MY TOP TIPS FOR A SLEEPY NEWBORN BABY!
My top tips for a sleepy baby
You're either a new mum ready to take your little newborn to their first newborn photoshoot or you're just starting out in newborn photography and not sure how to keep the newborns nice and sleepy. I've listed my top tips here to help you feel prepared and less anxious!
Below I share my tips for a sleepy baby and stress free session! I hate to think of my clients worrying before their photoshoot. I personally know the feeling, I myself have had photoshoots with both of my boys with other photographers and I did in fact feel nervous beforehand! But I shouldn't have worried! You are hiring a professional who does this day in day out, and here I will share my tips for a smooth session.
- ENVIRONMENT: The environment needs to be a calm and quiet space. I always make sure my studio environment is clear of clutter creating a calm space. As humans and very much like animals we can pick up on nervous energy, and babies do too! Hiring a professional photographer like myself means that we are skilled and experienced, remaining calm even if the baby might be unsettled or upset.
- WARM STUDIO: This is key to a successful newborn photoshoot! I have a thermometer in my studio so I can monitor the temperature throughout the session. It is very important not to over heat the studio so always keep an eye on the temperature. However if a baby is too cold they will likely wake and not sleep.
- WHITE NOISE MACHINE: Now this is a game changer! I play white noise throughout the entire session! The white noise emulates the sounds in the mothers womb and really helps to settle baby! I have had so many parents purchase a white noise machine after their session because they were so impressed with how well it works!
- SWADDLING BABY: I always start my sessions with baby wrapped in a blanket. This really helps baby get into a deep sleep. I shoot two or three different set ups with them wrapped and then I start to gently unwrap until I need to change them in to an outfit which will be more towards the end of the session. Again by swaddling it means that baby feels safe like they are in the Mothers womb still. I very rarely come across babies who don't like to be swaddled. There may be an exception and in that case I will use outfits instead.
SMOOTH TRANSITIONS FROM POSE TO POSE: So this is really important! Moving on from one set up to the next takes patience, time and skill! It took me years to find a flow I found that worked well for me and the baby. By planning your set ups and poses in a way that disturbs baby the least will be the most successful way of doing it! If you pop them straight into an outfit, you need to fiddle with arms and legs and this may wake the baby. By wrapping first and moving slowly through the poses you want to achieve you will find that the newborn baby will stay asleep for longer.
- NEWBORN UNDER TWO WEEKS OLD: So the general rule of thumb is for a successful newborn photoshoot the newborn needs to be under two weeks old. Now others may object and push this to three weeks however in my experience if baby was born on time or past their due date being under two weeks helps massively! I have had many successful photoshoots when baby is slightly older, you may just find that you will have a mix of awake and sleepy photos. When newborn babies are under two weeks old they are still very sleepy and they sleep hard! Meaning you can move them around gently to pose them without waking up! If a baby is born before 40 weeks this always allows extra time and means you can push the shoot time back more.
So there we have it! My top tips for a calm and settled newborn photoshoot! All of these things have taken many years of experience to master! Of course you will have unsettled babies from time to time but by remaining calm and settling them with gentle rocking or feeding usually does the trick!
I hope this blog has helped you! If you are thinking about booking your newborn photoshoot I would LOVE to hear from you. Please contact me to chat!
Pippa xx
