How To Prepare Your Newborn for your Newborn Photo Session

I have had many a Fathers question the sanity of doing a newborn session after their baby’s are born. Mom’s for some reason seem to have a bit more faith in their photographer. But Fathers will sometimes express their concern of successfully getting sweet and sleepy photos of their new baby, when their new baby seems to be only happy when they are being fed or being held and walked around. It seems like an impossible feat to get their baby to sleep in a basket without crying bloody murder. Here are 6 doctor approved techniques I use to get those newborn shots even when baby only wants to be held. (These techniques are a great way to help you soothe your newborn at home too!)

Before I arrive to your home (or you arrive to my studio) I’ll instruct you to do two important things with your sweet little one. I’ll have first keep baby awake the 1-2 hours before their session. I suggest that Dad or Grandma (if Grandma is visiting) keeps baby awake while Mom is getting ready for the session. They can do this by giving baby a bath, keeping them unwrapped (still warm but super cozy warm), playing with their hands and feet, or making baby noises at them to keep them entertained. The second instruction I have for parents is to time their feeding time for right before their session. This will ensure baby is nice and milk drunk and ready to sleep.

Here’s the 6 baby whisperer techniques I use so you have the photos of your dreams (and surprise those doubtful Fathers 😉)

Swaddle: I start with this step to make the following techniques more beneficial. I start baby’s photos by putting them in a tight swaddle with a cotton wrap. Then I layer that cotton wrap with a pretty knit blanket that will photograph beautifully. The swaddle does a few things for baby: It recreates the feeling of being snuggly wrapped in the womb, decreases the startling reflex, and provides the feeling of firm touch. Babies skin is ultra sensitive so they don’t like feather like touches.

Side Position: Once in their swaddle I lay them in my arms on their side. This position recreates the feeling of being back in the womb and curled up tight on their side.

Shushing Sound: I always bring a white noise machine with me for all my newborn sessions. This technique is pretty critical to keep baby calm. The key is having it on pretty loud because babies don’t hear at full volume yet. This sound replicates the sound they heard in the womb. If you haven’t noticed a common theme on all these techniques is replicating the feel of the womb for baby.

Swinging: We all know that rocking a baby or taking them on a car ride calms their cries. This is because you are mimicking the constant rhythm of the womb when a pregnant mother is walking around. The main thing tho is to know that there is a difference between rocking an already calm and sleeping baby and calming a crying baby with movement. I use fast, tiny, jiggly motions. I hold them in my lap with their head and neck cradled in my both my palms. Then while keeping my legs close together I move my knees back and forth in small swaying movements. (to learn specifics on how to safely do this yourself see the link at the end of this blog).

Sucking: After I have done all of the above techniques and baby is still fighting sleep I give them a pacifier (if ok with parents) to soothe their sucking reflex. This is wonderful for a baby that is cluster feeding and doesn’t want to sleep for more than 20-30 minutes. I can most often get them back asleep with a pacifier when it’s not really time for their next feeding.

Soothing Belly: If I have done all the above techniques and baby is crying and grunting I know that they are working through tummy pains. I help them through this by massaging their belly, gently moving their legs up to their chest and back, and holding them tummy down along the length of my arm. I don’t move forward with the photo session until they have a nice poop and a fresh diaper. This session seen here in this post was actually a second attempt with this baby. It doesn’t happen often but sometimes baby is having a really hard time with their belly, and trying to force the session is not a good use of anyone’s time. I do everything I know how to do to help them through it but after an hour it’s best that I come back the next day or within the same week. I came back 3 days later and this sweet boy slept the entire time without crying once.

For a more detailed instructions on how to do these techniques with your newborn go to this LINK (scroll down to the “Choose Your Free Guide Section and select ‘Expert Tips on How to Soothe Your Baby'”.

I also suggest these two books that teach these techniques and the reason behind them:

–The Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karl, M.D.

–The Fourth Trimester: Understanding, Protecting, and Nurturing an Infant through the First Three Months by Susan Brink

Now enjoy this simplistic and cozy in-home newborn session in Delaware Ohio!

⭐️Outfits on Mom, Dad, and baby are from my client closet.

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