How to prepare your older child for your newborn session
Updated: Aug 11
Remember, if they’ve been the only child up until this point, their world has been completely rocked with the arrival of their sibling. They may act out or want nothing to do with getting the photoshoot so here are a few tips to help.
1. Get them to help out with the baby as much as possible such as getting you the changing for nappy changes, helping hold the bottle when feeding, helping get baby dressed so that they can connect more to the newborn.
2. Practice having your older child lay down on the floor with their arms around baby. Tell them to pretend to go to sleep as well as giving little kisses to their baby.
3. Try to have a stress free morning before the shoot. I know this is hard but toddlers (and also newborns) can feed off of the energy of adults so if you are running around frazzled beforehand, the chances of your toddler acting up will increase.
4. Make sure you child is well rested and fed before coming to the studio. Bring plenty of snacks and toys to keep your child occupied. (I advise bringing along screens such as phones and iPads as we can keep them with your toddler/child when it’s time to have photos).
5. Have no expectations. This is a tough one as us photographers know how important it is to get that beautiful shot of your children together but we can’t force your child to lay down or sit next to the baby. We can pull out all the tricks in the book but if your older child or children end up screaming then it’s game over.
