How to Prepare for a Newborn Lifestyle Photography Session

After nine months of growing that precious babe in your belly, they finally arrive. The gift of a lifetime. At last, it is time to capture all of the brand new goodness. The comfort of your home is certainly the best place to do so.

When to book

I recommend booking your newborn lifestyle session for seven to fourteen days after due date.

The newer the baby, the more smooth the session usually goes. Once babies are ten to fourteen days old, they wake up to the world so to speak and spend much less time sleeping. After a few weeks, newborns are also much more likely to develop baby acne.

What to expect

The newborn lifestyle session will last between 30 minutes and an hour, which is up to you. Choosing an hour session will allow us to work at a more relaxed pace with plenty of time time to soothe baby as needed, make room transitions and reach all of our goals for the session.

Our session will be heavy on the candids, truly capturing life at home with your new person. Relax and be open to roll along with whatever happens. Your energy will transfer to baby. That means we need you to be calm. Relax and go with the flow. There will be unexpected moments and that’s okay.

Hearts are full of emotion at this stage of life. Please do not stress over this session. I know how important these photographs are to you. Rest assured that I will capture the beautiful moments you are dreaming of. It’s going to be amazing.

Taking the time to prepare your home and yourselves for the session will provide you with some much needed peace of mind and also ensure things run smoothly.

Prepare these rooms

We will spend most of our time in the master bedroom, nursery and living area.

Please open window coverings so that we can harness all of that perfect, natural light.

Declutter the space as much as possible. Move portable baby beds out of the room. Hide exposed electric cords. Tidy up the nightstands. I recommend bringing a big box into the room, filling it up and hauling the loose ends into the office or kitchen for the morning.

When it comes to temperature, warm is better than cool. Baby will be much more comfortable.

One more thing, have a sound machine closeby. Babies love that!

Selecting wardrobe

Mama, choose your wardrobe first and build everything else around that. I generally recommend keeping it super simple all-around. You may feel most comfortable in a flowy cotton dress, or you might decide jeans and a white tee is the right look for you. Neutral and earth tones always work well. Generally speaking, avoid patterns and bright colors unless that’s totally your thing and then you rock it. Shoes are not necessary.

For baby, a simple one-piece outfit is perfect. I adore the newborn essentials from Lou Lou and Company.

If you have a few jersey or muslin wraps you’d like to incorporate, we can do so. If you would like for me to bring a couple of extra options, please let me know.

Browse these recent newborn sessions for inspiration.

Zzzzzzzz!

Newborns are best photographed when they are warm, full and relaxed. One of your goals before I arrive is to set the tone for deep, sweet new baby sleep.

I recommend keeping your little one alert for 1-2 hours and then feeding them just before I arrive. Mostly this will be Dad or Grandma’s responsibility since you’ll likely be glamming up (maybe for the first time since baby, heyyyyyy).

After the session

I will send a link to download final images within two weeks (at most!) of our session. Archival quality prints, canvases and other products can easily be ordered directly from your online gallery.

Follow my journey on Instagram. @wildsparrowphoto

Austin Lifestyle Photographer: Family, Newborn, Motherhood, Maternity, Couples, Wedding, Milestone, Cake Smash, Business Professional, Events, Influencers and more! Serving the following areas: Westlake, West Lake Hills, Bee Cave, Lakeway, Dripping Springs, Wimberley, Kyle, Buda, Manor, South Austin, North Austin, Round Rock, Pflugerville, Cedar Park, Leander, San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Central Texas, South Texas, North Texas and beyond!