Sessions with Newborns Older than 2-3 weeks

Do you have newborn older than 2 weeks and been told that he or she is too old for newborn photography? Have no fear! I am here! These are actually some of my favorite sessions!

There are many reasons why some people wait until their baby is a little bit older to do a newborn session. Some mamas need a little more time for recovery, I know I did with my first baby. Often babies are in the hospital for longer than expected. The list goes on and on for reasons to wait, and it’s really no big deal if we do photos later. In fact, some of my favorite sessions have been between 4-12 weeks old!

While most newborn photography sessions focus on capturing the newborn within the first two weeks of life, photographing an older newborn, around 4 to 12 weeks old, will still give you beautiful and amazing results. I just want to set expectations as to what to expect because things are done a little differently than a baby 2 weeks and younger and some of the photos that you may see on the internet may not be possible at this age.

Fully wrapped

For most newborns at any age, getting them wrapped up tight and making them warm will get them in a wonderfully sleepy state. For babies under 2 weeks, they often fall into a deeper sleep than babies over 2 weeks. Older babies are also stronger. Because of this, I may not be able to get them as posed with hands under their chin or in a naked pose as they may break out of the pose and take longer to get into that deep sleep. But we can usually still get them wrapped, cozy and sleepy. These wrapped photos look natural and sweet. Many people prefer this style of pose over the more common poses you may see all over pinterest even at the younger stage. Wrapped poses are classic while some other poses out there are more trendy and may not look as natural over the generations. I often even do fully wrapped poses for the younger newborns, especially the more sensitive ones who don’t like me messing with their hands or being naked.

Open Eyes and Beautiful Expressions

Since older newborns can often be more alert, we may get some open eyed shots and even some sweet smiles and facial expressions. This is a great chance to document your baby’s eyes, which may even change color down the road. This also give us a chance to capture some endearing facial expressions and subtle interactions with their surroundings as they lay awake, but comfortable. This is the time that their little personalities are starting to show!

Natural Poses

For older newborns, we do more poses laying on his or her back and wrapped or in an outfit of your choice. This phase of life is less posed but often gives you results that are more true to your baby as they looking more like themselves and showing more of their personality at this age.

Patience

If you do prefer your baby to be sleeping in the photos, at least in some of them, be prepared for it to take possibly take a little longer. It doesn’t mean it will, but since they are stronger and more alert, falling asleep can sometimes take a little while. But my studio is warm and full of drinks and snacks. I have a rocking chair and nursing pillow. My house is just behind the studio, so if you need to take some extra time to feed your baby to get him or her sleepy, there is no rush.

All of the babies in the photos in this post were 4-12 weeks old. You can see that adorable photos are possible at any age, so don’t stress if you didn’t get photos done early on. I’ve got you covered!

If your baby hasn’t been born yet and you are still deciding on which age you would like to capture, here are 7-14 day old newborn examples. Basically, any pose with baby on his or her tummy with hands underneath their chin or cheek are best done in the first few weeks. As they get older, they get stronger and more alert and break out of this pose too easily and also are harder to get in a deep enough sleep to do these poses.