Newborn Photography (How to Get Baby to Sleep)

Newborn Photography: How to Get Baby to Sleep

It’s every newborn photographer’s dream to have a session where the baby sleeps soundly - OK, OK, we’ll say it, like a baby - for their entire session.  Where does that phrase come from anyway?

If you have ever been a parent, or a newborn photographer for that matter you know that babies do not always sleep soundly.  In fact, if you are not somewhat of an expert on what babies want and how delicate they are, there may be something you’re missing that is causing the little munchkin to be fussy.

Here are a few secrets to make sure the newborn you're photographing won't be fussy and will sleep during their session so you can capture those precious sleeping baby pictures that parents LOVE!

How to Prevent Baby from Getting Fussy

• Make sure the baby burps after any feedings that happen during a session.  When you are posing a baby it can be painful for them if they still have air trapped in their little tummy.

• Check to see if Mom is breastfeeding.  Momma’s milk usually doesn’t come in until the fifth day after birth.  If this is the case it may be best to schedule the session until after the baby is at least five days old so you know they won’t be super hungry.

Benefits of a Sleeping Baby Photography Session

Now that we have covered how to prevent baby from becoming fussy, let’s talk about why you would want the baby to sleep during your photo session in the first place…I mean what’s wrong with some sweet shots of baby with her eyes open, right?

While wide awake shots are super sweet - when it gets right down to it, you are going to have a really tough time posing a newborn in a prop or on a posing bag if they are awake.  The baby can wriggle out of the position you so carefully placed them in every time!  This can get a bit frustrating for both you and the baby after a while.

So remember, a sleepy baby is always best during a newborn photo session.

Tips for Sleeping Baby Photos

Ok we’ve kept you in suspense long enough….let’s get to the good stuff, the gold - you know, the getting baby to sleep part!

It sounds a lot tougher than it actually is, we promise!  And we’ve even put together a list of our favorite three secrets to getting baby to sleep soundly during your session so you can focus on safely posing your little subject.

Tip 1. Send Parents a Prep Guide

Going over specific steps the parents can take to ensure baby will be nice and sleepy during the session can be very beneficial to help your posing run smoothly.

A few things to mention are keeping baby awake for a few hours before the session so baby will crash when it’s time to start taking photos.  Parents can help keep baby awake by giving her a bath and playing with her for a little bit.

Also it’s usually best to feed baby right when the photographer arrives, that way she is full and likely to fall right asleep with a full belly after a few hours of being awake with Mom and Dad. 

Tip 2. Keep the Room Warm

If you are photographing at the parent’s home, ask them to turn up the heat before you arrive (or if you live in a hot place like I do, just turn the AC off).  Remember newborns 14 days and under are used to being in a hot 98 degree womb and they will relax in warmer temps.  I like to keep the studio at about 80 degrees and I will ask parents to do the same. 

Tip 3. Swaddle the Baby

Going back to the baby recently being in momma's womb… they were curled up with not much room to move around - this is the main reason babies like to be swaddled.

Swaddling simply means to keep baby wrapped tight in a newborn wrap or swaddling blanket.  If the newborn wants to stay awake during the start of your session, simply swaddle him and take some sweet shots of him in a newborn wrap looking all cuddled and cozy… they will likely fall asleep in less than thirty minutes!  **Be sure not to wrap baby too tight, their comfort and safety should always be your number one priority during any newborn session.

A Few Other Bonus Sleepytime Baby Tips. . .

You can never have too many tricks up your sleeve when it comes to getting a baby to sleep so we decided to list two more failsafe tricks to keeping any newborn calm and sleepy.

• Keep a “shusher” close by during the entire photo session.  A shusher is something that creates white noise, this helps baby feel comfortable and safe as they are used to hearing momma’s constant heartbeat.  There are wonderful smart phone apps that do this for free…just search white noise!

• All babies are different and have different preferences for falling asleep.  Some babies like to be gently swayed or rocked to sleep and enjoy soft movement.  Try this method if the baby gets fussy and doesn’t want to get to fall asleep after trying all of the other steps listed above.  **Remember the key here is to use soft movements, it can be damaging to newborns development if you sway or swing them to hard or roughly.

Important: If you are just starting out in newborn photography it is essential to take a safety course in posing and working with newborns.  If this is your first time photographing a newborn, posing can be intimidating and a bit hard to accomplish.

You should not test new baby poses on newborns, remember their safety should always be your number one priority!  If you are not sure about something, it is always best just not to do it.

Post Processing Baby Photos

If you're feeling frustrated when it comes to editing or you feel like you just haven't found something that matches your style or if you just want to save more time when editing newborns in Photoshop -- you must try our LUXE Newborn Complete Workflow Photoshop Action collection, you'll be so happy you did!