4 Tips to Prepare for Newborn Sessions || Cambridge MA Newborn Photographer

Bringing a new baby home is one of the most exciting and anxiety provoking moment for new parents. I vividly remember what it was like putting my first born in her car seat and carefully securing her into our car when we drove home from the hospital…I think I told my husband to drive like a snail during our first car ride as a family of three. There are so many tiny details that change day by day in those first few weeks—not only with the baby, but with space and ourselves! I think about myself as a brand new mom and sometimes feel stunned at how much I’ve changed in these past few years —physically and emotionally! This is all to say newborn sessions are not just about your new baby but also about you and your changing life!

I usually recommend families secure a newborn session within the first two weeks of a baby’s birth in order to take advantage of a mostly sleeping baby and preserve all those features that seems to quickly evolve. In order to prepare for a newborn session, I recommend the following easy 4 tips:

1. Declutter your window lit spaces! For most sessions, I try to use any room in the house that gets decent window light, including your bedroom, the living room, and the nursery. Though I can certainly help declutter and arrange your space when I arrive, we’ll have more time to spend on capturing you and little one if you’re able to do this ahead of time. 
2. Avoid turning on the lights. I almost always use natural light for indoor sessions as florescent or overhead light tends to be too orange, harsh, or creates unwanted shadows!
3. Choose neutral color onesies + a few favorite swaddles. Typically, indoor sessions come with a lot of diverse colors in terms of space so I encourage families to avoid putting their little ones in onesies or outfits that could distract from their features. However, vibrant and patterned swaddles often look great in pictures against off color bedding!
4. Feed baby beforehand. Though a newborn’s cycle is often unpredictable, I encourage moms to breastfeed or give bottled milk right before the session so we can start with a sleeping baby. I usually try to get detail portraits of a newborn first, so a happy and calm baby is best!