4 Simple Steps For A Stress-Free Lifestyle Newborn Session In Your Home

Lifestyle Photographer | Newborn Photographer | In-Home Session

Having a baby is already stressful enough, the last thing you want is to spend a bunch of time getting your house ready for a session. If you’ve never had a session in your home before, you probably have no idea what to expect so I’m here to break it down into 4 simple, stress-free steps for you!

Step 1 Think about what rooms you want to use in your house

The master bedroom and the nursery are usually my go-to’s. Depending on the weather and the time of day we might even be able to get some cute shots on your porch or in your front door! Once you have your places in mind check out this post to see my tips on how to prepare specific rooms in your home. I promise it’s not as hard as you think!

Step 2 Gather the things you want to be photographed

Have any outfits you want to use already pulled out. I recommend no more than 2. Typically babies don’t like to be changed and taking time to settle them will take away from your session time. These outfits might be something sentimental you have from when you were a baby, or from your firstborn. Another thought is to capture them in the outfit they came home from the hospital in! I also suggest having a simple white onesie on hand. Either a long sleeve or short sleeve will work. If there are any stuffed animals or blankets of significance be sure to have those on hand as well. If there is something you want me to incorporate make sure to tell me beforehand and remind me again at the session so I can make sure we don’t forget it.

Step 3 Prepare your little one

Newborn sessions run the smoothest when the baby is very tired and has a nice, full belly. If possible, try to keep them awake as long as you can before the session. In order to maximize our time, I recommend having them in their first outfit ready to go and try to time their feeding so they can be fed, burped, and asleep in time with my arrival

As you know with babies, they have their own agenda, so if they’re being fussy or hard to settle we can stop so you can feed them any time! I have so much patience when it comes to newborn sessions, I don’t want you to stress if they are crying more than you’d like. It is okay!

Step 4 Let me handle the rest

I like to incorporate things from around your home in the pictures so they are reflective of your life. I will also handle all of the posings so you don’t have to stress about it!

My game plan usually works out like this:

Whole family shots on the couch or master bedroom
Sibling shots that way they can go and play and won’t get bored waiting around
Mom, dad & baby shots
Husband and baby shots so they can be free too (even the best husbands can’t stand to take pictures for an extended period of time)
Focus on you and baby the rest of the time!

I hope this post will help you prepare for your newborn session! I think the most important thing to remember is that we’ll just go with the flow! If you’re stressed, the baby will feel it. We want to have fun with it.

As far as scheduling goes, make sure you tell me your due date or induction and if you plan to go early or not so I can plan my calendar accordingly and make sure I leave some slots open! It’s best to do a newborn session within the first month so they are still squishy and sleepy.

Think you’re ready to book your own in-home lifestyle newborn session? Fill out my contact form here and I will send over some more details!

Want to see more? Check out my favorite Lifestyle posts on the blog

What To Wear For A Lifestyle Newborn Session

Getting Your Home Ready For A Session