Y’all, if I could preach a sermon on newborn photography, it would be on patience and waiting. So often I see photographers upset over babies not sleeping through their session and while I hate to be a feather ruffler, I feel like they just aren’t trying hard enough. I even feel a little bad saying that but here’s the thing… the end goal is beautiful photos of these sweet little ones. I’m going to leave a few tips on what I think creates successful sessions but first I want to remind others that babies don’t always sleep and they’re just as cute with their wide awake eyes open! I mean, proof is in the photos right? Check out this guy!

First things first, I start all sessions with wrapping. Every time. I do this for a multitude of reasons, but the number one reason is it’s the best way to comfort a baby and give them the womb like feeling that calms them. They’re unable to flail their arms and legs which calms their startle reflexes. Which in turn, relaxes them and they move into sleep mode.

I also start this way because I do parents/sibling & prop poses first. I’ve been doing this long enough to have a pretty solid workflow down in my sessions and prop poses are just so cute when they’re all wrapped up! An added plus is that it keeps them from wiggling too much and provides the baby with a little more safety. Above all else, safety in newborn photography is number one.

When I move baby to the beanbag for blanket poses, I sometimes keep them wrapped and continue on, or I unwrap them for poses to show of their wrinkly little backs ♥ I love baby rolls! If baby is awake and happy, we keep going. Because that’s when we get photos just like this with happy baby showing off their gorgeous little peepers. Seriously, my fav. Just throw the wrap over their diaper/privates and wait to snap the photos between arm flaps and TA-DA! If baby is upset and crying, obviously stop for a quick soothing break. I try not to pass baby off to mom unless they’re hungry. I want mom and dad to be able to sit back and relax while I take care of their sweetheart. New parents deserve every little break they can get and I love a good snuggle session! I use a pacifier, baby shusher, bouncing/swaying and re-wrapping.

This little man did wake between wraps/unwrapping but he was perfectly calm and relaxed each time so I moved forward with my normal poses as if he was asleep. I do think it’s important to caution about poses like this with a startled or unhappy baby. Just one quick flex of their muscles and they will roll. Always always always be close enough to put a hand on them to keep them safe or have an assistant/parent as a spotter. These little ones are much stronger than we give them credit for!

If baby is happy & calm, they can often be relaxed right into sleepy time with a little bit of soft touches and calming noises. I’m not much of a singer but I do often hum to my babies! It’s not as embarrassing and babies love the vibration of the hum deep in your lungs. I also softly stroke their little fuzzy heads for a light touch massage and drag my fingers lightly down their nose. Their eyes follow the direction and those blinks get harder and harder to open their eyes up before too long. A safety note in that, I keep hand sanitizer next to me and use it often. Never touch baby with dirty hands and even between poses/diaper changes I would recommend a good squirt to stay clean.

If all else fails with no wrap, don’t be afraid to wrap again! Have fun with it. One of my favorite poses is the HuckFinn modified to hide privates with a wrap. It’s great to use when their legs are just too relaxed and wobbly or if they’re not quite completely settled.