Easy Ways to Prep Your Home for Your In-Home Newborn Session

With the passing of just days and weeks, you’ll notice just how quickly your baby grows and changes. An in-home newborn session allows you to capture this fleeting time through photos. These photos will be treasured by you and your children as they grow. Being at home also allows you to document real life - diaper changes, feeding, sweet snuggles, and new siblings holding hands with everything you need at your disposal. Your home is your baby’s first home and part of your family story, too. After all, home is where the heart is. It doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be you.

Having had two babies myself, I know it can also feel stressful having someone in your home taking photos so soon after welcoming your new baby. But photo sessions don’t have to be stressful. You may think your home isn’t picture perfect and it doesn’t have to be. What matters most is the love you have for your baby, the early connections, the blossoming sibling relationships and all of the moments in between. But, there are also a few easy things you can do to prepare in advance to keep that focus on you and your baby and to ensure a smooth session.

Declutter

You want your home to look lived in but not cluttered so that the focus can really be on you and your baby and not everything in the background of the shot. Think about the things in your environment not needed and put them away. You don’t have to overdo it because life with a baby is busy enough. I always check in with families and ask to move things that I find might be distracting in a shot. Generally, less clutter is better.

Stow Unnecessary Items

The supplies for babies can feel endless - bottles, swings, bassinets, loads of blankets, diaper pails, humidifiers, etc. The list goes on and on. While it’s nice to have all of the things you need to care for your baby, you don’t need them all for photos. Tuck away anything that’s not needed for the session. You can always pull things back out as needed. Some families choose to designate a room or bathroom for this very purpose and just stash everything there if it’s a space we won’t shoot in.

Bring on the light.

I shoot only with natural light, so we’ll keep all of the lights off and all shades open to let the light in. If you have blackout shades in rooms we will shoot in, be sure to remove or raise them. They help babies sleep, but keep out all of the natural light we’ll need for beautiful photos.

Sometimes the light can be too strong which leads to hotspots that don’t always look nice in photos. That’s ok! Leave it to me and I’ll adjust the shades and curtains as needed or guide you to where the light is best.

Tuck away cords.

This includes cords to electrical outlets, iPhone chargers, wireless routers, etc. If you have lots of cords running along walls then unplug them and tuck them away if you can. Remember, we’ll be keeping all lights off for the session.

Keep your comforter or bedspread simple (and crib sheets too!).

When you have a newborn, you spend a lot of time in your bedroom, so this generally will be one place we will shoot. Sometimes families have duvets with strong colors or busy patterns. I always think simpler is better to keep the focus just on you and your baby, so one easy trick is to remove the duvet cover and we can simply use your plain white comforter. This is especially helpful in dim rooms because it also acts as a natural light reflector. Simple crib sheets also work well to keep the focus on your baby and you can create interest with outfits and textured or colorful swaddles.

Remember to tidy up your front porch and backyard.

We’ll mostly be focusing indoors, but I always love to capture at least one family photo on your front porch or in front of your building. Just a quick sweep can make a big difference.

Your home decor can influence your wardrobe.

If you have a house with lots of color, you may want to go neutral with what you wear for the photoshoot or vice versa. Just be aware that strong colors can create color casting on little faces as you hold your baby. Neutrals always photograph beautifully. And, if you have a pet, think about colors that won’t show the hair that sheds. Be sure to have a backup outfit planned for everyone since unexpected spit-up and diaper leaks do happen!

While these are all helpful ways to prep your home, I have strategies I use during sessions as well, such as shooting at different angles, coming in for tighter shots, moving furniture, such as cribs toward windows, and using light creatively.

Remember that the most important thing during your session is to relax and enjoy being present with your new baby. A little pre-planning goes a long way and will lead to beautiful photos where the focus can shine on you and your precious new baby.