Newborn Photography in Reading - Prep Guide

You’ve successfully booked your newborn photoshoot…yay! Now, what are the next steps you should take to prepare for your time in the studio?

(If you haven’t booked your Newborn Photoshoot yet, pop over here for more information)

Firstly, I cannot wait to meet you and your new baby! If they haven’t arrived yet don’t worry, just let me know once they’re here and we’ll arrange a date and time for your photoshoot then. I recommend booking in for around 10 days after baby arrives, but this is totally flexible. I usually schedule newborn sessions in the morning as I find that this seems to work best for babies. My Newborn Sessions allow 1-2 hours to accommodate feeding/changing/settling without feeling rushed.

Before your Newborn Photoshoot

For the best success it helps if we can get baby into a nice deep sleep at the beginning of their session. There are a few things we can do to help with this…

Keeping baby awake

Try to keep your baby awake for 1-2 hours before the session.. A great way to do this is by giving them a bath (avoiding the cord if still attached). Not only does it stimulate them, helping to keep them awake, but it also means that they’re cute and fluffy for their moment in the spotlight. If they have hair then do give it a little wash, I absolutely adore fluffy haired babies! Don’t worry about using shampoo, simply wetting it will give it a nice little fluff up.

Feeding

I usually ask for baby to be fed either just before you leave home or once you arrive at the studio for your session. Newborn babies often go through a growth spurt around 2 weeks after birth so they may be cluster feeding at the time of your photoshoot. Please don’t worry about this, we will have plenty of time, just make sure you bring plenty of provisions with you to accommodate their sudden increase in appetite.

If bottle feeding please bring plenty of extra milk/bottles with you in case they need a top-up feed during the shoot.

If breastfeeding please bring anything you’ll need to make it more comfortable to feed during your time at the studio. There is only ever one family in the studio at a time, so it will just be you and me there. I’m a Mum of three myself so get that feeding outside of the home can be a bit daunting in the early stages of your breastfeeding journey. I try to make the studio as comfortable as possible for you, but feel free to bring any covers, pillows etc that you would like with you to feed your gorgeous new baby if they require it.

Wind

Trapped wind can make the biggest difference between a happy baby and an uncomfortable one. After feeding we will need to make sure that they have brought up as much wind as they can. If burping is something that they struggle with and you are happy using Infacol then do please bring some with you.

A note for breastfeeding Mamas; please avoid any leafy greens (kale, broccoli, cabbage etc) or anything spicy or acidic for 48 hours before your session. These foods can sometimes cause babies to suffer with tummy ache or to struggle to bring up their wind, so anything to help avoid this would really help me out! Caffeine and alcohol can also affect how baby settles, so if these can be avoided before your studio session too that would be great (sorry for being such a party pooper!)

Comforters

Please bring anything that your baby likes to have when settling to sleep. Whether that is a dummy or a comforter/blanket it will help to have them if we need them to help him/her get off to sleep.

What to wear

Baby: If you have a plain white/cream vest or baby grow then do please bring it with you to put on baby once they’ve been fed/burped/changed and are ready for their photos. Spare clothes for baby is also advised in case of any messy incidents! I do have a selection of white vests available to use if you don’t have anything suitable, so please don’t worry :)

Parents/Siblings: It would be great if you could also wear something white/cream/neutral yourself, even just on the top half, to compliment baby when we do parent/family shots.

Extra guests

The studio is cosy and comfortable, but there isn’t really room for any additional, unexpected guests. Please avoid bringing any additional relatives or friends with you without letting me know beforehand as it can have quite an impact on the session and resulting photos.

Siblings

If you have other children then of course bring them along for some photos with their new baby Brother or Sister. If this is the case I would usually try to get the family and sibling shots done first, before suggesting that one of you perhaps take them somewhere while I photograph baby. Toddlers and young children soon become bored, so asking them to sit quietly while I photograph baby wouldn’t be fair. Please do bring anything that they enjoy to keep them occupied.

Shoes

My studio is white, so you will be kindly asked to take our shoes off when you arrive. With babies crawling around I obviously have to keep it clean and tidy, so please don’t be offended when I point out the shoe basket just inside the door! As you will be removing your footwear, do consider what socks you’re wearing. It’s not something we usually have to put much thought into, but the number of people (usually Dads!) that turn up with bright red socks on has led to me adding it to my prep guidelines 🤣

Parking

Free parking is available behind the studio. Look out for the drive between the motorbike garage and dentist, leading to plenty of parking spaces in the carpark at the rear of the building.

Studio Address

1A Bulldog House, Reading Road, Winnersh, RG41 5AB. Located above the Triumph Garage, you’ll find the entrance at the side of the building. I share the upstairs space with Berkshire Counselling Services. There is a small flight of stairs that leads up to the studio. Do let me know if you’re attending on your own and would like any help getting up the stairs.

Toilets

There are toilets available on the same floor as the studio, just a few doors down.

What to bring

Spare nappies, wipes, nappy bags.
Spare clothes.
Spare milk, bottles etc if bottle feeding.
Dummy/comforter if you use one.
Spare sanitary products. After giving birth it’s normal for new Mums to bleed for up to 6 weeks. Toilet facilities are available for you to use

Behind the scenes

If you would like to document your studio experience please feel free to take behind the scenes photos/videos on your phone. If sharing on social media please do tag me @authenticbabyphotography as I’d love to see how you found your session. Just please be mindful not to get in front of my camera or to move anything in the studio. The last thing we want is to disturb your sleepy baby after spending time settling them!

Final Note

My biggest piece of advice is to relax. I’ve been doing this for eight years now and am often referred to as the baby whisperer by clients as I am an expert in getting babies to settle. They don’t have to be asleep for their photos, so please don’t panic or worry about whether they will catch some zzzzz’s or not. I’ve only ever had to admit defeat once, when the poor baby just couldn’t bring his wind up and was so uncomfortable. We simply re-arranged for a couple of days later and it was a total breeze.

So please don’t fret, we will get the photos. I want you all to enjoy your session so try to make it as relaxed and comfortable for you all as I can. My studio is a drama-free zone. Zero stress. We will take it at babies pace so that you don’t feel rushed. Think of it as going to a friends for coffee rather than a typical studio photoshoot, it really will be that relaxed (I’ve even had Parent’s fall asleep whilst I’ve been photographing baby!)

I’m just at the end of an email, so do feel free to get in touch with any questions. If I’ve missed anything do let me know so that I can add it for future clients.

I can’t wait to meet you and your new Bubba very soon! Don’t forget to let me know when they arrive.
Rachel x