When you are ready to book your Kelowna area newborn session, please keep in mind I do ask that you book while you are still pregnant so I can make a note of your due date in my calendar. I encourage you to contact me early in your pregnancy, a lot of expectant moms book their newborn session when they book their maternity session. I only take on few newborns a month, their arrival date is rarely predictable and this allows me to accommodate for scheduling. There is such a small window for getting these sweet posed newborn photos, as they do not stay this small or sleepy for long. So please don’t wait before it too late, preserve this memory and book today!
Newborns are typically photographed within the first 12 days of birth, when the baby is very sleepy. The focus in this type of session is on shots of the baby looking adorable , usually in wraps, hats, and/or props. The session can last up to 3 hours with feeding, diaper changes, set swaps, and posing.
Newborn Session Tips and guidelines must be read prior to session!
Nursing Moms
This one is for the nursing Moms, be aware of what you eat a couple days prior to the session. Any woman who has nursed a baby knows that any sort of spicy foods can make the baby uncomfortable or upset their tummy. And an upset tummy will usually mean lots of gas, crying and no sleeping. Avoid spicy foods, or any foods the baby may have aversions to, at all costs! I will never forget the time I devoured mussles when my son was just a month old, it was the worst night of our lives lol.
Keep Baby Awake
I recommend keeping your baby awake for as long as you can before the session. If the baby has slept all morning and then arrives to my studio, they just might be ready for a long awake period, which makes the job of getting them sleepy all that much harder.
Keep Baby Full
Make sure baby has full tummy before you leave the house and come to my studio. This way, assuming your drive isn’t too long, the baby should still be full and will probably have a little snooze in the car. When you arrive I will remove baby from the carseat and I can immediately get started on the session when you arrive. Hopefully get as much photos done before baby needs a feeding break. Also, feeding them as often as you can for about 10-12 hours before yours session will ensure that baby is really full and will be more likely to have a long, sleepy stretch.
DO NOT forget the pacifier
If the baby takes a pacifier, you can trust me that you’ll want it there during the session! Even if baby doesn’t take a pacifier, I would highly encourage you to bring one anyways, just for the session. They tend to want to nurse the entire session so the soother helps us stretch out those feeds within the 3 hour session.
Babies Clothing
Bring baby in a button-up or zip-up sleeper. Preferably a loose fitting one. One of the worst things is when baby arrives sleepy in his/her car seat and then I have to remove shoes and socks, pants, and take a shirt off over their heads – which almost always wakes them up. Instead, it’s so, so simple to zip down and slip off pajamas while baby remains asleep! And if the pajamas are loose-fitting, then ideally there won’t be many lines left behind on the baby’s skin.
My studio is HOT
So it’s really important to me that I warn parents of this before their arrival. I always suggest you dress lightly. Feel free to pop outside if you need a break from the heat!
Bring something to do
Newborn sessions can be really long and most of the times I won’t need your help. So bring your laptop, a book or something to do while you sit and let me take baby duty off your hands for 2-3 hours. Feel free to even take a nap 😉 If you have other children coming, I usual advise that one parent occupies the kids until we are ready for family portraits. Once we are done family and sibling portraits, they can take the older kids out of the studio. We have a great park about a block away from the studio as well as a large yard and playhouse for them to stay and play on our property.
What should I Wear?
I highly encourage you to be IN the photos with your sweet little baby, even just one or two. I have several gowns in the studio client closet that you are welcome to wear. Solid colors generally look best. Neutrals like earth tones, pastels or bolder colours like Black, white or blue, will keep the focus on where it should be, your baby. (I will note that moms do tend to look great in floral as well, just make sure your colours co-ordinate). V-neck type shirts for mom and a t-shirt or collard shirt for dad. Make sure you bring an extra outfit, incase poop happens! (it happens more times than not). Please keep in mind, these are professional photos, therefore treat them like professional photos. Avoid hoodies, ball caps, logos on shirts.
Also, consider that choosing pastel and neutral colours will mean your photos will coordinate with your home no matter how many times you change your decor!
What should Siblings Wear?
I find the boys usually look best shirtless with jeans and the girls in either a dress or a romper.
For the girls – bring one neutral-coloured outfit, I like dresses or rompers best..
For the boys – please bring them in jeans or khakis and a plain shirt – Neutral colours, no Logos.
I do have some outfits great outfits in the studio client closet that you are more than welcome to use. Dresses and rompers for the girls and jeans and tees for the boys.
And thats it! Follow these steps to ensure we have a successful newborn session! And if you are still searching for the perfect newborn photographer, let’s chat. Head to the contact form on my website: www.alyshaspencerphotography.com
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