Tip #1

We know....tired parents just crave sleep....which usually means getting the baby to sleep, putting them down, holding your breath, and avoiding any disturbance. 😉 The following suggestion will sound super silly and contradictory to your gut instinct, but.....in the days leading up to the session, touch your baby as much as possible and whenever possible....during feeding, while sleeping, or just holding and staring....and you'll be feeding, holding, and staring a lot. 😊 Gently move the arms and legs, touch the soles of the feet, but also pay particular attention to the face and hands.....rub the cheeks, stroke the palms out flat over and over to relax the fists and straighten the fingers. Here's why: posing newborns for photos requires almost constant touching and adjusting....the theory is that if they get somewhat pre-conditioned to the feeling, especially during sleep in the security of home and the comfort of your arms, it might help soothe the natural startle reflex and avoid frowns and clenched fists and resistance and becoming generally unsettled by the over-stimulation during the session. Like all other tips, there's no guarantee with any baby, but it could be worth a shot.....or 20 shots in the session.

Why 10:00 a.m.?

During pregnancy, many women are most active during the morning....the rocking motion of that activity helps lull the baby to sleep. When mom lays down to rest in the evening, babies tend to be awake and kicking. That backward (for you) sleep schedule carries over for the first few weeks after birth also. Starting at mid-morning is a good time to try to catch a portion of the baby's deepest sleep, and also allows for a reasonable time to leave your house for travel time to the studio.

What if my baby doesn't sleep?

If you get to the session and the baby is ready to party hearty right off the bat, please don't stress! THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A "BAD BABY." Even newborns can have awake periods of up to two hours. It's totally normal, and we will use that time to try to capture some "eyes open" images. If they are fully fed and not experiencing gas issues, content to just be awake, we'll give them time to get tired and wait them out to take advantage of the next deep sleep period. Sometimes that's at the beginning of the session, sometimes the middle, sometimes the end. Don't panic. We will pull out all of our baby whispering skills.

What We Do

Your first experience with a newborn photo session is unlike anything you can imagine. Perhaps the biggest myth in most people's minds is "You just lay the baby down for like an hour and take pictures, then we can go, right?" (Most often the typical dad's thought.) Witnessing the process firsthand completely blows that theory (and your mind.) There are many reasons why we ask you to be prepared to hang out with us a minimum of 3 hours, often up to 4.....99% of the time, it takes every one of those 180 minutes....sometimes more. We think you will enjoy watching and you might not want to miss anything, but the warmth, the darkness, the sound of the shusher.....all of the things designed to get/keep the baby asleep.....may just work on you also. We've had sleep-deprived new parents doze off on the couch, so feel free to take advantage of the opportunity. With a start time of 10:00, a 3-4 hour session will take you past lunch.....you may want to have a hearty breakfast that morning, and there are snacks and cold drinks/water/coffee in the studio for your convenience. While our main goal is to provide the most beautiful photos possible, we also want the overall experience to be pleasant....to give you a break to sit back, relax, and marvel at this newest focus of your family.

When you arrive, we will ask you when the baby was fed, to try to gauge if it's feasible to proceed with the first setup right away. It's entirely possible that we won't even pick up the camera for the first 30-40 minutes or more. The baby is always the boss, throughout the entire session.....we work at their pace, not ours. With our years of experience with hundreds of newborns, we are continuously looking for signals. We use your pre-session form as a guideline to plan a workflow in advance for efficiency, but there is always a real possibility (probability) of the baby telling us to take our "plan" and shove it. Don't stress if we start to "wing it"......that's our job.

