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Preparing for your Outdoor Newborn Session

In so many ways, I approach your outdoor newborn session in a really similar way to an in-home session.  With the start of the pandemic, many families weren’t comfortable having someone come into their home, and I did several sessions outdoors.  You know what? I absolutely LOVED them!  Here are a few tips if you’re considering heading to the great outdoors for your newborn session:

  1. Pack your bag.  Since you won’t be home (and even if we’ll just be in your yard, it’s a lot easier to have things at hand rather than going in and out), it’s vitally important that you bring all the things you think you might need.  This is not the time for packing light.  
    1. At least one change of clothes for everyone (parents and siblings included — you never know when there might be an ill-timed spit-up incident!). 
    2.  Plenty of diapers — many babies I work with go through several diaper changes over the course of a newborn session.  
    3. If you’re bottle feeding, make sure you bring several bottles’ worth of supplies.  If you’re breastfeeding, make sure your outfits are breastfeeding-friendly.  If you’re not quite sure yet what that means, please reach out — I spent a decade breastfeeding between my three kids and am happy to offer tips for outfit features that make it easy and comfortable to nurse wherever you are.  
    4. If your baby takes a pacifier (it’s totally fine if they don’t!!) bring several — you never know when a pacifier will fall on the ground.
  2. Plan ahead of time what heirloom items you might want to incorporate into your session.  Since you won’t be at home, you’ll need to bring these items with you to the session and we can’t last-minute grab something the way we can at home.  
  3. Think about the weather.  When babies are nice and cozy warm, they’re happiest and are at their best for portraits.  This is why for in-home newborn sessions I recommend cranking the heat to 80-85 degrees.  These outdoor newborn sessions work best in warmer months of the year (I almost said summer, but May this year has had a bunch of days in this range!).  We’ll schedule during golden hour or find spots with good shade so you don’t have to worry about baby getting too much direct sun. 
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