Do you need some guidelines around booking timelines for parents? Let’s dive in!

Generally I tell parents that photographing a baby in the first two weeks is the most optimal window of time. I ask them to let me know in the first few days once the baby has arrived and then we book a session in. It often takes a few days for them to tell me, then a few days of emails to find the right date and by then we are booking into the second week. My favorite (and I feel most optimal) time is between 10-14 days. Moms often have a bit more of a feeding routine established and parents are already getting to know the diaper changes, carseats etc. The second week is almost always a bit more of a comfortable week for families. Babies are still pretty sleepy-they spend longer periods of time asleep. They will naturally enjoy spending time in the fetal position and are more malleable at this age (can comfortably go into the posing positions). 

For some moms they may miss that first couple weeks window. Some little ones arrive weeks early. If they are more than 3 weeks early then we always wait until the baby is at their corrected age for the photoshoot. If mom and babe have spent extra time in the hospital they may have missed that window also. 

If you can’t schedule a newborn photoshoot in the first 2 weeks then you can book into the 3rd or 4th. Babies will typically start to spend longer periods more awake, they are also less curly and they are starting to stretch out and grow larger. They are less apt to sleep through a full session and they may also not manage some of the poses. You may have a wakeful session but this can still be more of a lifestyle session.  As long as you make sure that parents are aware of the differences with a shoot at this age, you can still capture a beautiful session. In this case we tend to focus on the baby’s little faces, the connection with their family.

If parents have missed the first few weeks I often encourage them to book a 3 or 4 month session (or a 100 days celebration!). In these sessions we capture baby’s expressions, funny faces and their engagement with the camera and with their parents. This is another ideal time for families, especially those who have missed their traditional newborn photo shoot.