Congratulations on the newest little addition to your family! These first few weeks are just so magical, and it’s an honor for me to be able to capture this tiny
miracle of yours in this special time. They’re only this tiny once. Here are some tips and info that we’ve found helpful in preparing for your newborn session
so it can run smoothly, be fun, and as stress free as possible. ♥
When we do a newborn session, we come to your home and set up our beanbag with backdrops, light, and any baskets and buckets we’ll use. We style it according to what you pick from our selection of hats, wraps, bonnets, headbands that we have…and we style it based on what you like. If you have any sentimental or special items (such as blankets, wraps, outfits, military uniforms or dog tags, etc.) please have them out so we can style them based on what color backdrops we choose and buckets we use.
One important thing to remember: BABY RUNS THE SHOW. ALWAYS ♥
When To Get In Touch To Schedule The Session:
• Ideally, when baby is born! Once things calm down, text Sara (703-431-3765) to set up your session!
• Sessions are done between 4 and 10 days old. Babies are usually sleep more heavily and more often the younger they are…and they hit a growth spirt about 10-12 days… after that they start sleeping less hard, and don’t like to be messed with as much either. Obviously every baby will be different, so you never know. (I’ve had some 6 week olds that were complete angels) But Most of the time the younger the better. 😉
• Sessions are usually on weekday mornings. Most newborns are sleepier and content earlier in the day, so most of our newborn sessions we start at either 10am or 11am. Because our weekend slots get filled up even months in advance, it’s a lot better for us to schedule for weekdays, unless we somehow have a Saturday morning that opens up.
• Let us know if you have any specific props or setup that you’d like.
Check out our website,
Facebook, Instagram, and Google
Business Pages for any inspiration you’d like
to use for your session! That way we can make sure you get what you want for your shoot!
On The Day Of The Session:
• Try to keep baby awake for 30 minutes or so before I get there. This helps make a super sleepy baby for the session. When baby can get into deeper sleep, it makes it easier for posing.
• Feed baby 20-30 minutes before session. A full baby belly makes for a happy and sleep baby! Also feeding baby as much as possible within 12 hours of the start of the session will most likely help baby sleep as deeply as possible too.posing and moving a lot easier. A warm bath is always a great way, as well as talking and interacting with them…with baby only in a diaper.
• If possible, it’s good to have a pacifier handy…don’t worry about nipple confusion. Sucking is a soothing tool & can really help in settling baby when I’m “messing with them”. If your baby does not take a pacifier, that’s ok too…we will just roll with it. 😉
• When baby needs to take a break, we break. We don’t want you stressing out if baby gets
fussy. If they need to stop and eat or get a diaper change, or just plain snuggle, we definitely will!
Most babies wind up eating at least once during the session. All the baby modeling is hard work. 🙂
What To Wear:
• Go on the simple side for wardrobe. When you’re planning outfits for your family and sibling shots, stick with light, neutral colors like gray or cream as the dominate colors.
That helps with the focus on baby as the star of the show, as well as connecting family.
• Avoid loud or neon colors. Bright, vibrant colors cast color tones onto skin, changing the tint or color of your skin.
• For siblings, I recommend a classic outfit. (suggestions for this might be something like blue jeans and a white shirt…or with little boys, blue jeans and no top.)
And….of course, Sit back & enjoy the session with your little squishy baby! ♥
