It’s a question I get asked frequently - ‘What if my baby doesn’t sleep for the photo shoot?’ And the quick answer is, it really doesn’t matter if they don’t sleep. We can get some natural wide eyes awake shots that you will adore! And most newborns, given a warm room, a snug swaddle, some white noise and a belly of milk will eventually drop off!
As long as baby is happy, settled and calm, it’s always lovely to get a few of these open eyed shots anyway.
It can sometimes takes a little longer to get these kinds of photographs as firstly newborns don’t yet have control over their muscles, so their arm movements are very jerky and they’re usually waving them around everywhere! If they are laying on their back without a blanket/swaddle they are often startled by the Moro reflex or startle reflex. Sometimes it’s helpful if mum or dad sit next to me and place their own hands over baby’s with some gentle pressure, so they feel relaxed and safe
Secondly, they will nearly always turn their head just as I’m about to take the shot! Newborns tend to prefer to have their heads laid to the side as they were in the womb, so I place some stuffers either side of their head to gently prop their little faces looking straight up at me. So sometimes, waiting for that perfect shot can take some patience (and don’t worry- I have plenty of that!)
And thirdly, due to their immature nervous system and weak facial muscles, newborns do pull the funniest of faces and because their eye muscles are not yet strong enough to hold their eyes in one place or to focus on a single object for long, we often have crossed eyes. So I patiently wait with my finger hovering over the the shutter button for a relaxed looking face.
The funny faces out-takes can be just as adorable though! It shows the beginnings of their little personalities and facial expressions coming through so I’ll add them in the gallery if we get a couple of these cute ones too.
After I’ve got a few of these natural awake shots and if they still aren’t showing any signs of sleep, I wrap them up in a snug swaddle so they are all cosy and warm and this will nearly always soothe a restless baby. A swaddle contains their arms and legs which prevents baby’s startle reflex, which in turn stops them from startling themselves awake with their flailing limbs. Most baby’s enjoy being swaddled as they feel secure just like in the womb.
I start with a base wrap to keep them secure and then the top layer can be changed to give colour and texture variety and I then take some more photos. If a baby is swaddled, I can place them into a prop safely. I prefer not to put unwrapped awake babies into props with harder edges because of their startle reflex and unpredictable jerky movements.
I have the room nice and warm and have some white noise playing in the background.
Most Baby’s at this point begin to yawn and the eyes start to close.
Did you yawn then?! ( I can’t tell you how many times I’ve yawned creating this post 😂)
A lot of the images you see on my website are of posed newborns and of course you can’t pose an awake baby. Most newborns do drop off eventually and then we can get those images .
Here a few tips on making sure baby is sleepy for the session.
1. If you are breast feeding, it may help to not eat spicy or acidic foods or drink caffeine in the 48 hours prior to your session as this could possibly make baby unsettled.
2. If you can, on the morning of your session, try and keep little one awake for a bit with a little interaction. Perhaps give them a little bath. If your baby has slept solidly for the 3 hours prior to your session then we may not get many posed, sleepy shots.
3. Try to time a feed just before you leave or on arrival at my home. A full baby means a sleepy baby so a top up of milk before we begin is usually a good idea.
4. Dress your baby in a simple loose sleeper that doesn’t have to be lifted off over the head so we can undress them without too much disturbance, just incase baby is sleeping soundly on arrival. If your baby is awake when you arrive, it is best to undress them first, loosen the nappy and then wrap them in a blanket before that extra top up. Otherwise your baby may get upset at being undressed when they are all nice and cozy.
5. If you are using or considering using a dummy please bring it along. It can be a huge lifesaver when baby continuously wants to feed/suckle for comfort. Sometimes it really is the difference of getting that shot or not.
Hopefully this will reassure you that even if your baby doesn’t fall asleep right away, we can still get lots of lovely photographs for you. We may not get every single sleepy set-up that you had wanted in some cases, but we will still make some beautiful memories for you to have always, to remember all those tiny little details that fade with time. ❤️
I look forward to meeting you soon,
Karen x