When Should I have Newborn Photos Taken?

Many moms contact me and ask “When should I have newborn photos taken?” I recommend taking newborn photos between 5-14 days old. This is because this window is when the newborn is at their smallest and sleepiest.

Around 3 weeks, newborns hit a growth spurt. In addition to growing larger, the babies also increase their “wake time” during this period. They become more alert and susceptible to being awaken. So I recommend having newborn photos taken before they hit this growth spurt. Also about this time, babies often develop cradle cap and baby acne. So it is best to try to take their photos before this arises.

I recommend scheduling your newborn and maternity session during your second trimester. (See this families maternity session). We’ll schedule your maternity session around 30-32 weeks and set a tentative date for the newborn session. This allows me to limit the number of newborns I take on to be sure as dates change, I don’t become overbooked. Once you have your baby whether early or later or right on the due date, you can send me a text or email and we’ll select a date and time for you to come to the studio.

How to Prepare and what to expect

To help keep them asleep the entire session, I follow the babies lead as to when to be swaddled and when to be held. I do recommend feeding the baby right before your session begins to help the baby sleep soundly. Then they’ll have a full belly and typically be pretty content throughout the session. I also recommend bringing a pacifier to help soothe the baby back to sleep.

Often times babies need to be swaddled to settle after being removed from their carseat so I typically start there. This little guy was super content from the get go though so we began right off the bat with his white onesie photos. We followed his lead from there taking off his onesie and swaddling him to get him settled. He was in a fairly deep sleep the whole session so it went very quickly and smoothly. The whole session took about 45 minutes.

Sometimes babies have difficulty settling, need additional feeds or diaper changes. This is all normal and ok. We take our time and take breaks as necessary.