Why Newborn Safety is Important
Helpful tips to keep you and your newborn safe during your newborn session
As a newborn photographer, I walk a very fine line. I want to make sure your newborn session is everything that you want it to be without putting your newborn at risk. I know we have all heard tips and tricks for newborn sessions: they have to be asleep, schedule your session the day they are born, and it must be within the first two weeks.
Friends, while I’m not here to say other photographers are wrong or unsafe, I am here to say this couldn’t be further from the truth!
When you schedule an in-home lifestyle newborn session, know I am here when you are ready. Two weeks or two months, the decision is yours and what you are prepared to do. While I do ask that you feed before your session, I ask you to please do not overfeed your baby just to make them sleepy. The minimal posing that I do does not require them to be asleep, and it is perfectly ok if they are awake.
My priority is to make sure you and your baby are comfortable and safe.
With a lifestyle newborn photographer, the posing is minimal. I mean almost zero posing. This allows your baby to stay right where they belong, in your arms, for the majority of the session. Toward the end of your session, I will take a few photos of your baby by themself, but they are positioned how they would typically be positioned when you lay them down. These few poses will not require any additional props, towels, bean bags, or anything else that you may find in a newborn studio.
Those last few poses are one of the few times that I will actually touch your baby. Minimal touching is a huge help with germs. I will direct you on how to hold, stand, and move all without touching your or your baby. I know we will be in close proximity to each other, but taking these few extra steps will help keep everyone’s health a priority.
Please don’t overfeed your baby before our session. One of the most common misconceptions about newborn photography is that your baby must be asleep for our session. While overfeeding can cause sleepiness, it can also create discomfort and produce gas, leading to an unhappy baby. .
During your session, I do my best to keep your baby comfortable. Part of that is keeping your baby in your arms.
The other part is making sure it is warm enough in the spaces that we will be in. Whether that is using a small space heater, adding a blanket to wrap them up in, or turning up the heat in your home, there are several ways to keep them comfortable. Under no circumstances, ever, like never ever ever, should your baby be placed on a heating pad. Absolutely not. Not even if there are blankets on top of it. No, still no, forever and for always no
Please understand I’m not saying that all photographers are unsafe. I want you to feel empowered to ask questions if you are uncomfortable with what is being asked of you or your child. Take the extra step to understand what safety measures are being implemented to ensure everyone’s safety. Please ask your photographer what they are doing to protect the newest member of your family.