When Should You Schedule Your Newborn Session?
You’ve spent months waiting to meet your baby. Then suddenly, they’re here. 🥹 Between hospital visits, feedings, tiny diapers, sleepless nights, and trying to remember what day it is, newborn photos can feel like something you’ll figure out later.
But when is the best time to actually hold your newborn session?
At Bree Elle Photography, we schedule newborn sessions before your baby is 12 days old, with the sweet spot typically being between 7 and 9 days old.
Why Are Newborn Sessions Held So Early?
Those first few days after bringing your baby home are a tiny, fleeting chapter.
Babies change incredibly quickly. Their little faces begin to fill out, they become more alert, and before you know it, that sleepy newborn stage is already starting to slip away.
Scheduling your session while your baby is still under 12 days old helps us capture those early details that you’ll want to remember forever:
Tiny fingers and toes, sweet, sleepy expressions, little wrinkles and features that change so quickly, that brand-new-baby look you waited nine long months to see
Holding a session during this time usually results in a sleepier baby and one that is still able to be posed.
Why Do We Recommend 7 to 9 Days Old?
While every baby is different, we typically find that 7 to 9 days old is a wonderful time for a newborn session.
By this point, many moms have had a few days at home to settle in, recover, and get familiar with their new routine. Baby is still very much in that sleepy newborn stage, but everyone has hopefully had a little time to breathe after the whirlwind of delivery.
Of course, babies do not read calendars. They have their own tiny schedules, personalities, and opinions about absolutely everything. 😉 That is why we keep the newborn stage flexible while still aiming for that ideal 7 to 9 day window.
How Do We Schedule If Baby Isn’t Here Yet?
This is where a little pre-planning makes a big difference.
When you book your newborn session, we use your due date to reserve space around the time we expect your baby to arrive. Once baby makes their grand entrance, we work together to finalize your session date.
This will permit our scheduling process to run smoothly, for you and other moms with babies born around your time as well.
Because we schedule multiple expecting families around their due dates, letting us know when baby arrives as soon as possible helps us make sure everyone has the opportunity to have their session during the ideal newborn window.
What If My Baby Comes Early or Late?
That is completely okay!
Babies have been known to ignore every carefully organized plan their parents make. That is exactly why newborn sessions are scheduled around your due date rather than assigning you a rigid date before baby arrives.
Whether your little one arrives early, late, or right on time, we will work through the scheduling process together to find the best available session date.
The most important thing is to let us know once baby has arrived so we can begin finalizing your session.
When Do I Book My Newborn Session?
We'll have your due date penciled in when you inquire so that we have a spot available for you. Once baby is born, you'll reach out again and we will set a date and time.
Waiting until after delivery to contact us for a session can make scheduling more difficult, especially since newborn sessions need to take place within a short timeframe. By reserving your spot during pregnancy, we can plan around your due date and be ready when baby arrives.
Then, instead of trying to find a photographer while you are recovering, feeding a newborn around the clock, and wondering why one tiny human somehow owns 47 blankets, your photography plans are already in place.
Those Newborn Days Go Fast
One day, you’re staring at tiny toes and wondering how someone so small can possibly make that much laundry.
Then suddenly, those newborn clothes no longer fit.
That is why we love capturing babies during those first days of life. A newborn session freezes a chapter that passes in the blink of a tired, love-filled eye.
At Bree Elle Photography, we schedule newborn sessions before baby is 12 days old, with 7 to 9 days old typically being our preferred window. Booking during your pregnancy and keeping us updated once baby arrives helps our scheduling process run smoothly for your family and for other expecting moms with babies arriving around the same time.
