So you have a toddler, and you just had a new baby. And you want to book a newborn session. Now what?

So glad you found me, I’m a lifestyle family and newborn photographer in Washington, DC and lifestyle newborn sessions are my jam!

When a family contacts me to book a newborn sessions, sometimes I get questions like - will you take portraits of the baby? Will you photograph my other child? What if my baby is awake? When should we schedule? I wrote a little blog post here for you called Frequently Asked Questions Newborn Session questions and it’s linked there!

In this blog post, there are a few things I want you to know about your newborn session with a toddler.

Newborn sessions are flexible

I don’t have super high expectations for toddlers, especially when they are competing for their parent’s attention. If the toddler needs time to warm up, we will start with photos of your newborn and then give the toddler time to get interested.

And vice versa if the newborn is needing comfort I will start with portraits of the toddler. There’s always something special to photograph during your lifestyle session!

If the baby is comfortable and happy, we will take portraits of the baby. Does your baby prefer to be held? That’s okay too - I’ll have you hold baby while I get family photos and portraits of the baby in your arms.

I will engage with your toddler to get their trust!

I don’t ever want your toddler to think that the session is about the baby. As a lifestyle photographer, I focus on the whole family. I will introduce myself to your toddler and usually ask them to show me their room or some of their favorite toys. And I’m not above singing children’s songs to get them excited.

Sometimes it’s helpful to give the toddler a job such as getting a blanket, or showing their toy to their sibling.

Photos from your newborn session should be natural

Some families are quiet and cuddly, some families are busy and playful. Sometimes the baby wants to eat a lot and sometimes the baby wants to sleep a lot. Sometimes the older one is having a bit of hard time. These sessions are so important as well as powerful.

Your photos will be a natural representation of what happened during your session. If your toddler wants absolutely nothing to do with the camera, we certainly won’t be making your child sit and smile. BUT if they want to be held, I will photograph them with family members. We can’t photograph what didn’t happen!

Newborn sessions are a bit longer than a family session

A lot of the time the newborn will need to feed or be comforted during the session so we allocate around 1.5-2 hours for these shoots. I find it gives us more time to go with the flow and not rush things. It also gives more time to give attention to play with the toddler!

We can’t guarantee any of those “pinterest inspiration” photos (but we can try)

Once your session is confirmed, you will complete a brief questionnaire for me to learn more about your family, names of family members, etc. If there are any photo ideas you have in mind, we will definitely try to get them, however these can’t be guaranteed. Sometimes the newborn and toddler will absoloutely not allow it. BUT good news is we will get very special photos of your family that might not be able to be replicated by another family. Cool right?

If you’re doing this session at home, there are several amazing areas to use!

This can be your toddler’s room, the baby’s room, the kitchen, living room, and/or playroom! For these, we spent a lot of time in the master room, nursery, family room, and we finished the session outside.

Your home is so special and it might not look the same way in 5 years.

Let’s start telling your story!