Sleepy poses don't involve magic, but lots of preparation and work. These instructions will produce the best outcome for sweet poses with lots of various images. Please take these instructions seriously and work diligently beforehand on these. We'll work together as a team to get lots of images of your little one!
I know this may sound like the most daunting task but this is the MOST important instruction to give us the best results for success in posing. I cannot stress this instruction enough! So assign yourself or dad on “keep awake” duty. My philosophy is if it aggravates your baby, it will keep them awake. I know that sounds cruel but it helps. So if your baby hates baths, give them a bath, if they love it, steer clear. Open up all the windows to let light in. Unclothe them. Don’t freeze them to death but just don’t have them all warm and snuggly. Keep them cool so it spurs them awake. Play up beat music. When you hold them, hold them away from your body and look them in the eyes, talk to them, engaging that face to face time will keep them awake. No snuggling for 2 hours, I know it’ll be hard! Once they get into the car, take a rest. You are not superwoman, I know you won’t be able to keep them up on the car ride so let them snooze.
If you live close to studio (10-15 minutes away) then I suggest you feed your baby a really good feeding before you leave. If you live 30 minutes or more away, I suggest you feed your baby a really good feeding when you get here for your session. If your baby eats every XX amount of hours, I suggest you schedule your feedings so the last feeding before the session is “when you arrive” or “when you leave the house” depending on where you live. If your baby is hungry before it’s time to eat, please do not feel like you have to starve them, just feed them enough to just satisfy them, and then when time to eat you can “top them off” to finish the feeding right before. This instruction isn't huge if you're worried about changing feeding routine, but it's helpful if you're able to work this plan out.
Breastfeeding mommas, what you eat/drink the day before is essential. I know it stinks but please watch anything that could upset baby’s tummy for a full 24 hours before. Dairy, salad, spicy, caffeine, if it hurts your tummy, chances are it hurts theirs. A gassy baby is a wrapped baby in my book and I know you’re not excited to have all wrapped shots in your photos because looking at all these poses are making you ooooohh and aaaaaahh for your own photos. While some babies are still gassy despite our efforts, we can cause the gas ourselves and we don't want to do that. I’ve worked with many gassy babies in the past and have gotten tons of shots but they may not have as many poses as a baby whose tummy is settled. Let’s just try our best to do what we can for happy tummies and we should be golden come session time.
If you are bringing formulas or pumped bottles, bring extra. Honestly this is a good rule for everything. As I like to say, bring extra for your extra. You can never be too prepared when you’re away from home. Usually bring 5 diapers when you go somewhere, bring 10. Have a paci, bring an extra. You don't want to worry or stress if you're running low on something and have to make a Wal-Mart stop. Don't forget those wipes!
Even if your baby does not take a pacifier, bring one. This can make the difference from a 3 hour session and a 5 hour session and I promise for the very small time we will be using it, your baby will not be developing any long lasting habits. For a 3 hour session I will probably use it a total of 10 minutes to soothe baby into a position. I’m not too keen on a 5 hour session and I’m pretty certain you’re not either. You will not be forced to use a paci if you are uncomfortable with it, but I do suggest bringing one in case you see that baby is unsettled and wished you would've brought one. If you are certain you don't want to use it, of course we will respect your wishes.
Gas happens and it happens a lot to infants. Your baby may not seem like a gassy baby, but they don't become alert enough to feel gas to keep them awake until they age a bit. They sleep through quite a lot in the first week, but at some point that gas is going to rear its ugly head. I suggest picking up some infant gas drops at your local store. I have spoken to doctors who confirm it is safe to give to newborns every 15 minutes. I ask that you give your baby a dose every feeding from when they wake in the morning and bring them to your session to use for each feeding during the session. After the session you can do whatever you want. A gassy baby is the most difficult to pose. Even if your baby has never had gas problems, I still suggest giving them to your baby day of session. Always give them right before they eat to break up any air bubbles when they feed.
Have you ever seen a baby love to get their clothes on and off? Yeah me neither, so a sleeper that buttons or snaps will keep baby nice and happy when we remove it for pictures.
Of course, BUT there are some need to knows. Some babies become unsettled when momma is in the room, especially if you're breastfeeding. The reasoning is because baby smells you, knows you, and they know you bring the food! I know this sounds hokey, but there is something to this because I've seen it over and over again. Baby smells you, remembers they aren't eating and want to eat constantly. This is really on a baby by baby basis though. Some babies have their mommas in the room the entire session and sleep without any issues. If baby becomes unsettled and they have eaten, been changed, and everything seems to be fine, I may ask you to leave the room to see if they are smelling you. Just a heads up if I ask you to leave the room that this is the reasoning and you aren't required to leave if you want to remain in the room. But if you're ok stepping out, it might help baby to settle and continue posing. You are welcome to take a much needed nap while you wait.
Accessories 
One prop is included in each session upon
When I mention the term "blanket" this is what baby lays on during posing and the main color you see baby surrounded by, like baby here laying on the green blanket on the left and the cream blanket on the right. I usually suggest picking a color for one and a neutral for the other. Lots of people want to pick two colors cause they love color! But I suggest the neutral for two reasons.
1) Neutrals are always classic and timeless
2) If you print your photos to display in your home or gift the picture to a family member who will display it, neutral will coordinate with any room. After all, don’t you want to display your pictures for all to see?
A couple things to think about when picking a color. Baby can be either cool toned or warm toned and certain colors will compliment their skintone while others will be unflattering. You may already know of colors that they look good in!
If baby is jaundice or red, there will be some colors I will absolutely discourage as it will be harsh and only accentuate that color cast. I will tone down some of those jaundice/red tones, but you can’t take it completely away as it will cause them to look “ghost-like”. So we want to be strategic in picking the best colors/neutrals for your baby. I will help you when picking the best colors for their skintone while also thinking of the colors in your home, baby’s nursery to work seamlessly against your walls.
I do my own posing for family shots, but if there is something specific you want to do/capture, please let me know in detail day of so I can get your vision in picture.
Limited Family
Don't worry with outfits for baby, many baby clothes do not photograph well. I have many wraps in several colors to match your own clothing colors. For everyone else I say to stick to pretty muted colors and tones. No stripes or words on shirts. No neon or bold colors. No bright whites or black (this is loose) a lot of people choose this but sometimes it’s harsh against baby’s skin. A more flattering neutral would be creams, tans, browns, or grays. Plaids or small prints look nice as long as only one person is wearing it. Too many patterns and prints on different family members is very distracting. All these are suggestions and not rules but I promise these will create more flattering images. If you don’t have anything like this, don’t stress just bring what you have. For more detailed advice on picking clothing colors, etc. you can check out our "What to Expect" magazine by clicking the icon below. Check out page 10 for clothing tips.