Our one-hour mini newborn session is a condensed version of the original newborn session in which we will work quickly yet carefully to achieve the best poses we can during our time together.  Mini newborn sessions typically include three different setups.  During this hour, your newborn may or may not want to sleep.  I have had many mini newborns sleep the entire time of our session, and others that have not wanted to miss a beat, and choose to stay up for the entire session.  Please keep in mind that as our time is very short, and newborns are so sweet, yet so unpredictable, I cannot guarantee that they will sleep in order to get those ‘sleepy’ poses for our session. What if your little one won’t sleep?  That’s ok!  I prepare all three of my ‘mini stations’ for both options – sleepy or awake.  As an example, I would have my beanbag and blanket picked out and ready for your sleepy newborn to be posed in the ‘froggy’ or ‘taco’ pose, and if baby is awake, a swaddle will be within arm’s reach to position baby in a ‘cocoon’ with his or her legs, toes and fingers either covered or peeking through, depending on your baby’s comfort level.  My main goal is to keep your infant happy and cozy during our session! The following preparation recommendations are extremely important in ensuring that we achieve a good variety of poses during our short time together. Ideally, we aim to have baby remain asleep during the entirety of the session, as intricate posing can be achieved with a sleeping baby. Please arrive at the studio FIFTEEN minutes prior to your scheduled session time. This is important as the extra time will allow you to undress baby, get him/her comfortable with the studio and to also ‘top off’ baby with food to ensure a full and happy tummy. Please be sure to feed baby FULLY right before leaving from your home to come to the studio. It is important that baby be fully fed – we want baby to be ‘Thanksgiving Day Full’ to ensure a happy and comfortable sleep and session. The use of a pacifier during our session may help our session run more smoothly, in the event that baby might need additional soothing during our session. A pacifier will help a baby that might not be hungry but needs to be soothed back to a comfortable sleep. I strongly recommend bringing one along to our session. The use of a parent’s finger as a pacifier is not recommended as hands tend to get in the way of posing. Here is a great blog post that I put together showcasing two cutie pies during their mini newborn session.  One stayed awake, one was asleep.  Both were adorable!

Your newborn is brand new to the world, and can’t use words to explain how they feel.  Your little one might feel hungry, might need some comforting, or have a bit of tummy troubles during our newborn photography session.  These are all normal and common things, and through my years of experience with babies, I have learned the best ways to comfort and soothe your newborn in times of fussiness.  I have written a great blog post that has been featured on BabyCenter, and it is a great little article to read for first time parents looking for some ideas to soothe their little one in general.  You can read up on my calming techniques here.