How to Prepare for a Newborn Lifestyle Photography Session

After nine months of growing that precious babe in your belly, they finally arrive. The gift of a lifetime. At last, it is time to capture all of the brand new goodness. The comfort of your home is certainly the best place to do so.

When to book

I recommend booking your newborn lifestyle session for seven to fourteen days after due date.

The newer the baby, the more smooth the session usually goes. Once babies are ten to fourteen days old, they wake up to the world so to speak and spend much less time sleeping. After a few weeks, newborns are also much more likely to develop baby acne.

What to expect

The newborn lifestyle session will last approximately an hour. This will allow us to work at a relaxed pace with plenty of time time to soothe baby as needed, make room transitions and hopefully reach all of our goals for the session.

Our session will be heavy on the candids, truly capturing life at home with your new person. Relax and be open to roll along with whatever happens. Your energy will transfer to baby. That means we need you to be calm. Just breathe!

Hearts are full of emotion at this stage of life. Please do not stress over this session. I know how important these photographs are to you. Rest assured that I will capture the beautiful moments you are dreaming of. It’s going to be amazing.

Taking the time to prepare your home and yourselves for the session will provide you with some much needed peace of mind and also ensure things run smoothly.

Prepare these rooms

We will spend most of our time in the master bedroom, nursery and sometimes living area.

Please open all window coverings so that we can harness all of that perfect, natural light.

Declutter the space as much as possible. Move portable baby beds out of the room. Hide exposed electric cords. Tidy up the nightstands. I recommend bringing a big box into the room, filling it up and hauling the loose ends into the office or kitchen for the morning.

When it comes to temperature, warm is better than cool. Baby will be much more comfortable.

One more thing, have a sound machine closeby. Babies love that!

Selecting wardrobe

Mama, choose your wardrobe first and build everything else around that. I generally recommend keeping it super simple all-around. You might feel most comfortable in a flowy cotton dress, or you might decide jeans and a white tee is the right look for you. Neutral and muted or rich tones always work well. Generally speaking, avoid patterns and bright colors unless that’s totally your thing and then you rock it. Shoes are not necessary.

For baby, a simple one-piece outfit is perfect. I adore the newborn essentials from Lou Lou and Company.

If you have a few jersey or muslin wraps you’d like to incorporate, we can do so. If you would like for me to bring a couple of extra options, please let me know.

Browse these recent newborn sessions for inspiration.

Zzzzzzzz!

Newborns are best photographed when they are warm, full and relaxed. One of your goals before I arrive is to set the tone for deep, sweet new baby sleep.

I recommend keeping your little one alert for 1-2 hours and then feeding them just before I arrive. Mostly this will be Dad or Grandma’s responsibility since you’ll likely be glamming up (for the first time since baby, heyyyyyy).

If you would like to capture your baby breastfeeding, I’ll capture the last few moments of that at the start of our session.

I have found that photographing newborns mid-morning generally delivers the best results.

After the session

I will send a link to download final images within two weeks (at most!) of our session. Archival quality prints, canvases and other products can easily be ordered directly from your online gallery.

If you are ready to book or have any questions about this experience, please email hello@melanieapplegate.com. 

Follow my journey on Instagram. @melanieapplegatephotography

Austin Lifestyle Photographer: Family, Newborn, Motherhood, Maternity, Couples, Wedding, Milestone, Cake Smash, Business Professional, Events, Influencers and more! Serving the following areas: Westlake, West Lake Hills, Bee Cave, Lakeway, Dripping Springs, Wimberley, Kyle, Buda, Manor, South Austin, North Austin, Round Rock, Pflugerville, Cedar Park, Leander, San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Central Texas, South Texas, North Texas and beyond!