Not all babies will do all poses. We will gently attempt a pose three times.....if the baby's not having it, we will move on. We will never push a baby out of his/her comfort zone. Newborn posing safety is our #1 priority....we have trained extensively and continue to educate ourselves with improved techniques. Getting them settled into a pose is just the first step. While shooting that pose, we will perfect the details between each shot.....tweaking a foot or finger placement here, tucking a wrap there, adjusting a headband, tilting a chin a smidgen of an inch, changing the angle of the light, etc. To us, these little things that most people think don't matter are the difference between snapshots and artwork featuring your baby. By the end of the session, there may be close to 200 raw files to achieve 2-3 dozen images. We try to proceed through every session slowly and deliberately to deliver the best images possible. Every baby is unique and it takes time to get the posing and lighting just right - you'll see a lot of test shots being taken to make sure that what we're seeing with our eyes is translating through the lens the way we want it to. The session will look a lot like 95% making adjustments to every detail and 5% taking pictures. Patience is key with newborn sessions!

Poop happens. Don't be embarrassed if/when your baby relieves himself/herself, either on us or on a backdrop. We fully expect it....even though it may not appear that way when we initially jump at the sound and then get the uncontrollable giggles. Everything we use is laundered/sterilized after each session, and for our most delicate items the baby will be diapered.

Newborns require our full attention and the ability to move quickly around the studio unobstructed. The space is small, without a separate waiting room or TV or a consistent wi-fi signal (because of the metal building.) Loud noises can often unsettle a baby out of a pose. If you have selected the Cherries package to include sibling images, that portion of the session will take about 30 minutes. Please make arrangements for the siblings to be present for that time period only. We realize it's not always convenient to come in separate vehicles, but having dad or grandma or a friend available to take them away from the boredom and get on with the rest of their day is much less stressful for mom.....and for the kids. (Let us know if it is better for their schedule for them to come at 12:30-1:00ish for the last 30 minutes instead of at the beginning, and we will plan accordingly.) 

What to Bring

Whether this is your first or baby #2, 3, 4..... trying to get out the door in the morning with a newborn is hectic for anyone. Taking a few minutes the night before the session to go through the contents of the diaper bag can help relieve the anxiety of forgetting some important necessity. Here are some items you'll want to include:

Diapers

Seems self-explanatory, doesn't it. But with the added travel time to/from the studio, and extra feedings during the session, and a new baby still adjusting to their digestive system, and our constant attention to the baby's upmost comfort by keeping them dry and clean, the number of diaper changes can be surprising. We keep a supply of preemie size diapers for use during the session (even if your baby is not a preemie size) because they are less bulky under outfits/swaddles for better photographs. Since they don't "hold" very much, we'll switch back to one of your diapers at the end for the ride home.

Baby Nutrition

The two obstacles to a completely successful session are (1) a not full enough baby and (2) a baby unable to expel gas or have a bowel movement. It's impossible to over emphasize the effects of either of these conditions.

It's also virtually impossible to stress this one point enough, without sounding like a broken record: Please be prepared for the usual feeding schedule to be off....way off.... during the session. Even a baby that is assumed to be fully fed may need several extra "topping offs" throughout the session, sometimes every 20-30 minutes, to stay settled and sleepy enough to pose successfully. Newborns burn extra calories during a session, being awake more and having muscles almost constantly manipulated, so they will be extra hungry temporarily....plus, we're getting them at around the 14 day mark, which is commonly when a lot of babies are experiencing a growth spurt and many are happier cluster feeding at that stage. What may appear to be "overfeeding" during the session is very temporary. You can go back to the regular feeding schedule when you get home.

If you have introduced a bottle to your baby, this is the preferred method of feeding during the session so we are certain how much the baby is receiving. We haven't met a mom yet with measurement markings on her body's milk source.....although, that would be helpful. 😉 Babies being constantly touched and moved, dressed and undressed, wrapped and unwrapped during a photo session tend to wake often and root, and sometimes they really just want to be pacified, not fed.....with a bottle we can be more confident that we are not overfeeding and causing extreme gas and discomfort. If you are pumping, feel free to bring your pump to the session. We have outlets located near the sofa for your comfort and convenience. You are always welcome to breastfeed in the studio. During feedings we are typically focused on preparing the next setup, so our attention is elsewhere, but we can also step out of the room if you prefer more privacy. If your baby is formula-fed or formula-supplemented, or if you can bring a supply of pumped breast milk for bottle feeding, there is room-temperature bottled water for mixing, and refrigeration and a bottle warmer in the studio for cold pre-mixed. As with diapers, we recommend bringing at least 3-4 times the amount you anticipate needing for a four-hour period.  If you’re exclusively breastfeeding with no bottle, that’s fine.....it just may extend the session time a bit. Some babies are "snackers/nappers" instead of "eaters/sleepers".....they will stop nursing before they are actually full enough to remain asleep for more than a few minutes and we will constantly be handing them back to you and re-starting the process over and over again for each pose. We encourage you to try at least one more attempt to get more milk into their belly. We will take as many breaks as we need to for a happy, comfortable, content, settled baby. 

