I often get asked how to prepare for your Nashville in-home newborn session. The thought of needing to “prep” one more thing after bringing a baby home can be a bit overwhelming. As a mama of three myself and having been through this, I get it and because of this, these tips are really simple and easy!

Before I get into the simple tips to help your session go more smoothly, let me first say your home does not have to be perfectly clean for your session to be absolutely beautiful. And the great news is, I would never expect it to be! I care more about you preparing yourself and your baby than I do about your house because spoiler alert, we will probably stick to 2-3 corners tucked tight next to a window to get that goodness of light pouring onto you and your baby.

Now that I have that out of the way, let me share a few tips to help prep your home for your newborn session! These are really simple and easy to do things that even if you don’t get to them, I am more than able to help with when I arrive. And if you already have them done and need someone to snuggle your new baby while you finish touching up, I would be honored to do that too! It’s kind of my favorite part about this job.

How To Prepare For Your Nashville In-Home Newborn Session

Be Flexible

While my first tip isn’t actually about your home, I want to start with it because it truly is the most important. I am not coming into your home with any expectations or an agenda and I don’t want you too, either.

What I mean by this is newborns can be unpredictable and I am more than prepared for this! They typically don’t have a schedule yet, sometimes they stay asleep the entire session and other times they are awake throughout our time together. Chances are we will be taking breaks to feed your little one, change their diaper, or simply taking a pause because either you or baby needs one. I absolutely love in home sessions for this reason – our flexibility and no true time constraint allows for any and all moments to be as relaxed and stress free as you would hope it is.

Open Any Curtains and Blinds

I know you are sleep deprived and your curtains and blinds may be down to allow naps at any given hour, but as a natural light photographer I need all the light I can get to pour in through every window. You may be thinking that this only pertains to the few rooms we will be in, but it is best to have all curtains and blinds open because the room next to us might let light into the room we are in. Allowing all the beautiful light to pour through your windows is the best thing you can do to prepare for your session.

Turn Off All Overhead Lights and Lamps

This may seem a little contradicting to the tip I just mentioned above about needing all the light I can get, but I promise there is a reason for this. I love light and I need light, but I don’t need any kind of light. As a natural light photographer, I need light that is diffused through your windows to get really beautiful, skin tones in your photos.

Overhead light from light fixtures can be really yellow (or even too white like a hospital) and can look harsh on the skin in photos are creates unforgiving shadows on your face. Think you have eye bags from not sleeping? Add an overhead light to that scenario and you will really dislike those dark circles!

And again, even if we aren’t taking photos in your kitchen, because it’s next to say your bedroom, that artificial light can leak through the door and throw off the beautiful natural light. So take just a minute or two to turn off any lights in your home.

Do a Quick Tidy

And when I say quick, I mean quick! I never want you to think that I am expecting you to have hired a house cleaner an hour before our session, but it is like the saying goes “less is more”. It can be as simple as taking five minutes to hide the extra diaper and wipes, used bottles, toddle toys, and the five cups on your nightstand (hey, I’m guilty of it too mama)!

But truly, if you don’t have time for this one, I will help when I get there. And I promise you I’m not judging the state of your home. I’ve had three babies, so I completely get it!

Prepare Baby

A fed baby is a happy baby, am I right? It is best to have baby fed within about 30 minutes of our start time. This allows baby’s tummy to become full and hopefully fall into their deep newborn snooze.

I also highly recommend having a pacifier on hand to soothe baby, if needed. Luckily these days there are a lot of neutral options that photograph beautifully. I love this one for baby girls and this one for baby boys.

My photography style approach is very lifestyle and focuses on true connections between you and baby. While I’m sure you have bought a ton of new outfits for your little one, they will be wrapped up nice and snuggly in a swaddle blanket. 99% of babies are truly so much happier (and typically stay asleep/calmer) when they are wrapped up tight. I will provide these for you so no need to go out and buy a wrap!

Communication

This tip is for both before our time together and during. Please, please, please never be afraid to communicate with me! You hired me and I work for you, and my goal is always to make this the best experience for you. Your feelings are always valid and trust me when I say, I know how real postpartum feelings can be – both good and bad. I’m first and foremost a mama who happens to be a creative with a skill of photography – so I am here for you as a professional artist, a friend, and an understanding mama!

How To Prepare For Your Nashville In-Home Newborn Session

These are my 6 quick tips on how to prepare for your Nashville in-home newborn session! If you first saw this blog title and thought “oh no I don’t want to have to do much preparation after a baby”, I hope it brought you peace and mind knowing that I really don’t expect much from you at all! And if even these are are too much for you morning of, remember I can help when I arrive.

Interested in seeing what an in-home newborn session with me looks like? You can view one here.

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Courtney is a Nashville Newborn Photographer here to provide you with a stress free, luxurious experience a mama could only dream of. An experience where you don’t have to be the person to do it all, and she will help you finally get timeless images and heirloom artwork in your hands and home. She truly takes care of it all for you. If you are interested in booking a session, please reach out sooner than later!