When To Schedule Your Newborn Photography Session: 5 Things You Need to Know
Hey there, soon-to-be parents and new moms and dads! 👋
As a newborn photographer, I get asked this question ALL the time:
"When Is The Best Time To Schedule Our Newborn Photo Session?"
And “When Should Newborn Photos Be Taken?”
And let me tell you, it's a great question! There's a bit more to it than you might think, but don't worry – I've got you covered. I’ve learned a lot in my last 11 years working with brand new babies.
In this post, I'm going to break down the five key things you need to know about scheduling your newborn session in their first few weeks. By the end, you'll completely understand why your Newborn Photographer schedules your session when they do!
1. The Best Time to Schedule Your Newborn Photoshoot
In The First Two Weeks
It’s true! The ideal window for Newborn Photography is truly between 6 to 14 days after birth. Why so early you might ask? Well, that’s because it’s all about the sleepy, squishy newborn goodness! And that season of your newborn scrunching up like a little froggy does not last long.
Sleepy Time Central: In those first two weeks, babies are basically little sleep machines. This makes it so much easier to capture those adorable, peaceful poses you've seen on my website and all over social media.
Flexibility aka the Froggy scrunch: Newborns are amazingly flexible right after birth. It takes their bodies awhile to realize they aren’t still in utero. So they're still all curled up from being in the womb, which means we can gently pose them in those cute, curly positions. And not only that, but they are actually MORE comfortable in these positions then all stretched out.
Comfort is Key: Your little one is still getting used to this big, bright world. During those early days, they often feel most at peace and comfortable in the newborn poses you typically see. As they get older they lose that flexibility and become more aware of the world around them.
A Little Biology Lesson (Don’t worry, it’s pretty cool!)
Did you know that when babies are born, their bones aren't fully fused? It's true! They're partly cartilage, which is why newborns are so bendy. It's like nature's way of making them perfect for photo ops! That’s just my interpretation 😉 After about 2-3 weeks, Newborns start to stretch out and become more alert, and enjoy getting to know their new world and can be awake for hours at a time! Still cute as a button, of course, but can be a bit trickier to pose.
Newborn Baby Boy within the 2 weeks old sweet spot! All sleepy and curled up!
2. Playing The Due Date Game
Babies: Disrupting Your Schedule From The Very Beginning
It’s honestly something you should get used to right away. Ha! Say goodbye to your routine and schedule for the next 18 years! :)
But truly. I often reassure parents that it DOES NOT matter for your session if your baby arrives on/around their due date. The due date is absolutely just a guess and an estimate, and we all know that all babies arrive on their own schedule. They might make their grand entrance early, right on time, or fashionably late. What’s actually more important for newborn photography is the baby’s age AFTER birth, not the specific date of arrival.
How We Roll With It
Get In Touch Early: I always recommend booking when you hit your 2nd trimester or around 20 weeks along to ensure a spot in my schedule. I only take a certain number of due dates a month to ensure availability, and frequently have to turn clients away. So do not delay in getting booked!
The Birth Announcement: I have clients send me a quick text or email as soon as baby arrives that says “Baby is here”. I know you're busy, with just having a baby and all, so I do not expect a novel, and it can just be a quick message saying “ Hi, this is your client ——-. Baby just arrived yesterday! When can we get scheduled?”
Schedule Your Session: As soon as I receive my clients email or text, I will send them some available dates for their session within that 6-14 day window.
The reason this works is because I have you all reserved on my calendar by your tenative due date, but we wait to schedule your actual session until after baby arrives. This is a win win for everyone, and allows for baby to arrive on their terms.
3. When Things Don’t Go According To Plan
NICU Stays, Preemies, and Recovery Time: It’s All Good!
Sometimes, life throws us a curveball, and after 12 years of experience photographing newborns, I’ve come to expect it. My own twin boys needed a little time in the NICU, and I want to assure you that it’s NO big deal when it comes to scheduling your session. Please do not stress about this. The health and well-being of your baby AND Mama are always the top priority, and we can work around everyone’s needs.
This little preemie was born right around 30 weeks! We had to wait till he was around 7-8 weeks old before I got to meet him. We got both a mixture of some newborn poses, and some wide awake images! He was a little more awake and had lost some flexibility, but he still loved being wrapped up. And as you can see we still got gorgeous memories for his family.
Here's another image of him preemie wide awake and so so cute! Preemie newborns are a little more sensitive to touch, and tend to wake up easier, but a good Newborn Photographer can work with anything.
We’ve Got All The Time In The World
As a mom who had preemie twins in the NICU myself, trust me when I say: I get it. Your health and your baby's health come first, always. We'll take photos when everyone's ready, even if that's outside our usual newborn window. So even if the ideal 6-14 day window has passed, we can absolutely still capture beautiful, timeless images.
