What to Bring to a Newborn Photography Session

Tips for mom: what to bring to a newborn session, how to prepare, and when to book.

When booking a newborn session you should try to plan this ahead of time. A lot of photographers book sessions months in advance. For me, I suggest my clients book their newborn session when they are around 20 weeks pregnant. If they are going to book my bump to baby bundle, this is a good time as well. I do maternity sessions around 30 to 34 weeks pregnant. And we want to make sure there is availability for this timeframe. This will also give you time to decide if you want to wear one of our gowns or purchase one of your own.

For just the newborn session you will want to contact your photographer as soon as the baby has arrived. This way we can get the actual session booked. The newborn sessions are done in the first three weeks of life.

How to prepare for your newborn session and what to bring.

-If you have a baby boy and he is to be circumcised, this is something you need to keep in mind. We will either do the newborn session before the circumcision or at least five days after so that baby can heal appropriately. Some hospitals will do the circumcision while you are there but some do not offer this.

-If you are breast-feeding we recommend a bland diet a day or two before the session. What this means is that you should try to avoid gassy foods such at garlic, onion, broccoli and spicy foods. You should also limit your dairy intake or avoid it all together.

-I suggest if you are bottlefeeding or formula feeding to bring extra with you.

-Dress baby in something easy to take off such as a zip-up sleeper. This will make it a bit easier to get baby ready.

-if baby seems fussy/ gassy I suggest giving baby Gas-X before the session.

-For family photos I suggest wearing a neutral or muted color such as white, black, cream, navy or gray. Don’t wear anything with logos or wording. The simpler the better.

Other than the items above there really isn’t anything you need to bring. I have all the props, outfits, headbands, wraps, etc that we will need. If there is something you wish to bring, you should let me know before you come so I can plan the session to include that item.

Hopefully this helps you plan out this exciting and fun part of your life! And I hope it makes things a bit easier when booking your newborn session.