Many parents come to me when their babies are already 2-4 weeks old sometimes even older. After they found out the recommended age for a newborn session is under 2 weeks old, they often surprised. Many new parents don't know that there is a huge difference between a 2 weeks old and a 4 weeks old baby in terms of posing and sleeping. A medical reason is also another reason that prevent parents to do a newborn photoshoot for their baby. The question is, can they still do a newborn session even if they are over 2 weeks old? The answer is yes! but realistically speaking, parent's expectation has to change to match the circumstance. Why?
1. Older babies do not settle well. Even we can get the baby to sleep, they often don't stay asleep for long. Many newborn poses require babies to be sleeping (not just asleep but really in deep sleep). This means we would spend more time settling the baby to sleep and less time to take photos. I normally recommend parents to choose poses that are easier to do when babies are older. Also expect to receive more swaddled photos than the no-wrap ones. This is because babies fall asleep easier when they are wrapped.
2. Older babies might be too big for the newborn outfits. Majority of newborn outfits in my studio are made to fit babies weight around 2.5-3.5kg That is about the size of a 00000-0000 romper. I usually recommend using wraps instead if baby is 4kg and over.
3. Family poses are limited. Many family poses only work if the baby is still small. There are limited ways to pose bigger babies since they do not fit effortlessly in one hand and harder to position them right up to parent's faces (heavier). Small mums usually do not have enough strength to pose a 4-5 kg baby for an extended period of time. little breaks in between maybe needed.
These are the main disadvantages for doing a newborn photoshoot when baby is older. How about the advantages? You get beautiful photos of your (still) tiny baby to treasure for years to come of course! If your main purpose is to capture memories of your baby when they are still tiny then anytime between birth to 3 months old is totally fine. When you are late to book a newborn photoshoot, there are 2 options, first is to have realistic expectation and do it regardless, second is to wait and do it when your baby is no longer a newborn. The decision is yours. I would still recommend to do it within the first 2 weeks if you have a choice but when the circumstance does not allow you then my suggestion is the earlier the better. So when you decide to do a newborn session when your newborn is a month or over, these are the things that can help the session runs smoother. 1. Choose more baby in wrap setups. Swaddle can sooth your baby to sleep. It reminds them of when they are still inside your tummy. This way even if your baby refuses to sleep, we still can get photos of your little one in wrap looks straight at the camera! 2. Allow a dummy/pacifier, a dummy is such a great tool to help sooth your baby. It allows me to settle your newborn while I still can pose them in the position/setup that you choose. Not all newborns take a dummy, some not straight away and some not ever. It is still worth a try when all other methods fail. 3. Trust your photographer! I have years of experience with newborn photography and done more than 600 newborn sessions over the years. With your baby's safety as my first priority, I try to fit in as many setup as possible while also making sure the quality of the photos are up to Together Nest Standard. Older or younger newborns, I have never failed to deliver a great gallery to my clients. Still sounds like too much of a challenge for you? A sitter session is also a great alternative. It is done at 6-10 months old. This session is designed to capture your baby sitting up (hence the name "Sitter"). I received a flood of Sitter bookings in between and after the lockdowns last year as the parents missed out on the newborn shoot due to state wide lockdowns. They were very much happy with the results and I'm sure the photos are treasured the same way they would with the newborn photos.
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