Remember how relaxing, calm, and quiet your first lifestyle newborn photography session was? There was lots of baby snuggling, drinking coffee, uninterrupted chatting. It felt like having coffee with a friend who happened to be photographing your sweet newborn baby.
Well now that newborn is a toddler and she’s a big sister!
This time around, your lifestyle newborn photography session is going to feel very different.
I want to be very upfront with that feeling, because it may cause you to worry. Things will be a bit busier this time around. Just going into the session aware will help you relax and know different is not a bad thing, it simply means there is more than one little being to focus on.
You do not need to worry about your toddler.
As a Seattle newborn photographer, I have photographed plenty of families with toddlers. I have also had five toddlers myself. I know what to expect from toddlers, and that is to expect nothing from them. They can be shy, clingy, unsure, or excited, bouncy and on the move. I am prepared for all of it.
Now that you know this, you can relax and just keep that calm mindset. Because when you’re calm and relax you help your little ones feel calm and relaxed.
Your focus may feel split during your lifestyle newborn photography session.
Thinking back to last time, there was just one child to focus on. One child to calm when she cried, to nurse, to tend to. Now you have two. You may feel your focus split between the two. Or more so, you may feel yourself focused more on your toddler “behaving” for your photo session.
But let’s remember one thing…
The type of session you’ve hired a photographer for is a lifestyle newborn photography session.
Of course you want your toddler included. You’re a family.
However, the focus is not really on your toddler, it is on your new baby. There will be plenty of time and photo sessions to focus on the entire family, this one is about your newest member. So relax and rest assured that we will get at least one (I promise there will be more) photo of the entire family.
Getting family photos may feel more playful.
Sometimes with really young children they just do not want to sit still on your lap on the bed to check out their new sibling. They, of course, love their baby sister, but by the time I arrive, the newness has worn off and she’s ready to go back to being the center of attention. That is okay.
For the lifestyle newborn photography session featured in this post, I had mom stand by the window holding her newborn, while dad airplanes big sister into the frame. The long runway into the photo allowed their toddler to forget about the photographer or her baby sister, and let her focus on having fun with dad. This playful act lead to great big, genuine smiles, and a series of family photos they can cherish forever.
My approach to lifestyle newborn photography with toddlers is to get your toddler done so she can play, eat a snack and come back if she wants to.
In the end, I work to make sure your toddler’s time taking photos is used effectively and efficiently. I grab those family photos, sibling shots, and then let her go play or have a snack. Then we focus on baby with mom and baby with dad. Should she wander back in, that’s okay, too.
The beauty of lifestyle newborn photography, is that there is not a set workflow, or a set timeline. Should your child need time to warm up, or calm down, we have it. In the meantime, we can focus on baby.
Feeling better about your lifestyle newborn session with a toddler? Great! Head to my blogs covering all your top questions about Lifestyle Newborn Photo Sessions. Then contact me so you can book your Seattle Area Newborn Photo Session!
