Baby Photography: How to Prepare for Newborn Photos When You Don’t Know Baby’s Gender

Families
For Photographers
Newborns
follow Neyssa Lee

I am Neyssa Lee a Seattle area photographer, mom of 6, planning obsessed, and who help you see the beauty, love and joy, in your own family’s chaos. I also use my super power of time management to help fellow photographers take control of their businesses. Learn more by heading to my ABOUT ME page.

Small Business
What to Wear
Maternity
Motherhood
more categories

Hi, I'm Neyssa

You are booked for (or considering booking) a newborn baby photography session, but you are team green. How can you possibly prepare for what to dress baby in?

“Team Green” means you are not finding out gender, but waiting until birth for the biggest surprise of your life.

As a 6 time team green mama, I have plenty of experience on preparing for newborn baby photography sessions. In fact, with my youngest I had three different options for my family of eight that would have worked beautifully whether my baby was a boy or a girl. (How did I finally decide then? I will have to share that at the end of this post!)

Whether you are considering being team green or just curious about how you would plan without knowing gender, keep reading on how to prepare for your newborn photos when you don’t know baby’s gender!

How to prepare for newborn photos, Neyssa Lee Photography, Seattle newborn photographer, Team Green Tips, Photo of mother with her kids and newborn baby

Select neutrals for your family’s outfits.

As a Seattle newborn photographer I suggest sticking with neutrals for your newborn photo session, Whether or not you know baby’s gender,Neutrals not only photograph beautifully and timelessly, but allow your baby to stand out instead of the clothing. Colors that work well include; tan, grey, black, whites, cream, navy.

A little extra bonus is that newborn baby skin can be redder or slightly jaundiced and some colors can accentuate that color more.

You could also consider colors for your baby photography session that work no matter the gender but that work well with your skin tone and your home. For example, one family wore maroon and navy and it photographed beautifully and worked well with their son (but also would’ve worked well for a baby girl!).

How to prepare for newborn photos, Neyssa Lee Photography, Seattle newborn photographer, Team Green Tips, Photo of big brother holding newborn baby sister

Have one accessory or accent piece for each gender just in case.

I get it, you’ve been waiting for that baby boy and you can’t wait to use plenty of baby blues or a nice navy and white stipe to show him off. Or maybe you have been waiting to dress baby girl in tiny bows. In that case, select a favorite thing for each gender specifically just in case.

I personally had one bow headband that coordinated with our outfits just in case (and surprise, it was a girl!). The headband wasn’t a huge investment in case she was a boy (I could always gift it to a friend) but I had it available when she arrived.

How to prepare for newborn photos, Neyssa Lee Photography, Seattle newborn photographer, Team Green Tips, Photo of family loving on newborn baby girl

Plan ahead and then order a more gender specific outfit once baby is here.

If you’d prefer to wait to purchase anything more specific, simply plan ahead and order once baby has arrived. Since newborn photos take place 5-10 days after baby is born there’s plenty of time for most places to ship something out if you order soon after birth. (And let’s be honest, there’s plenty of time nursing a newborn when you can place a quick order).

How to prepare for newborn photos, Neyssa Lee Photography, Seattle newborn photographer, Team Green Tips, Photo of mother holding newborn baby in her arms

Remember that a baby in a diaper against your chest is always a beautiful, classic look for baby photography sessions.

In the end, a newborn baby in a diaper will photograph beautifully. Having a simple swaddle in case baby gets cold or prefers to be swaddled to settle can help. So there is little need to fret that you cannot have the perfect, most beautiful newborn photos if you are waiting to find out your baby’s gender.

As you can see from this gallery, this team green family had gorgeous photos of their baby girl even though they did not know the gender ahead of time. (See below to scroll though more from their gallery to get a full feel of their newborn baby photography session).

And I’m sure you’re still dying to know how I decided on my own family’s outfits for our newborn photo session. After looking at three options I had put together, I went with the one that fit the best. Once baby was here I tried on my tops and looked at which one I felt most beautiful and comfortable in!.

Expecting and ready to book your newborn baby photography session?

Contact me with your due date and we will get you on my calendar. Then I can help you start to prepare for a newborn photo session you’ll cherish forever.

Looking for inspiration for a lifestyle newborn photography session? Look no further than the newborn session of my blog.

Newborn with big sister nearby
Baby photography of newborn in dads arms
Photo of sister touching tiny toes by Snoqualmie newborn photographer
Photo of mom kissing swaddled newborn
Swaddled baby  by Snoqualmie photographer Neyssa Lee
lifestyle baby photography of baby in plain white onesie grabbing for her toes on master bed
photo of baby in dad's arms with mom nearby during Snoqualmie newborn photos
Newborn Toes as baby is held against dad's chest

Comments +

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *