Family Newborn Photos | Lifestyle Photography

While most photographers are terrified of taking on this genre, I find family newborn photos with just one kid to be super easy. We often do not need the full 3 hours that I set aside for these sessions. Though, we typically take advantage of it by comfortably going with the flow and letting your baby set the pace.

On the other hand, family newborn photos that include toddlers could be one of the most challenging types of sessions I take on. And I still love it!

This blog post will focus on tips for a successful family newborn session with toddlers.

Rest assured that I have had loads of practice with family newborn sessions. I also have plenty of tricks for when those big brothers and sisters are less than cooperative. Hopefully, these tips are helpful both for parents and for other photographers tackling this mini-marathon of love.

Tip #1: Surrender
With just a newborn, the baby will set the pace for your photo session. But, the sooner Mommy and Daddy realize that the older siblings are in charge, the easier your photo shoot will be for everyone. This means I don’t want you trying to control your mini-me’s! This isn’t the time for discipline. Not only will that result in fussy toddlers, but we will also miss out on the awesome opportunity to get pictures of their real personalities.

Tip #2 Be Happy
While also true for daddies, babies tend to mirror Mama’s mood. That’s totally not fair since Mommy is typically the one doing everything to get the family ready for pictures. She also just happened to bring new life into the world and is still going through some pretty dramatic healing. But, the reality is that if Mommy isn’t happy, nobody is happy. Our littles pick up on our stress and anxiety. Even if you are just a bit on edge, that’s going to make things more difficult. Don’t worry about your kids behaving. I’ve seen it all and want to capture their true colors.

Breathe.

Ironically, I’ve found that larger families tend to be easier to work with than first time parents. I think that by the time you have survived the first 2-3 kids, you’ve accepted that you are not actually in control. So, even if you are a new parent, accept it. You can’t make your baby behave. You can just love on them. And toddlers are even more difficult! Getting great photos of those busy bodies is all about distraction and play time.

As a mom to 3 teenagers, let me just remind you to enjoy the sweet snuggles while you can. Those cuties will be demanding their independence in no time. All the more reason to get amazing photos of the sweetness now. Of course, I hope you’ll come back every year or so for updated family pictures. 😉

Tip #3 Safety First
Okay, so maybe this should be Tip #1. When you hire a newborn photographer, you definitely want someone with experience and safety training. I personally steer clear of any fancy posing unless something is specifically requested. Don’t be surprised if I try to talk you out of a pose that will likely take significant time. I find that baby-led posing is much safer for your little one, and we can get far more poses in.

Throw in a couple rambunctious siblings and newborn safety should be the priority for the entirety of the photo session.

If you think that your 3 year old is the first kiddo to sweetly cuddle your baby, then abruptly toss her to the side when he’s “all done”, you are very wrong. You should be pleasantly surprised if big brother or sister sits sweetly holding that itty bitty for photos, says she is finished after 2 minutes, then patiently waits for you to retrieve the newest addition. That’s not typically how toddlers work!

Toddlers are very unpredictable. If you want a photo of older siblings holding your baby, a large, soft chair or bed with pillows for support is a great choice. Depending on how rowdy your toddler is, it might be best to have a parent keep their hands involved. If you see one of my photos including a toddler and newborn without adult hands, I guarantee that Mommy and/or Daddy are just out of frame ready to help. One of the easiest ways to get those sibling photos is to have your littles laying down on a blanket, face up. It’s still important to have at least one pair of adult hands ready to protect the little squish.

Always be prepared to rescue your newborn at the first sign that the older sibling is done being close to her. I also want you to tell me if anything I suggest feels uncomfortable to you in any way. I have plenty of great ideas we can try. Whether I believe it is safe is irrelevant if you are not 100% comfortable!

