When to Do Newborn Photos
If you are expecting, you may be wondering when to do newborn photos. The best time to take newborn photos is usually when the baby is between 7-21 days old. My favorite age is around 2 weeks. I prefer photographing babies at this age for a few reasons.
When to Do Newborn Photos 7-21 Days
When You are Settled
First, by this time, you will have started settling in at home. You will have the beginnings of a schedule and you will know your baby. When deciding when to do newborn photos, you need to consider this, especially if it is your first or if you will be breastfeeding. It is best to wait two weeks to make sure breastfeeding is established and your milk has come in to get the baby their full feed to help the session go smoothly.
When Your Newborn is Still Sleepy and Tiny
Second, at 7-21 days, they are still sleepy and naturally curl up into all the cute poses. All my newborn poses work best when babies are flexible and sleepy. However, every baby is different and some may be more alert and active at this age while others may sleep more soundly. We have poses we can do for awake babies, of course, but the sleepy newborn photos are a must! It really helps the session go quickly if they’re still young enough to want to sleep all the time, but old enough that they aren’t nursing every 30 minutes.
When Your Baby Still Looks Like a Newborn
Third, 7-21 days are the best time to take newborn photos because the babies still look like newborns. (Although, technically, babies are still newborns up to 28 days.) If you want to remember your sweet little newborn, it makes sense to take their newborn photos while they are still in that tiny curled-up newborn phase. Don’t worry if you miss the 7-21 day window though, you can still get beautiful photos of your baby at any age. Just keep in mind that older babies will be more active and less likely to stay in posed positions, so it might be a little more challenging to get those perfect shots.
Are you ready to book your own newborn session?
Now that you know when to do newborn photos, I would love to help you plan your newborn’s perfect session. Please check out my gallery and when you are ready to book, fill out my contact form and I will be in touch!
We are currently running a model call! To learn more about this opportunity, check out our newborn, maternity, and family model call blog post.
