6 tips how to plan for a newborn photo session
WHY PREPARING YOUR BABY FOR A NEWBORN PHOTO SESSION IS IMPORTANT?
Newborn babies have very rigid patterns in their routines, thy can get overwhelmed, their tummies are sensitive and digestive system is under developed, they need to feel secure and be comforted. So in order to keep your baby in the best place for his/ her first ever photo session experience, I have put together some recommendations to the parents, that I know from experience would help the session to go smoother and minimise stress on your baby.
- In the Morning of your photography session, try and give your baby some “AWAKE TIME”. Best if you could do it just half an hour before the session – so baby will be tired and sleepy – perfect model.
The natural span of awake time is very, very short for a newborn baby and gradually increases over time. Newborns can only stay happily awake for forty-five minutes to an hour at the most. I advise my clients to keep their babies awake before their newborn photo session for maximum of 30-40 minutes to avoid babies being over tired and cranky for the baby photos.
I have put together some recommendations to the parents, that I know from experience would help the newborn photo session to go smoother and minimise stress on your baby.
- I recommend giving your baby a good FEED once you get to the studio. You will have time to relax and comfort your baby – once baby is fed and happy, I will burp the baby so he or she is ready for the photo session to begin. By feeding baby in the studio it gives us the most time for until the next feed. Perhaps a little feed before you set off just to keep your baby content for the journey.
Please note, it is very likely and NORMAL for the bay to feed more regularly during the photo session comparing to your day’s at home.
- It is a good idea to give your baby a BATH ahead of her baby photoshoot and if the baby has any flaky skin (which is perfectly normal), rub a bit of baby oil/ lotion onto their skin so it will look lovely for your images and will also keep baby more comfortable throughout the session. What it does? Bath and massage relax the baby and they usually feel sleepier after this (just like us after a good Spa session). Massage will also help if baby’s tummy is bloated ultimately helping baby to calm down.
- When applying some baby oil onto baby’s skin – avoid rubbing anything onto baby’s hair — there is nothing more adorable than baby’s first hair.
- Before the newborn photo session please DRESS YOUR BABY in a loose fitted baby grow with poppers in the middle and all the way down. This is to reduce stress to the baby when we change him or her in the studio. Young babies usually object to being changed even when they grow into fashion icons in the next couple of years. So please avoid clothes that you put overhead as much as you can.
- In the studio I would put the baby in a loose nappy – this is to avoid any marks on the skin. Loose nappy will also help taking it off for certain shots or hiding it in for some wrapped newborn poses.
The most important thing is that we create and capture a set of emotional and creative images whilst both you and your baby have a relaxing experience.
WHAT ELSE CAN BE HELPFUL FOR A NEWBORN PHOTO SESSION?
There are number of things that can make the photo session easier and more enjoyable for your baby:
If you can express some of your milk and put it in a bottle or bring a bottle of ready made formula with you – it might be very helpful to reassure your baby if he/she needs a little snack without disturbing the pose.
If your baby takes dummy – that would be a very helpful too – sometimes babies just need soothing and reassuring during the session and dummies do help a lot from experience.
Some researchers say that there is correlation between mum’s diet and colicy babies, so just in case the research is accurate, I do recommend my breastfeeding mummies to avoid certain foods if you can the night before your baby’s photo session to reduce risk of colic. These foods are: Berries, Grapes, Stone fruit, Strawberries, Mangoes, Cabbage, Tomatoes, Broccoli, Brussel sprouts, Cauliflower, Raw onion, Strong herbs and spices as well as teas and coffees. Instead you can replace them with foods that according to researchers may prevent symptoms of colic in babies.
This is my chance to look after you – you don’t have to do anything.
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