You’ve ordered your posing pillows and your cute little outfits. You’ve bought a new space heater and picked out some chic backgrounds. You’re totally ready for your first newborn photo shoot.

 

 

Or are you?

 

 

Seasoned newborn photographers will tell you that there are a few vital (albeit non-traditional) items that make every shoot easier, safer, and stress-free. Here are our top 8:

 

 

1. Hair clips

 

 

Every baby is different, of course, so the props that you have in the studio won’t fit every baby the same way. Hair clips can serve as a quick way to hold back excess slack in clothing, headbands, and hats.

 

 

We like these hair clips that are plastic (instead of metal), and don’t have jaws. They’re safe, affordable, and will hold tight while you capture the perfect photo.

 

 

2. Puppy pads

 

 

You might as well accept that baby is going to pee and maybe poo during the 2-5 hour session. Puppy pee pads are the best way to ensure that accidents won’t stain anything beneath them.

 

 

Of course, it’s still important to wash everything that will come into contact with your baby subjects with unscented laundry detergent before every shoot, but these should help make it a little bit easier to do so.

 

 

3. Change of clothes (for you)

 

 

See #2. I’m sure you have plenty of outfits for baby to try on, but do you have a change of clothes for yourself? Toss another outfit in your bag ahead of time to make sure you don’t have to photograph for hours with pee on your shirt.

 

 

4. Sound machine

 

 

You better believe baby won’t like it if someone calls or texts you while you have a white noise app running on your phone. Sound machines are relatively inexpensive, small, and double as a way to relax the baby’s parents.

 

 

 

 

5. Hand warmers & gloves

 

 

For a newborn with sensitive skin, cold hands are just the worst! Warming up your hands beforehand with hand warmers or using some cotton gloves when handling the baby will make sure the baby stays asleep as long as possible.

 

 

6. Snacks

 

 

Newborn photo shoots are long. Help baby’s parents feel more at home by having bottled water and snacks readily available to nosh on while you shoot.

 

 

7. 10-pound weights

 

 

Make sure your buckets and baskets stay rightside up by weighing them down with dumbbells or weight plates. It puts anxious parents at ease to know that you’ve taken precautions like this to keep their baby safe.

 

 

8. Camera holster

 

 

Whether or not they’re asleep, squirmy babies will sometimes need to be adjusted to get the perfect photo. Instead of putting your camera down every time, invest in a camera holster. That way, you can use both hands to handle the baby, but can also pick right back up in a snap.

 

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What are some of the unexpected things that you use for your newborn photo shoots? Post your ideas below in the comments!

 

 

Special thanks to Kate Marie Warch for the photos featured in this post.