When photographing a newborn baby it’s never predictable how the newborn photoshoot is going to go. Every baby will have their own little personality and sometimes they will just not want to play ball. I have never had a shoot where we have not been able to get the photos, just some take a little bit longer than others. Some newborns will come in and sleep all the way though and then others will sleep for 15 minutes here and there and then keep wanting more milk or cuddles. With fussier babies in a newborn session you just have to stay calm and go with the flow as the baby will sense if you are stressed too.
My tips for soothing a fussy baby
Here are 6 tips for soothing a fussy baby during a newborn session. Hopefully this will help if you are a photographer starting out or a new mum just looking for some tips!
1. White noise/baby shusher machine
I use my baby shusher machine for every newborn session that I photograph, I love it! I used to use white noise but I find this works a lot better. Just google it on amazon and you will be able to find one, I 100% recommend it.
2. Use a yoga ball during your newborn session.
I didn’t buy a yoga ball for a long time and wish I had done it sooner! I usually wrap the newborn when they are on my lap while sitting on the yoga ball. You can also bounce a little bit if the baby is still awake, soothing them gently. Also in-between poses the yoga ball is great for soothing the newborn baby on your lap while getting the baby in position on your lap.
3. Keeping them warm
A newborn baby can’t regulate their body temperature like adults can yet. They are used to being all cosy and warm in the womb so need a little bit of help when it comes to keeping warm when they are first born. Newborns don’t have has much body fat so they loose their warmth a lot quicker. I keep my studio nice and warm and have a heater that will turn on if it gets too cold. When I am photographing a newborn naked I will always have my heater on, especially if they area. fussier baby
4. Wrap them up/swaddle them during a newborn photoshoot
As I mentioned before these little newborns love being warm and quite a few of them do not like being unclothed. If you have a fussier newborn keep them wrapped up and swaddled and it should hopefully settle them. I usually always start my newborn sessions with wrapped photos of the baby.
5. Don’t stimulate them too much
Try not to over stimulate the baby. During my newborn sessions I try and keep the environment calm and soothing for the baby. over stimulating a baby can lead to them being distressed as its a lot of information for them to deal with. If they have been overstimulated, usually a cuddle with mummy or daddy and a feed does the trick.
6. Use a dummy/pacifier
Not everyone wants to use a dummy but sometimes this will help sooth them, especially in between newborn poses.
DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU RECEIVE 10% OFF YOUR NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHY PACKAGE WHEN YOU HAVE HAD A MATERNITY PHOTOSHOOT WITH ME?
Feel free you give me a call or email if investing in newborn photography is something you would like to do. If you would like to pop into my studio before for a chat thats not a problem. Thank you to all my previous and future clients for choosing me as your London newborn photographer. It’s such a privilege to create these memories for you!
contact me at jocovephotography@gmail.com if you are looking for Professional Newborn photography in London
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