When to schedule Newborn Photos
The newborn period is a time of sleeplessness, excitement, stress, and love. It’s also a time that goes by incredibly quickly. Capturing photos of your tiny new addition is important to many families and one way to ensure your photoshoot is a success is to book it at the right time. Let’s break down exactly when you should schedule your newborn photography session.
How far in advance to book newborn photos?
If you have a photographer in mind for your newborn photos you should consider booking them as soon as possible. Most photographers have a limit on the number of newborn shoots they will do each month and those slots tend to fill up quickly.
If you are interested in having pregnancy announcement, maternity, or fresh 48 photos taken in addition to your newborn photos, some photographers will offer discounts for sessions booked at the same time or even have package deals available.
Having the same photographer for any of these sessions will ensure that you are comfortable with the person who is going to be working with your little one. It also means that any albums or prints you create will have a consistent editing style.
As third point, the further along you get in your pregnancy the more things you are going to be trying to figure out. Booking your newborn photographer early will let you check one more thing off that growing To-Do list.
How old should your baby be when you have newborn photos taken?
The most ideal time period for you to have your newborn photos taken is when your baby is around 7-10 days old. During this window your baby is going to be happy to give us long periods of deep sleep and let us move them around for photos without them waking or becoming fussy. Babies this age are also easiest to soothe with a diaper change and quick feeding break typically being all they need to settle back to sleep. That being said, no two babies are the same. There is no guarantee that a baby at any age is going to sleep the entire session. I’ve had one week old infants stay awake for a whole two hour session and I’ve had five week old babies sleep soundly the entire time.
Adding a new baby into your family has plenty of stressers and your newborn photos should not be one of them. Booking your photos for right around that one week mark is ideal, but it’s not always realistic. Give yourself as much grace as you think you are going to need. If you know you’ll be having a C-Section or want to wait until your in-laws have gone back home it’s completely understandable to book farther out.
As long as you book within the first four weeks of your baby’s life you are going to get beautiful newborn photos that you and your child will always cherish.
Why not wait until baby is older?
Okay but what if you can’t book within the first four weeks of life? Let’s be real- things happen and that’s just the way it is. But after four weeks your baby is going to start to lose their “newbornness” and start to look and act more like a full blown infant. They are no longer as flexible and don’t enjoy being curled up in womb-like positions and may be outgrowing swaddling as well. This in addition to their longer wake periods and more unpredictable nap schedules makes a photoshoot more of a challenge.
Does this mean that a photoshoot can’t be done at this age? Not at all. It can be done and it can go well… but it can also be frustrating and you may not get the newborn photos that you had in mind. If you can’t schedule in the first four weeks of life, it may be worth considering waiting until your baby is old enough to hold their head up or smile socially to book a photoshoot (generally around five months old). These photos will obviously be different than newborn photos but will be just as cherished.
What to do if your baby is born early (or late)
Like we mentioned earlier, most photographers only book a certain number of newborn sessions a month. This is to give them a little bit of wiggle room to adjust exact session dates. Baby’s come whenever they feel like it so if your baby arrives a little early or a little late just reach out to your photographer and ask them if they would suggest rescheduling.
Baby’s that are born early are also going to stay in that true newborn state for longer than a baby born at term. If your baby is born early use your due date instead of the birth date as the bench mark for the 7-10 day goal window.
Now, not everything goes according to plan with every delivery. If your baby is in the NICU or special care after they are born reach out to your photographer and they will be able to suggest the best course of action for the situation you are in.
If you have a baby in the NICU or know that your baby is going to be spending time in the NICU- I do offer complimentary bedside photoshoots in any Boston area NICU.
Can you still book newborn photos if your baby is already born?
Thought you didn’t want newborn photos but now that your little one is here you have changed your mind? I don’t blame you and it happens more than you think! You can absolutely reach out and if my schedule allows I’ll get you squeezed right in!