Pacifier

We totally understand if you have decided against pacifier use for your baby, and we will respect that decision and attempt other soothing techniques to settle the baby. However, we do recommend allowing the option for temporary use, a few seconds at a time, as a sleep aid during transitions from one pose to the next. Most babies are accustomed to being left undisturbed during sleep periods at home......a newborn session is the complete opposite, with almost constant movement, dressing/undressing several times, physical adjustments to perfect each pose, etc., and some need help to soothe themselves past the "light sleep" stage into the deep sleep needed for a successful session. A baby’s natural instinct is to suck and not having a pacifier to help your baby soothe off the breast can make or break a session. Don’t worry, they won’t get nipple confusion as it’s not a food source. Pacifier clips and attachments can create posing complications, so plain ones are preferred....or if the attachments are detachable, at least. Also, the outer shell of hard plastic pacifiers can leave marks around the baby's mouth that may not be editable, so soft soothers are best. (We do have a supply of unopened pacifiers, and we are happy to provide one for use during the session that you can bring home afterward.)

Gas Relief

Your doctor may have recommended gas drops or gripe water for tummy issues. We can work around a happy alert baby and continue through the session by doing more wrapped poses to avoid flailing arms/legs from interfering in the shots. Unfortunately, a crying baby in distress with gas pains is another story. They need free range of motion to work through that discomfort, so wrapping isn't an option at that point. Also, hiccups......at least 80% of our sessions include waiting out a period of hiccups and hoping they don't last long enough for the baby to become frustrated and upset. We have had some success with gripe water, and we keep a supply of natural ingredient gripe water and sterile disposable dosage droppers that are individually packaged and factory-sealed, if you didn't bring any medication from home and would like to try during the session if needed.

**Note: If you are breastfeeding, please refrain from dairy/caffeine (and other gas-generating foods) for 72 hours prior to the session.



Also

Please dress the baby in a loose-fitting outfit with front closures...avoid onesies, gowns, or any other type of outfit that has to be pulled over the head.....sleepers with magnets or a front zipper are awesome! We will be undressing the baby immediately upon your arrival, and the drive to the studio usually puts them to sleep, so if we can possibly continue that sleep with an easy-off outfit, the sooner we may be able to start capturing images.

No need to oil/lotion the baby if you give him/her a morning bath before leaving for the studio. Don't worry about flaky dry skin in the images. Those things are much easier to "fix" than shiny spots.



What to Wear

The studio is kept warm.....very warm..... year-round for the baby's comfort and to aid in sleepiness. Unfortunately there isn't a separate cooler waiting area. Cool clothing is highly recommended.....and layers during the winter months especially. A change of clothes left in the car is also a good idea....at some point during the session, you may be holding a diaper-less baby and.....well, you get the idea.

If you have reserved a Cherries/Sibling package to include sibling images:

Avoid strong bright colors and patterns. White/neutral/solid color collar-less shirts and comfortable pants (not shorts.....bare legs are a major distraction in sibling images) for big brothers are perfect, and simple solid blouses/dresses for big sisters. Try to keep hair accessories for the girls neutral and small-ish.....large and/or colorful bows are where the eye will go first, taking attention away from both the sibling's face and the baby's. Depending on the age of the sibling, the images may be from waist up for young children laying alongside the baby, or sitting next to a prop containing the baby, and older siblings (typically age 5 and up) who are able to confidently and securely hold the baby will often be seated on the floor, so shoes will usually be removed.