What is the best age to photograph a newborn?

What is the best age for newborn photos?

The best age to photograph a newborn is between 7-14 days. This is when babies are at their smallest and sleepiest as the sleepier babies are, the easier it is to achieve the curled-up poses.

Earlier than 7 days can be too soon if a mum is breastfeeding as it can sometimes take a week for their milk to come through. Also, I think it’s nice for new parents to embrace those first few days on their own with their new baby as life can get pretty hectic.

Can newborn photos be taken after 2 weeks old?

Absolutely. Whilst an older baby may be more alert, stay awake for longer periods or push themselves out of certain positions, it’s also possible that older babies, say at 5 weeks old, are more settled in their feeding and sleeping routine than a younger baby so there are advantages both sides.

I personally take the same approach to photographing newborn babies up to 5 weeks old so I wouldn’t hesitate in booking a newborn session for parents at this age.

As my newborn posing is natural and I don’t use props, there’s less “urgency” in some ways for the two-week slot. I find parents love to have photos taken of their newborn whilst they are at their smallest and, as babies grow and change so quickly, this is a lovely way to capture your baby when they are so young.

However, as I say to all parents, no two newborn sessions are the same because every baby is individual in their feeding and sleep routines (if they have one!).

Can newborn photos be taken after 5 weeks old?

Yes but your baby may not be in the same posed positions as those babies under 5 weeks old. If your baby is 5-8 weeks old, your baby is likely to push themselves out of some poses. However, it’s not unheard of for babies of this age to still be posed and it very much depends on your baby at the time of the photoshoot.

I’m happy to allocate the same amount of time if your baby is between 5-8 weeks old to see if it’s possible to achieve them but I set parents’ expectations that this may not be possible. If you would like to see what photos are achievable after the 5-week stage, please read my blog post Is it too late for Newborn Photos.