Bringing Your Newborn Home is a Big Deal

If you’re a regular reader of the blog, you might’ve noticed that I like to start things off by talking about what a big deal the milestone you’re celebrating is! But I want to make sure you know that I’m not trying to be a broken record – I just am ACTUALLY that excited for you, because the things you’re doing? They ARE a big deal!!

Especially when it comes to bringing home your new little one! As a Mom myself I get all the feelings you’re having (or that you’re going to have, if you haven’t welcomed your new family member yet!)

Choosing When and Where to Take Them is ALSO a Big Deal

Once you DO have your little one home, if that hasn’t happened yet, there are all kinds of magical moments coming for you. And also some stressful ones – I won’t lie to you. One of the stressful ones, can be deciding when to take your little one where after they’ve come home. How many visitors should they have? How much hand sanitizer should everyone use before they hold them? (Unless it’s not your first… if you know, you know…)

And all of this is ESPECIALLY true while so many bugs are going around. I completely get it – you want to protect your little one. That is 100% your right, and I support you wholly in it. Having said that… I also think you deserve to have gorgeous newborn photos of your little one, and if you want to have those taken in studio, that’s going to mean venturing out with your kiddo to somewhere that isn’t the pediatrician’s office.

You’ve got Options, Mama!

But in case you didn’t already know, there are different location options we can work with for your Minneapolis newborn photo session, so that you can have the best of all possible worlds, if you want! You can choose to have your newborn photo session taken here in my Minneapolis studio, or… you can choose to have your newborn session scheduled as a LIFESTYLE newborn session!

Lifestyle newborn photo sessions take place in your home, which means your photographer comes to YOU. So you don’t have to worry about taking your newborn to a place you’ve never been to. If that’s something you’re concerned about, you have options! This is among the many things your newborn photographer wants you to know before you book… and we’re getting into detail about it today!

The Newborn Prep guides Have a Lot of Information

There are a ton of reasons to have your newborn session in the studio. But there are ALSO a ton of reasons to have your newborn session in your home! There are pros and cons on both sides, just like with so many other things you’ll encounter with your new little one. And I’ve already put together an ultimate prep guide for newborn sessions, as well as an ultimate prep guide for lifestyle newborn sessions, so you can take a look at those for the full details you’ll need to keep in mind ahead of each session type.

But I wanted to go through some of the key questions to ask yourself if you’re choosing between in-studio newborn sessions, and lifestyle newborn sessions, because like I’ve said – it’s a big decision!

The Biggest Differences:

To leave, or not to leave

Obviously there’s the core difference that I’ve already touched on, which is for in-studio newborn sessions, you have to come into the studio with your new baby. For some families, that’s not a problem at all, and they actually feel it’s important for baby to get out into the world in their first few weeks. But not every family takes that approach! For some, it’s practically unimaginable to think about taking their new little one anywhere but the doctor in their first few weeks.

Lifestyle newborn photo sessions help bridge that gap, because it means you can have magical, gorgeous images of your little one, without having to leave home! And since it’s your house… while your photographer is there, they’ll follow your rules. What I mean to say, is if you’re having family members or visitors follow any specific sanitation rules, or having them wear masks – just let your photographer know, and they will absolutely do whatever they can to make sure you’re comfortable with their presence in your home! I know I do, no matter what. If you want me to pop on a mask, that’s what I’ll do!!

To clean, or not to clean

From a preparation perspective, one of the other big differences between having a session in-studio and having it in your home, is the “cleaning” aspect of things. Obviously, if you’re coming into the studio for your newborn session, you don’t have to worry about cleaning your home, because your home won’t be in the photos.

However, for a lifestyle newborn session… you might feel like you want to spend some time tidying before your photographer comes to see you. The things in your home will be in your final images – so if there are dishes on the counter and you want images in the kitchen, then… there will be dishes on the counter. Now there’s another side to this though, because sometimes “authenticity” is a little messy.

It really depends on how you want your first few weeks of parenthood (or parenthood of this new addition!) documented. You might WANT some of the chaos in the images. And in that case, you don’t have to feel as pressured to clean! At the end of the day, your newborn photos are about you, and your baby. They’re not about meeting a specific aesthetic, or standard. But before you decide whether you’re going to have your session in studio or in your home, ask yourself how much you’ll feel pressured to clean, and whether you WANT to do that cleaning.

Outfits, and Props, and Sets, Oh my!

Another big difference between sessions that take place in my Minneapolis studio and ones that take place in clients homes, is access to outfits, and props, and sets. Now, I keep some things in the studio to use in sessions, from maternity sessions with my closet of gowns, to cradles and other props for newborn. And before in-studio sessions, I take some time to pull those together for you and your family, to ensure that you’re going to get gorgeous imagery that matches your vision.

When your session takes place in your home, we have access to everything you have there – baby’s clothes, their comfort items. But we don’t have access to the things in the studio, so there’s a trade-off there! And when it comes to the session itself, it’s up to you which you prefer from an aesthetic perspective.

Ultimately, it’s up to you

The choices you make for your family are YOUR choices, and YOU get to make them. That includes where you do, and don’t take your baby in their first few weeks! But whether you want to take your little one out of your home or not, you absolutely deserve to have amazing images of their tiny cheeks, and tiny eyelashes, and tiny fingernails. Those details are so fleeting, and even though I know you’ve got a camera in your pocket all the time – you deserve professional images of your little one.

If you’re still torn on whether you’d like to have your newborn session at home, or in studio, reach out! We can talk through the details, and figure out what’s going to be the best match for you and your little one! And as always… congratulations, Mama!