeks. At this stage your new baby is more likely to curl up in 'womb-like' positions to aid the curly cute poses, sleep for longer periods, doesn't fuss when being unclothed (as long as it's warm) and has probably got into a regular feeding routine, so the session can carry on with a milk drunk baby. However it doesn't mean to say that if you have a more alert (slighly older baby) that posing is impossible, it just means you may not get the sleepy, curly poses and awake shots can make the most compelling photographs.

3 months old

When is it best to book

Thinking about professional baby photos is waaaaay down the list of things to do while Mum is still pregnant, but to avoid the disappointment of a full diary I ask parents to book a provisional date at around the time of the 2nd scan of a week after their due date, of course babies have their own arrival time frame but at least it's a guideline to go by. I leave room for adjustments to the session date, and it can be a bit of a juggling act. I know the photographer is the last person on your mind the minute you give birth but a quick call or text to announce the joyous arrival allows me to make any adjustments to the booked session date.

The time to do your research for a newborn photographer is when you don’t have a tiny baby that is demanding your attention or you are so tired you can't concentrate and find it difficult to organise anything let alone a baby portrait session. The first couple of weeks will fly by in a blur of feeding, nappy changing, literally staring at your baby hours on end, family and friends visiting to snuggle your little one. As you adjust to life as a new parent and it may not be until a few weeks in that you realise your baby has changed already and you should have had those very early portraits done.

If you have any questions however small, or wish to book a provisional date for your newborn photo session, contact me today.

For further information have a look at the newborn session page.