How old is “too old” for a Newborn Photography Session?

If you have investigated newborn photographers, you might have seen some of them say “newborns can only be photographed in the first week or two” or “newborn sessions are best held between 5-10 days old”. The reason for this is that newborn babies in the first couple weeks of life are still very womb-like. They are bendy and curly and sleepy and they easily do all those adorable poses that you see on Pinterest and Facebook that make you say, “Awwwwww!”. You know the ones I’m talking about – where the baby is folded in half like a taco and their little toes are peeking out by their elbows, or their hands are up under their chins and they look all squishy and adorable?!

Well, I’m here to tell you that adorable newborn photos DO NOT STOP after your baby is a week old!!! Full disclosure: I used to say the same thing. In the first few years of my photography career, I actually turned away potential clients who had 3-6 week old babies! I was taught that a 3 week old would never sleep and I wouldn’t be able to capture pretty images of them. But after 10 years and hundreds of babies through my studio, I’ve learned a few things:

1. Yes, the most “ideal” time for a newborn session is when a baby is between 6-12 days old. But that is ONLY IF a baby is full term & feeding well. Sometimes babies who arrive early or have trouble with feeding the first week need some extra time before they come to our studio.

2. Preemies often need a bit more time to grow and develop a good feeding pattern – whether they are breastfed or bottle fed. (Side Note: babies who had extended stays in the NICU often don’t love being messed with and can be a bit more touchy. We recognize and work with this!)

3. Sometimes moms need a little extra time to recover from childbirth. Cesarean sections are MAJOR SURGERY and there is a reason that you are told to take it easy for the first few weeks afterward! Now, our studio is designed for your comfort and we do everything in our power to make it as easy as possible for you. But sometimes getting out of the house in the first week or two after surgery is just not possible. We Understand! Even non-surgical birth can be a longer recovery than expected – there is no “right way” to have a baby or recover from childbirth!!

4. Babies change QUICKLY – which is why the recommendation is to take newborn photos as soon as possible. But if circumstances keep you from being able to schedule within the first week or two, that’s okay too! Your baby is still adorable and sweet and worthy of capturing!

Because of the unexpected COVID-19 pandemic, our studio had to be closed for almost 2 months. When we re-opened, we had several babies who were between 3-9 weeks old that had booked with us and still wanted newborn portraits. We were certain we could get beautiful photos for them, but didn’t know if we would be able to get many of the traditional ‘sleepy, bendy’ poses. Boy, did they prove us wrong!!!

Meet Chloe – she was 8 1/2 weeks old at her newborn session

Meet Raymond – he was 3 1/2 weeks old at his newborn session!

Meet Mariah – she was 7 1/2 weeks old at her newborn session!

As you can see, after 10 years as a newborn photographer, I have the experience to provide families with beautiful portraits of their newborn baby no matter whether they are 7 days or 7 weeks old!

We do prefer families to book with us BEFORE their babies are born, even if they don’t necessarily have their sessions right away. This allows us to have a pre-session consultation to discuss your preferences and style and helps us to get to know you and your family better. We can also plan and discuss the options for wall art, albums and other products before your baby is born and some families like to use that extra time to budget for their wall art!

If you are in the Hampton Roads area, near our studio in Norfolk or in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Portsmouth or the surrounding cities, please reach out to us today to schedule your newborn session at Kimberlin Gray Photography!