A Little Secret…
It needs to be said, some of my favorite images I’ve ever taken are of Preemies! Also, they are the noisiest newborns ever, and frequently “talk” to me all during their session, even in deep sleep, and it’s the best. Preemies squeak and squawk their way through their session and it never fails to make me laugh!
This little girl was also born very early, and she was a few weeks old when she was able to come see me!
4. Your Session Day Cheat Sheet
If you are anything like me, knowing what a new experience will be like, and knowing what you can expect might help you feel so much more relaxed! A relaxed parent = a relaxed newborn.
Time Flies When You're Having Fun
Plan for about 2-3 hours of photo time. This gives us plenty of wiggle room for feeding, soothing, and capturing those perfect poses. 2-3 hours might seem like a long time, but we won’t be actively photographing your baby the whole time. There is lots of extra time involved when caring for a newborn. Sometimes newborns can be awake for 30-40 minutes, and so that factors in as well.
The Key To Sleepy Poses
The day prior to your session, I will contact you and fill you in on whether or not to have you feed baby before you leave, or when you arrive. I will ask you to do your best to keep baby as awake as possible the hour prior to your session, so that when you arrive baby is ready to sleep with a full belly. My goal is to get you back home into your PJ’s as soon as possible. Obviously these are just suggestions, and you know your baby best!
Baby’s First Spa Day
When baby arrives, I always tell them “You are going to get so spoiled this morning!” Because I know that I’ve created my studio to be the most luxurious and comfortable environment for a newborn. I'll keep the studio nice and toasty (around 80°F/27°C) to keep your little one comfy while we're shooting. It'll be like their very own, very stylish sauna experience. I try to keep the heat mostly towards me and baby, so you should be comfortable from your spots on my couch.
Behind the scenes of me posing a newborn. You can see how peaceful and comfortable he is!
Props and Pretties
It’s a joke of mine that when clients ask what they should bring, I say “the kitchen sink?” Because I literally have everything else we could need. I have headbands galore, (like 200+ of them) wraps in every single color you can imagine, and around 75 backdrops/blankets to choose from. I have 20-30 props and will have a couple set up in advance for you before arrive. Hiring a newborn photographer is the best, because you literally do not have to bring anything other than baby. I even have wipes, diapers, changing table, diaper genie, lotion, etc etc.
Some of the hundred of headbands that are available to use in my studio!
5. After the Shoot: Turning Moments into Memories
About 1 after our session, I will send you a proofing gallery, where you will choose your images and pay for your Collection. I will then get to work editing and creating magic with your images chosen. I will then send them to you in an online gallery. Final images are delivered 2-3 weeks after your session.
How to Show Off Your Ridiculously Cute Baby
There are so many ways to display your photos:
- Go big with stunning wall art. Prints and products are offered with all sessions. And bonus, you can easily order right from your online gallery. No need to upload, and mess with creating an account etc etc. Easy Peasy.
- Download your digital files to share with the whole family and make your favorite image your iPhone wallpaper. AHEM: Don’t forget to tag your photographer when you post to social media! This is like GOLD to us, and is such a gift.
Big prints of my Twin Boys hung up in my house! They love seeing themselves so much. Its one of my favorite parts of my home.
The Adventure Continues
Many families love to document their baby's first year with milestone sessions. I offer both 6 Month and 1 Year Milestone Sessions, and they are ridiculously fun! This when they start smiling, and giggling, and then become more mobile around 1 Year. So if you're interested, please reach out. I will be sure to send you all the details. From "OMG, they're so tiny!" to "When did they get so big?!" – we'll document it all. And you will truly never regret it!
Wrapping It Up (Pun Totally Intended)
So there you have it, friends and clients! The ins and outs of scheduling your newborn session. Remember, every baby is unique, and as your photographer, I'm here to roll with whatever comes our way. Your photographer should know all of these things like the back of their hand, and so you can trust them that they know what they are doing when they schedule you right away! But this is helpful for those of you who want a little more reassurance and understanding.
“Whether your little one arrives right on schedule or decides to keep us all guessing, I can promise you we'll create beautiful images that'll have you obsessed for years and years to come. “
Got questions? Feeling a bit nervous? Just want to chat about all things baby? I'm all ears! Reach out anytime – helping you capture these precious moments is what I love to do. And I completely understand wanting to feel prepared in advance. Hope this helps! ~ Lindsay Blackman | LiveJoy Photography
Salem Oregon Newborn Photographer
Also serving the greater Portland Oregon areas.
