What to Wear for your Newborn Photography Session

You’ve booked your lifestyle newborn photography session with me, hooray! Now…what are you going to wear?? Don’t worry – I am here to help! While you can’t really wear the “wrong” thing, there are a few tips I give to all of my clients that helps narrow down their wardrobe.

1. Be comfortable – first of all, you’ve just delivered a baby. Depending on how soon after delivery we meet, you may still be recovering or healing. Please make sure that your clothes are comfortable to wear. If they aren’t, you will be able to see that in your photos. For some new moms comfort means a loose fitting maxi dress. For others that means a tunic and leggings. You do you!

2. Coordinate with other family members – this is the same rule that I use for family photography sessions. If you have other little ones or perhaps a grandparent or two that will be in the photos, try and make sure your clothes coordinate, but aren’t matchy-matchy. This might look like picking on accent color (such as blue or pink) or maybe everyone is in neutrals. I strongly suggest staying away from everyone wearing the same matching top and bottoms. It will look very dated. 1-2 neutrals and 1-2 accent colors are my go-to color combinations.

3. Dress up…or dress down – some mama’s that I work with like to get a little glammed up for their newborn session. You should feel like the goddess that you are! They are so many amazing maternity boutiques that can help you find something dressy yet comfortable for your photographs. Other new moms just want to be comfortable, and that’s ok too! Comfort wear for new mom’s doesn’t have to mean slobby. A simple t-shirt with leggings or maxi dress can look amazing and provide ultimate comfort. For Dad’s – casual button down shirts, polos, a well fitting t-shirt or a henley all look great and are easy wearing.

4. Consider the style and decor of your home – if you plan on framing or displaying any of your newborn photographs in your home, you should take into account the decor of your home when picking out what to wear. If you wear a bright, bold outfit but the decor of your home is neutral, you might find that the photographs don’t fit in. Do you have mostly blue tones in your house? Consider blue, greens or purples, which all go nicely with each other. If your home is light, bright and airy, you’ll likely want your clothing to match that aesthetic.

5. When in doubt, stick with neutrals – I get it, planning your outfits after you’ve just had a baby can, can be hard! When in doubt, wear something neutral. Whites, creams, tan, grays, blues, black and beige are wonderful neutral colors that look great together. You really can’t go wrong. Neutral colors also give more focus on your new baby and the love that your family has for each other.

6. Tips for baby – your newborn is going to be the star of the show for their photo session. I highly suggest wrapping them in a favorite swaddle before I get there. I adore taking photographs of brand new babies either wrapped in a swaddle or partially nude. That way I can easily document all of their adorable newborn features (fingers, toes, squishy belly, etc). If you prefer them dressed, a neutral, well fitting onesie can also look great. A lot of onesies can be big on a newborn, so make sure to have newborn size and 0-3 month options on hand.

BONUS TIP – If your time and budget allow, a hair and makeup artist can be an excellent addition to your newborn session. It doesn’t mean you have to get totally glammed up with gobs of makeup and a big hairdo, no. It can be as simple as some fresh, natural makeup and a beautiful blowout. I must stress that this is absolutely not necessary. So many of my mothers opt to do this themselves and they are still glowing and beautiful. But if you want or need a little extra pampering to feel your best, this is an excellent way to do that.

I hope these tips help you and take some of the stress away from figuring out what to wear for your newborn photography session. All of my clients are welcome to send me photographs of clothing options and I am more than happy to help you figure out the details of your outfits. When in doubt, set a few options out the morning of your session and we can decide together once I get there.