How to Prepare for Your Newborn Session
A light tidy, a fed baby, and a comfortable you. That's the entire prep list.
This guide walks through the four things worth thinking about before your session — your space, your baby, yourself, and a few practical odds and ends. Read what's relevant, skip what isn't.
01 · Your Space
For in-home sessions:
A deep clean is not part of this. I've been in a lot of houses, and yours is fine. What we actually need is a quick tidy of the rooms we'll be using — usually the primary bedroom, the living room, and the nursery if you have one.
What that looks like:
Primary bedroom: Bed made (or close to it), surfaces mostly clear, blinds open. This is often where the softest light is.
Living room: Surfaces mostly clear, toys put away or piled in one spot, anything overly bright or busy moved out of the frame (think: laundry hampers, that one chair with the cluttered side table).
Nursery (if applicable): Crib or bassinet ready in case we use it, surfaces clear. Most parents have already nested in here, which is usually enough.
General: Open blinds in any room we're shooting in — natural light is the goal. Turn off overhead lights right before I arrive (they create odd color casts in photos).
Temperature: Set the house to 76–78°F. Babies stay calm when they're warm.
What you genuinely don't need to do:
Deep clean any room outside the ones above
Vacuum, mop, or scrub anything
Apologize for clutter when I walk in (it will happen anyway and I will tell you to stop)
Buy a new throw blanket, candle, or wall art for the photos
At the studio? Spark Studios in Huntington Beach is fully set up — neutral backdrops, warm lighting, props, and wraps all there. You don't have to prep a space at all. Just show up with your baby, feeding supplies, and any meaningful outfits you want to include.
02 · Your Baby
There's no exact formula for prepping a newborn, but a few things help.
Feeding: A baby who has eaten close to the session start tends to be the most relaxed. If you bottle-feed, time a feed for about 30 minutes before I arrive. If you breastfeed, plan for a feed right before we start (and another mid-session if needed). Hungry babies don't photograph well, and that's okay — we just pause and feed.
Wake windows: Don't worry about timing a perfect nap. The session is built to flex around whatever your baby is doing. If they sleep through most of it, great. If they're awake and alert, also great.
The morning of: Keep things low-key. No big outings, no overstimulating environments. A bath an hour or so before isn't necessary but can help calm fussy babies.
Diapers and outfit changes: Bring extras. Blowouts happen, spit-up happens, and we work around all of it.
03 · Yourself
This is the part most clients skip past, and it matters more than the rest.
Eat something before the session. Whatever you can manage. Sessions are 2 hours, and being hungry on top of being postpartum is unkind to yourself.
Drink water. Same reason.
Wear what's already laid out from the wardrobe guide. Don't try a new outfit you haven't tested. You should be able to sit, kneel, and hold your baby in whatever you're wearing without thinking about it.
Don't feel pressure to "feel ready." Almost no mom does. The photos that come out of this stage of your life have a softness and depth that no other stage does. You don't have to look ready. You don't have to be ready. You just have to be there.
If you're a few weeks postpartum and reading this wondering whether you should even be doing photos right now, the answer is yes. Future you will be glad past you showed up.
04 · A Few Other Things
Siblings: If you have older kids, have someone available to help — a partner, grandparent, or sitter. Sibling shots happen first, usually in the first 20–30 minutes, so they can be done early and go play. Snacks, a tablet, and bribes of any kind are all fair game.
Pets: If you want your pet in a few shots, brush them the day before and have someone available to help corral them. Most pets are calm around newborns, but having a backup human helps if they get curious mid-session.
Partners: Your partner doesn't need to prep anything. They might be nervous about being photographed. Tell them that I'll guide every part of it, and that the most important thing they can do is just be present with the baby.
If you've been sick: Let me know as soon as possible so we can reschedule. Same goes if anyone in your household has been sick. We'd rather move the date than push through.