Newborn Guide

Newborn sessions are our specialty. As you have read before the newborn session is set up around the baby and we run on baby-time. With a warm environment and set-up the session is at their pace. We want you to know that your going to get a chance to relax. Many parents take their first nap during this session. As 20+ year paramedics and parents of six children and a granddaughter we have the background to watch over your child in all ways. We have some tips below that can help make the experience go smoothly.

Session Checklist

The Pacifier

If your ok with the use of a pacifier it will help calm your baby to sleep and allow us to get those squishy sleep portraits. We believe that a pacifier can be used to calm a baby but shouldn’t be used to put of a feeding. The “smoothie” pacifiers that are used in the hospital are highly recommended. These have been found to be the most effective in soothing and helping newborns to latch early in their development. We encourage you to bring some if you have them but we also have a sterilized stock of them. The goal is to help keep the baby happy and calm.

Feeding

If your breast feeding we will be on the babies schedule. If you have a long drive to visit us you can feed the baby as soon as you arrive if they are needing it. Otherwise feed them before you leave and they should be sound asleep when they arrive and we will jump right in.

If your using a bottle bring a couple with you and we can help you warm them if you need. We can use them to feed the baby while settling into a set if it is the right time. Either way we will stop and allow them to eat and love you when needed.

Nursery Items

Hand knitted hats, blankets, a special toy, rattlers, etc. These are all things that help create the story of your baby’s first few days of life. I love the addition of personal items that have meaning to you and your family.

Don’t forget extra diapers and wipes. The stimulus of our massaging of the baby often causes babies to poop and pee more than they have up to this point.

Clothing

generally I will be photography your baby unclothed and in wraps and blankets that we talk about in planning. However I do recommend bringing simple clothing, such as simple onesies, and outfits that fit your style. We have tons of options for outfits from our stock of custom clothing.

Before the Session

With a newborn everything is new! We have found that even if you have already had children, each one is unique in their own way. Predicting their schedule is difficult. We recommend that the session be scheduled in the morning. Babies will have been held less by then and are more calm. When scheduling the session be aware that vaccines and circumcision all make for a cranky more sensitive baby.

Mom’s diet can also have an affect on the baby. There are foods that mom eats that enter breast milk and can upset a babies tummy. The list below is just a suggestion and every parent should follow their own best practices.

Foods to avoid

• Spicy Foods

• curry, cinnamon

• Onions, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, asparagus, cucumbers, beans

• Citrus fruits

• Peanuts, chocolate and other nuts

Babies experience gas or tummy discomfort sometimes from these foods.

During the Session

The golden rule of newborn photography is that babies are unpredictable. We understand this and embrace it. As a result we block out a minimum of 3 hours of our schedule and will use all of the tools in our bag of tricks to get the portraits and be the most efficient and fun for everyone. When it comes down to it, we are on baby time.

For Parents

If your going to be in the portraits with the baby we recommend solid colors that are muted in nature. This will bring the focus of the portrait to the baby and your faces. This is the most flattering look and captures the emotions of the moment.

Dress in layers and bring a change of clothes. If the baby spits up on you will have a backup and be able to cool off if needed. The studio will be hovering around 75 degrees so that your little one will be as comfortable as possible, wrapped, dressed or naked.

If you want to finish getting ready at our studio this often helps make the morning more relaxed. You won’t have to be completely ready before leaving the house. The same goes for dad and other siblings if they are part of the portraits.

Miscellaneous

We are prepared for everything. If the baby poops or pees on our props or fabrics we are ready and willing to take care of it. It is completely normal and we take care of it all.

We will have snacks and drinks for you and your family to tide you over. Just let us know about any allergies.

If you are going to have siblings in the portraits be prepared to have someone entertain them while we work with baby. Sometimes a parent will take the other kids for a walk or to play at a playground near by after we are done with their part of the portraits. We will work to time those to keep them smiling and happy as well.