Baby Worthen, NLR | How to Have a Great Newborn Session
I was originally scheduled to take baby Miles's newborn photos a few weeks ago, but he wasn't actually here yet. And then we had to reschedule since he had a clogged tear duct that was making him a little gunky around his eye. And THEN I couldn't get to their house because I was iced in. We didn't give up hope, though, and this past Saturday I was finally able to get to North Little Rock and capture the newest member of the Worthen Family.
Hannah and Dustin have a beautiful home with lots of light, which let their family's love really be the shining star of their session. Big sister Leighton was an absolute angel child, and their dog Whit might be the cutest pup I've ever seen... ever.
2023 seems to be the #yearofbabies for me, so I thought I'd give you just a couple tips on how you can have a great newborn session, too.
Bump up the thermostat.
It's no secret that babies love to be warm. They got used to being all warm and cozy in mama's belly, and it's a rough adjustment to the outside world. I'm not saying it needs to be 83 degrees in your house, but by bumping it up just a few degrees, it can help baby stay comfy and sleepy.
Space heaters are a good option, too, if you don't want the whole house to end up toasty. Put a space heater on a safe setting in a room you know we'll be using - like the nursery - and shut the door. When it's time to shoot in there, it will be nice and warm without the rest of your home feeling sweltering.
Clean up - just a little!
This one is a tough one because I want to be very clear - do not deep clean your home for me. If you're cleaning your baseboards, you're doing way, WAY too much. The key here is to focus on a couple of rooms that we'll likely shoot in - like nursery and living room - and pick up the "knick knacks" that accumulate because you actually live in your home. Think tissues, water bottles, snacks, remote controls, etc.
I'm always happy to help do some of this when I arrive at your home since we don't always know exactly where we want to shoot, or at what angles, etc, but if you want to actually be able to find your stuff later because your photographer didn't put it in a weird place, doing a little bit of this beforehand is probably a good idea and saves a little time :).
Let baby be the boss.
If baby needs to nurse, baby needs to nurse. If baby hates to be swaddled, let's go for a gown instead. If baby needs a 10 minute rocking in daddy's arms break, maybe mama could use that break for a drink and snack. All of these are 100% normal and totally ok. Do not apologize to me for your baby being a baby. Which leads me perfectly to my next and last point...
Don't stress!
If baby is fussy and you need to repeatedly nurse/give bottles - that's ok. If big siblings are being wild and cranky - that's ok (it's a BIG adjustment for them!). If baby has a diaper blowout as soon as we get them sleepy and still - that's still ok! If there's anything about a newborn session that's predictable is that it's unpredictable.
Remember: I block off a good period of time for newborn sessions for a reason. They take time. Period. I'm not in a hurry. And if you don't think I know how newborns or toddlers with new siblings can be... let me show you some videos on my phone from when my own children were little. Yikes - ha!
So please, I beg of you, don't be stressed out for or during your session. Just enjoy snuggling your littles and try to see the beauty in the "messy"... because I promise you, I see it.
Bailey
