You’re in a time of your life you’ll treasure for all the years ahead: preparing to meet your incredible new bundle of joy. First things first – congratulations! You deserve an absolutely seamless and spectacular newborn photo session to memorialize your baby’s first days in the most lasting and personal way possible. We’re here to help!At Fangting Photography, we do everything we can to make your newborn photography experience relaxing and stress-free. There’s plenty you can do ahead of time to make your life easier and to get better newborn portraits, though. Follow the steps below to enjoy the best newborn photo session.

Preparation Tips for Your Newborn Photography Session

If you’re breastfeeding, be careful about what you eat in the day or two before your session. If you eat spicy foods, your milk could upset your baby’s tummy or make them uncomfortable, and the fussier a baby is, the fewer peaceful photos we’ll be able to get. For the same reason, avoid any foods your baby could be allergic to too.Every parent loves adorable sleeping newborn photos, so make sure your baby will be nice and sleepy during your session. Keep them awake for the few hours before your session so they’ll be ready for a nap when the camera comes out. It could help to spend that time playing with your baby and talking to them, or even giving them a bath to keep them awake.Full tummies make sleepy babies! It’s ideal if you can feed your baby at home right before you leave for the session. That way, they have a full belly and might even fall asleep in the car so we can get started right away when you arrive. This will work even better if you can feed them as often as possible in the 12 hours before the session so they have a very full belly and are ready for a long nap.Speaking of feeding, make sure you are prepared to feed your baby as needed during the session, whether that includes bringing expressed milk, bringing formula, or bringing breastfeeding accessories.Make sure you bring your baby’s pacifier, especially if there’s a particular one they prefer. If necessary, we do have new pacifiers available to use. We fully respect every parent’s feeding choices and we understand if you prefer not to use pacifiers, so please know that we only use them as a last resort to allow your baby to settle in a pose. The 1- 2 minutes of use will not impact your baby’s ability to breastfeed.Choose your baby’s car outfit wisely. Don’t dress them in anything that needs to go over their head – a loose-fitting zip-up or button-up sleeper is ideal. This way, we’re much less likely to wake baby as we undress them when they arrive and they will have few if any lines on their skin from the clothing.For your own comfort, dress for a warm studio! We keep the studio warm to keep newborns cozy and help them sleep.Bring anything you’d like to have for your own entertainment and enjoyment during the session. Throughout the newborn photo session, we’re on baby’s timeline – we give them breaks any time they need to feed or soothe, and it can take a while to arrange poses as well, so newborn sessions can last 3-5 hours. Feel free to bring a laptop or tablet, a book, or anything else you might enjoy…or you’re welcome to seize the opportunity for a much-needed nap too.During your session, please refrain from taking photos of the process and the photo shoot. We understand you’re excited about this thrilling milestone, and we’ll have an assistant taking behind-the-scenes photos for you so you can just sit back and enjoy.Relax! You’ve hired a professional and you’re in good hands. Babies can tell if you’re stressed and that makes them stressed and fussy, so just enjoy the experience.Your baby’s first photoshoot is an amazing moment for your family, and we’re thrilled to be a part of it. Remember that there are many variables that will affect your newborn session –some we can control and some we can’t control. But if you follow the guidelines above, your preparation and our expertise will make the perfect combination to capture newborn portraits you’ll cherish for generations.