What do I need to bring to a newborn session?

Well the short answer is actually not a lot!!

A lot of new mums can often become a little anxious about that first outing with a new baby. That first outing is more often than not, to their newborn session! It can literally feel like a military operation trying to get everyone dressed and out the door on time.

The only thing I actually need new parents to bring to their newborn session is milk for the baby! My studio has everything else baby would need for the session. A lot of the time the baby will be without a nappy so you won't need those....when the time comes for a nappy I have plenty! If you use a particular brand of nappies or are using washable nappies then please do bring them along. I normally have Aldi nappies in the studio as personally ive found those to be the most sensitive on tiny little bottoms. (On a personal note, when my youngest son was a newborn we found that he was allergic to every single nappy we tried! We ended up using washable nappies with him. This didn't stop my mother in law from buying a different brand every other week though!! But still it was a fruitless search. That is until one day when he was 9 months old. Aldi had opened up along the road from us and she brought in a pack from there and lo and behold!! It was the first we'd managed to use a disposable nappy!! And so now I tell all my parents how amazing they are!!)

What about outfits you may ask?

Do we need to bring outfits for baby?

NO you absolutely do not. Theres a reason for this!! Newborn clothes are made with some extra growing room and a little bit more fabric than I'd personally like. Because of this their clothes just generally don't fit well! When they're lying down all that fabric bundles up around their necks or the sleeves hang down over their little hands. They also like to pull their legs up towards their tummies so their tiny little legs get lost inside their trousers. For all those reasons, I have a vast selection of tiny little beautiful handmade baby outfits. Most of these outfits are stretchy so fit so much better than their usual shop bought outfits.

I like to wrap babies too. This replicates the cosy curled up feeling they experienced in the womb so babies absolutely love it! ALL OF THEM LOVE IT!! Trust me, if I had £1 for every time a parent said to me "oh they don't like being swaddled" I'd be able to fund my prop habit for years haha.

Now after having just said that I dont need any outfits for baby....... It's probably a good idea to bring a spare outfit to go home in (for parents that is!) As I mentioned before there will be some nappy free time and we all know what that means!! Usually im the recipient of the poonami's and the pee-splosions, however you may end up getting a little wet too!! And don't worry, it happens ALL THE TIME!! Some parents get really embarrassed that their baby has just peed everywhere but honestly its expected!!!

Now what about about siblings?

I have a large selection of dresses for little girls and some white t-shirts in various sizes for boys. It's entirely up to you how you would like your portraits to look but I strongly advise that you choose your clothing to be timeless. (More on clothing choices in my other blog "what to wear for your session")

Is there anything else you should bring?

There is one other thing!!

If your baby has a dummy I strongly advise that you bring it!

I know dummy's can be a bit of a controversial topic for some but in this instance they are a massive help!!

During your session we'll have baby all cosy and positioned beautifully and CLICK we take a picture. Now we need to move them into the next position! (I always feel like such a horrible person moving a sleeping baby but its just a few hours in their little lives!)

So we've moved them into the next position but they may have been soooooo comfy that they just want to be left to sleep so they've momentarily roused. The easiest thing to get baby back to sleep is with a little sook. Until babies are 3 months old they have a sucking reflex which allows them to learn to feed. So a dummy is not necessarily a bad thing. Even if you are breastfeeding, one morning of using a dummy will not be enough to interfere with your feeding. So if you use a dummy and throw it away it'll have absolutely no effect on baby! I have a stash of brand new dummies in the studio in the event that you'd like to try one. I will never ask!! Its absolutely a personal preference and thats the most important thing!!

If you are bringing big brothers or sisters, its also a good idea to bring a few snack and toys. Prior to the pandemic I had lovely little corner of the studio with a range of toys and books but unfortunately this has had to be removed. I have a coffee/tea machine which you are free to use and bottled water available too. A newborn session can be anywhere between 2 and 4 hours long so its a good idea to bring something along to keep older siblings entertained.

So to sum up......what are you bringing to your session?

- milk for baby

- a change of clothes

- a dummy (if baby has one)

- toys/snacks for siblings.

Hope this helps and I look forward to seeing you at your newborn session.