Tip #4: Give Your Child Choices and Take Breaks
Keeping toddlers engaged during a lengthy photo shoot can be very difficult. They might be happy to go along with suggestions at first, but come prepared to work and give them needed breaks. Before your photo session, parents should make a list of their children’s favorite activities to do at home. Queue up some of their favorite songs on your phone. Story time? Trains? A musical instrument? You can even work snack time into the mix! I just recommend something not terribly messy unless you want bath time to be one of the activities. That said, some of my favorite pictures of my own toddlers was during bubble baths!

Don’t put that camera down during the breaks. You can get some fantastic photos of the older siblings doing their thing or focus in on some newborn portraits. During breaks, you can also document the home environment. Those precious details are important, too.

Tip #5: Don’t tell them what to do (this includes smile)
I never want you to tell your kids to smile. I even avoid telling adults to smile! We’ve been trained to fake smile on command since the very beginning. And we all know what those forced smiles look like around 2-3 years old. I want to encourage them to participate without constantly telling them what to do. They will get tired of being asked if they want to kiss their baby sister very quickly!

Here are some fun prompts for when we do want to encourage gentle touches:
“Can you help Mommy count the baby’s toes?”
“Are her feet ticklish?”
“Does your brother have stinky feet?
“I wonder who has bigger hands, you or the baby?”
“What does the baby’s head smell like?”
“Hmmm, do you think you are strong enough to hold your sister?”

I like to invite kids to suggest pose ideas and simply play their favorite games. But again, give them options and give them some power. If it’s not going to cause a war later, let them do things they don’t normally get to do like climb into the baby’s crib or jump on the bed!

Sometimes, the best thing you can do is just let them wander off and take pictures of just Mommy, Daddy, and baby. 9/10 times if you start giggling, big brother or sister will be eager to jump back into the mix.

Tip #6: Use stickers and snacks to encourage engagement with baby
At a different toddler plus newborn family session, we ended up with a baby covered head to toe in little stickers…and the cutest pictures! At this delightful photo shoot, I got permission from Mama to have big brother eat his Goldfish off of his baby sister’s head. Again, plan to have some non-messy snacks on hand. Cheerios are a great option!

This trick works great for maternity sessions, too. I remember doing this with my now 19 year old while pregnant with my now 17 year old. I got the cutest pictures of him touching and kissing (a sticker on) my belly.

Tip #7: Use your own Props
I have a collection of beautiful wraps, diaper covers, and blankets that I tend to bring along to newborn sessions. I also like to bring a basket and heat pad in case needed. But, before pulling all of that out of my car, I always encourage my clients to think about any props they’d like to include. Using your own blankets, wraps, covers, etc. will add so much more sentimental value to your pictures. I think it’s especially fun to use a blanket, stuffed animal, toy, or outfit that an older sibling used (even better if there are pictures of them as a newborn, too!).

I was thrilled when this mama suggested including a blanket that SHE used as a baby! Not only did this blanket have a slightly tattered and very beautiful history, but it was very much loved by big brother. He was NOT okay with us commandeering it for pictures.

Fortunately, we were able to bargain with him. We got pictures of his sister with the blanket, pictures of him holding his sister in the blanket, then the treasure returned to its current owner.

It doesn’t get much sweeter than that!

Tip #8: Delay your newborn session
One of the great things about in home lifestyle newborn photo sessions is that older babies tend to do really well. While newborn photographers typically push for pictures in the first 7-14 days, I’ve found that newborns do great the whole first month. What you sacrifice in tiny details, you make up for in eye contact and early smiles. Older siblings also have more time to adjust to having their new baby in the mix.

Tip #9: Prepare them for your friend, Tammy
When you have a new friend or family member visit, you probably talk to your kids to get them comfortable and excited. I come prepared to spend a few minutes without camera in hand. It’s fun to get led around the house, having your littles show off their bedrooms and toys. I want them to feel at ease having this new person in their space for the next few hours. You can help by showing them my some of my pictures and telling them how much fun we’ll have together. I love kids, so that adjustment period tends to be pretty quick!

Enjoy more pictures from this beautiful family’s newborn session. Then take a look at my tips for including furbabies in your newborn session!