The who, where, when, why and what of Newborn Photography
Welcome to the information station where I try to answer all of your questions.
General Questions
Is Newborn Photography Safe?
Your baby is precious and the responsibility that you have for this little human is immense so naturally you want to know : Is newborn Photography Safe?
Newborn photography is a luxury experience, and you only get once chance to capture those early days as once they are gone you will never get that time back.
You want to be sure that you capture all those little details and the cuteness of that new curled up baby that you have carried and cherished for months and taking the time to research your photographer before your baby is born would be a wise thing to do.
Newborn photography can be undertaken safely by a professional photographer that has been trained in and uses safe practices to pose and care for your baby while you are at their studio.
Not all people that profess to be a photographer have been trained even in the basics of photography never mind the specialism that is required to be a newborn photographer so do your checks and be specific asking about whether your photographer is qualified and trained just to be on the safe side.
Being a parent themselves, isn’t a pre-requisite or a qualification in itself for being a newborn photographer, many newborn photographer’s do not have children and the handling for posing a baby isn’t something naturally acquired from being a parent. Posing is a taught skill, as is soothing and settling your baby for the session. Believe me, I wish I knew then what I know now as a newborn photographer when I had my children!!
It’s a good idea to ask for a referral from someone who has had newborn photography done and see if they were happy with not just the photographs but also how baby was handled.
Many people however refer on price, a good newborn photographer will not be cheap, the training alone and upkeep of certification takes time and financial investment in keeping that training current.
So yes, newborn photography is safe with correct handling by a trained and appropriately qualified photographer who maintains safe working practices and a clean studio. It is also wise to use a photographer who holds a paediatric first aid certificate; this shows they have gone the extra mile and take the safety of your little one very seriously indeed.
When is the best time to have Newborn Photographs done?
Day 7 is usually the absolute best, although any time up to 14 days works too.
Babies are best photographed when they are fresh and new and still curled up and cosy in the position they were in mummy’s tummy.
We have worked with baby’s from 4 days old to three months and created fabulous images from all those ages, however, certain poses are only done safely while your baby sleeps, so if you really want those early pictures , reserve a floating date for your shoot well in advance.
Safety First
Pediatric First Aid
Let’s face it, these little people are so new to us and there are lots of what ifs? It is the most wonderful, yet scary time , all of a sudden the little one you have been nurturing for 40 weeks inside your tummy has arrived and along with that arrival a whole host of even more responsibility.
As a part of our newborn safety awareness mission, we feel it is important to know what you can do to help your baby in a time of need. You can help yourself by attending a first aid course for parents, or downloading an app to turn to if you need to.
The Red Cross offer a free baby and child first aid app for Android or Apple and you can find out more about it here.
https://www.redcross.org.uk/first-aid/first-aid-apps#baby
Sandra holds a current certificate in Paediatric first aid.