First of all, congrats! I assume you are here, because you have a little one on the way, or you are desperately hoping you haven’t missed the perfect timing for newborn photos. If you’re expectantly in the planning stages of welcoming your baby home, you’ll learn all the info you need to schedule the perfect date for your newborn photos. If you’re thinking you may have missed the perfect window for newborn photos, rest easy. The great thing about lifestyle newborn photography is that you you can have newborn photos taken whenever you would like within the first few months of life. Read on to learn more about when to do your newborn photos.
Ideal Timing for Newborn Photos
I usually schedule my newborn sessions to take place when the baby will be two to four weeks old. I like to do this to give the parents time to adjust to parenthood (or to adjust as a new family unit if this is not their first baby). This also allows the mom some time to recover from birth and to feel more comfortable in her postpartum body. Remember, this session is just as much about capturing your new roles as mom and dad as it is about capturing your newborn. This time frame also allows parents time to learn their new baby’s personality and how other family members (siblings or pets) may react to and interact with your new baby.
Picture this: you just had your baby five days ago and have newborn photos at 10 AM in the morning. You haven’t worn makeup or fixed your hair in a week. You tried on any non-maternity clothes in six months and have no clue what clothes will even fit at this point (side note: not knowing what you will wear will not be an issue with my newborn sessions, since it will be planned out ahead of time by a personal stylist which is included with your session :)). You don’t know if your baby will take a bottle or pacifier. You barely even know how to soothe your baby. Your house is a wreck, and you have no clue how you are expected to get your house, yourself, your husband, and your baby ready by 10 AM in the morning.
This is all hypothetical, but this is how I would feel if someone asked me to take newborn photos with my family within the first week of my baby’s birth. I would hate every second of it, so I do my best to avoid putting my clients through this.
Read on to learn more of the things to consider when scheduling your newborn session.
Reasons for Early Newborn Photos
Why would you schedule your session to take place earlier than two weeks? The main reasons include the baby’s flexibility within the first 10 days, avoiding baby acne, baby’s sleepy demeanor, and wanting a true newborn look. Studio newborn photographers usually recommend scheduling your newborn session to take place within the first week of birth. Some will even schedule the session for the day you leave the hospital. Since most studio newborn sessions utilize various posing and wraps, it is easier for the photographer to achieve certain poses when the babies are extremely flexible directly after birth, and the sessions are usually smoother with a sleepy baby. Other pros of taking newborn photos directly after birth include avoiding baby acne (since most baby acne appears around 2 weeks) and getting a true newborn look since babies change every day.
Reasons for Later Newborn Photos
Why would you wait to do newborn photos? The main reasons people may wait to take newborn photos include mental health, a new house, health issues, delayed planning, and wanting a more expressive baby. Sometimes, it’s best for your mental health to push your newborn session out until you feel like you have a better handle on parenthood. This new season brings a lot of change, and it’s ok to feel overwhelmed. If scheduling your session for later feels best for you, there is no reason we have to do do the session within two weeks after birth. I’ve had clients schedule their session for later, because they wanted to be in their new home for the photos and the move in date was a few month’s after the baby’s due date. During the pandemic, parents were not comfortable with newborn photos two weeks after their baby’s birth. Many of the sessions during 2020 were taken when the baby was 6-12 weeks old. Some parents may not feel comfortable having their new baby around people during the first few weeks, so they choose to do the session later. Lastly, I’ve had some clients who did not think about newborn photos until the baby was older or simply did not find my page until later in the baby’s life, so we chose to do the session at 6 months. One of those sessions taken at 6 months still remains a favorite to-date. Babies are more expressive as they get older so these sessions taken from 3-6 months are actually extremely cute.
The Best Timing for Newborn Photos
There are many things to consider when planning your newborn photos, but the timing of them ultimately comes down to your preference. There are no rules, but here are my final recommendations and thoughts:
The earliest I would recommend scheduling your newborn session to take place is two weeks after your due date. (Don’t worry, your newborn photographer will remain in contact with you to adjust your your session date, as needed, if your babe decides to come earlier or later.) My newborn session took place when my baby was five weeks old, and it was still a struggle to get ready for that session (my sweet baby had horrible digestion issues that thankfully resolved, but I felt like a zombie when she was five weeks old). I cannot imagine doing the session any earlier.
Remember, this is a lifestyle newborn session. Newborn lifestyle sessions are more than just portraits of your newborn – their purpose is to capture your new life as a growing family in your sweet home. I’ve taken “newborn” photos of babies at six months. They are still to this day some of my favorite photos, because it captures the essence of new life with a baby, and the baby is expressive and interactive at six months.
Schedule Your Session Today
No matter where you are in the process (from expectantly planning every detail of your baby’s arrival to catching up on the things you wish you would have planned sooner), I recommend booking your session today! Newborn photographers can book out months in advance.
Please reach out about your lifestyle newborn session today! I would love to capture these sweet moments.
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