While the soft, glowy light of a sunset will always have my heart, I have found that I so enjoy shooting in-home newborn sessions! There is something so sweet and precious about photographing your family in your every-day environment. If you’re hoping for newborn photos that truly capture the joy and excitement of bringing your new baby into your home, here are my best tips for preparing both your home and your family for an in-home photo session! As a new mom myself, I remember how much sleep-deprivation and exhaustion can make even the simplest task seem daunting. But with these easy-to-follow steps for how to prep for your in-home newborn session, it will be an absolute breeze!

Straighten Up

Now when I say straighten up, I don’t mean scrubbing baseboards, cleaning windows, etc. I mean just simply de-cluttering the rooms we will be photographing in. When I was a new mom (and even now with a 6 month old) our house was a mess haha. So trust me, I get it. You’ve got supplies everywhere and no desire or energy to keep it all clean. But whichever rooms we will be shooting in, it’s best to have those cleaned up so we have a nice, simple space. For the master bedroom, I recommend clearing off nightstands, apart from lamps, and putting away anything you don’t want in your photos. For nurseries, this would mean taking the diaper pail out of the room and putting any dirty clothes in the closet or somewhere hidden. When it comes to the backdrop of your photos, less is always more!

Brighten With White

If you don’t already have white walls in the room, don’t worry – we can still brighten up the space with white accents! Lay out a white comforter and pillows on the bed. Swap out the living room throw pillows for something pale and neutral with a cream throw blanket. These little changes can make a big impact on your photos! Having bright, neutral backdrops allows you and your little one to remain the focus of your images.

Gather Your Outfits

For a newborn session, I always recommend light pastel or neutral colors for mom, dad and any other little ones in your family. We want your images to emote that soft, peaceful feeling of sleepy newborn snuggles. The best way to achieve that is with colors and materials that also give off that feel. For mom that means long, flowy dresses. For dad, opt for light pants and a pale shirt. How formal you go is entirely up to you and the aesthetic you’re looking for from your images. For baby you honestly don’t need an outfit! All you need is a diaper and a swaddle. Let’s be honest, most newborn clothes don’t really fit great anyways. One last tip for outfits – forget the shoes. You don’t typically walk around your house in shoes so I say skip them! It is much more relaxed and comfortable to do your in-home session barefoot.

Preparing Baby

Last, but not least, prep your baby for your session. It’s often super helpful to feed and change them right before we start shooting so they are dry and full. That makes for a comfortable baby more likely to fall asleep 🙂 However, I also know that babies like to throw us curveballs! My son, for example, decided he wasn’t going to sleep and was fussy through almost our whole shoot. So don’t worry if we need to pause and take breaks to feed, change them, clean off some spit up, etc. It happens! That’s why I build in extra time into my newborn session offerings.