One of my favorite things about in-home newborn sessions is that they are real. Your home, your new baby, the sleepy snuggles, the nursery you spent months putting together. It is literally the beginning of your babies story.

While you don’t need to have everything perfectly planned (because, let’s be honest, newborns don’t exactly follow a schedule), there are a few things you can do ahead of time to help us get the most beautiful photos possible.

Here are a few of my favorite tips for an in-home newborn session from a photographers perspective.

1. LIGHTING

Natural light is one of the biggest things I look for when I arrive at your home.

As we get closer to your session, I want you to start paying attention to where the natural light comes into your home. If you’re home during the day, take a quick look around at different times (maybe around 9am, noon, and in the afternoon) to see what times you have the best light.

Usually, anytime between 9am and noon works beautifully, but every home is different!

2. LOCATIONS

I always recommend having a few different spaces in mind for your session- think your nursery, the living room, your bedroom, or anywhere else that feels meaningful to you.

Having more options gives us flexibility to find the best light throughout your home.

A tidy space helps too! You don’t have to clean your whole house but think about what will show up in the backgrounds of your photos.

Before your session, take a quick look at the spaces we might use and ask yourself…

• Can you see into the kitchen from the living room? Are there dirty dishes on the counter?
• Is there laundry sitting on the dresser?
• Are there boxes or random items on the floor?
• Are there toys or baby gear that you’d rather not have in the photos?

The less clutter, the more the photos will be able to focus on you and baby!

3. FEEDING

Our goal is always a happy, full, sleepy baby buttttt there’s a little bit of a balance here.

We want baby to be sleepy and content, but we don’t want them to become overly tired and upset.

If possible, I recommend feeding baby right before I arrive. You can also try to get them to nap for a little bit beforehand (like 15 minutes before I arrive) so they’re nice and relaxed when we start.

But here’s the important part: if baby needs to eat again, we stop and feed baby!

There is no need to watch the clock or worry that we’re “ruining” the session. Feeding, rocking, changing, and soothing are all part of newborn life, and sometimes those moments end up being some of my favorite photos.

4. TEMPERATURE

Newborns are much happier when they’re warm and cozy, especially since we’re changing outfits or taking photos without a lot of clothing.

I recommend keeping your home a little warmer than you normally would for the session.

It might feel a little warm for us, but the goal is to help baby stay nice and sleepy.

5. CLOTHING

Start baby in your main outfit!

If you have a special outfit you’ve been excited to use, I’d recommend putting baby in that outfit before I arrive.

Then, if you’d like, have one or two additional options nearby for us to change into later.

One of my favorite tricks is to put baby in their main outfit and then swaddle them until we’re ready to start. It keeps them warm and cozy and can help them settle into the session before we begin.

And don’t feel like you need to plan a million outfits! A couple thoughtfully chosen options are more than enough.

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY…

Don’t stress about doing everything perfectly.

These are tips- not rules.

Babies have their own plans, and sometimes the best sessions are the ones where absolutely nothing goes according to plan.

Maybe baby needs to eat three times. Maybe they won’t sleep. Maybe we’re walking around the house bouncing a fussy baby for twenty minutes. Maybe we spend half the session in the nursery because that’s where baby is happiest. Maybe your toddler isn’t interested in cooperating. (check out my blog post on family photo tips if this isn’t your only baby!)

That’s okay.

My job isn’t to create a perfectly posed version of your newborn days. My job is to document this chapter of your life as it actually feels.

The tiny details. The snuggles. The messy moments. The way you hold your baby. The way your home feels right now.

So come as you are, and let me worry about the rest.

Your only job is to love on your baby. I’ll take care of the photos. 🤍