You may be wondering how to keep a newborn asleep for their portrait session. There are no guarantees of course. Newborns are going to do whatever their instincts tell them, but there are some things parents can do at home a head of time for a better chance of a sleepy baby!

One tip is to keep baby awake for 1-2 hours before the session. It’s important though that you don’t keep them awake longer. Newborns need to sleep and if they are awake for too long they may become over tired and really hard to settle! 1 - 2 hours is the ideal time!

I just love this simple newborn session that is filled with neutral earth tones for this sweet baby girl! Don’t get me wrong, I do love some bold colors, but I also love the simplicity of neutrals and this little lady really pulled them off! And can we talk about that hair? I get so excited when I see a newborn come into the studio with a head full of hair!

I say this all the time, but it’s so very true! I have the best job ever. Four years ago I photographed this couple’s engagement session and wedding. When they asked me to also photograph their sweet baby girl, needless to say, I was elated! This little lady slept through her entire newborn portrait session. She was such a sweet heart and made my job easy! Although I send parents a complete preparation guide before their newborn session to help keep baby asleep and happy there are never any guarantees. We are all at the mercy of the little ones! One tip for keeping a newborn asleep is to keep the baby awake for 2 hours before your scheduled session, but NOT longer. If a newborn becomes overtired they may have a really hard time settling down and become quite frustrated during their session which is the exact opposite of what we want! A happy baby makes for a great session!