The goal is to capture your baby’s sweet personality and ever-changing details so you have them for a lifetime. Milestone sessions are great for babies 3-10 months of age. 


To help you and your baby prepare for a successful baby milestone session, I have put together some tips and answered a few frequently asked questions for you. These helpful tips will apply to any milestone session, whether it’s a session in-studio or outdoors.


Every baby is different, however we have found that a 35-45 minute session is the perfect session time for a successful baby milestone session. However, we will have plenty of time if we need to shoot longer. Baby’s do have a short attention span and we have found that they tend to become uninterested in the session after around 30 minutes. 


All baby milestone sessions will be baby focused. We can add bubbles, our wooden toys or you can bring along a family heirloom (wooden toys, quilt, etc) to be photographed. We will let your baby play and have fun while we capture all those smiles, playing, crawling, standing, as well as little details like the curl in their hair, the rolls in their thighs, and those cubby little toes. 

THE DAY OF THE SESSION

To set your baby up for a successful session, consider the following tips:

1. Feed your baby a meal or snack before heading in to the studio. A fed baby is a happy baby!

2. Schedule your session preferably right after nap time and when baby is at their happiest time of day. (If you want an outdoor session, this may not be possible due to sunset times).

3. Please wait until you are at the session location to get baby dressed in their outfit. This will ensure that there are no wardrobe accidents prior to the session and will help avoid wrinkles.

4. Avoid bringing toys or “lovies” that you do not want photographed. Once they see their favorite toy, it will be difficult to capture images without it.

5. Consider leaving guests and siblings at home. Baby can become easily distracted by too many people around during the session.

6. If your baby has been sick within 48 hours of the session, please let me know immediately so that we can reschedule. I want your baby to be happy during their session and a sick baby is not a happy baby.

7. Avoid replacing nap time with a nap in the car on the way to the session. Babies who take their nap in the car, are often woken up mid-nap and are not happy. Or they don’t fall asleep in the car like they normally do. I highly suggest doing baby’s normal nap time at home and then coming straight to the session. Schedule the best time of day that your baby is the happiest!

STRANGER ANXIETY

I’ve found that babies as young as 6 months, and definitely as they get closer to one year, can start to feel uneasy around strangers. When you arrive, one of the first things I do is assess how your child reacts to me. Some children have no problems interacting with me and others are immediately leery. Sometimes we can dive right in to the session, and other times we might spend the first 15 minutes playing on the floor, letting them adjust to me and their new environment. Please know that your child’s comfort and happiness is so important to me … so if I am slow to interact with them, this is why.

WHAT TO BRING

In addition to the necessities (diapers, wipes, etc), feel free to bring a favorite blankie to comfort baby. It’s also wise to bring extra milk/formula/drinks and a snack just in case.


TOYS AND PROPS:

I strive to make baby to be the first thing you see in images making images very minimal and timeless which allows the images to be focused on baby rather than the “set up.” When bringing comfort items and toys please only bring items you would like for your baby to be photographed with. If you have a family heirloom or a special “lovie” that you would like photographed with your baby, I would LOVE to find a way to include it in the session

3-5 MONTH SESSION

This session in particular moves very quickly before baby reaches their limit. At this age, baby typically spends a majority of their time being photographed on their backs. We will change setups and outfits to get some variety. We will also try to capture baby on their belly and safely propped in a sitting position – however, not all babies this age are happy in these positions. Either way, I will capture some gorgeous portraits of your growing little one. I bet baby has changed so much in a few short months!


Please know that smiles are not common at this age. I will certainly try my best, but the goal for this milestone session is really to capture their sweet dispositions and how much they’ve grown.


Clothing suggestions: keep things very simple. Solids and simple prints are best to keep the focus on faces. Textures and layers are great to add interest. Avoid neon colors, orange and red near the face, large prints, as well as large, distracting logos. A onesie, a romper, a pair of shorts/pants or bloomers. Layers are tough at this age, so I would avoid anything bulky. I would also avoid collared shirts as they can ride up over baby’s face. Make sure everything you bring fits baby snugly and is not too baggy. I love when clients email me quick pics of outfits so I can plan ahead.

6-10 MONTH SESSION

Baby’s personality is shining through now. You can expect this session to last 30-45 minutes. We typically get through 3 outfits/setups. This is also a great age to feature that beautiful baby skin.


We will feature baby sitting on their own, pushing up, and maybe even crawling. The age a baby masters each of these can vary greatly. Some clients choose to wait until baby is sitting well, and others prefer to capture them at a specific age. I cant wait to see all of the poses they want to show off!


Clothing suggestions: I’d still suggest keeping things pretty simple. Solids and simple prints are best to keep the focus on faces. Textures and layers are great to add interest. Avoid neon colors, orange and red near the face, large prints, as well as large, distracting logos. Bring items that let baby kick and wiggle around comfortably. But make sure clothing fits well and isn’t too large. I love when clients email me quick pics of the outfits they’re bringing so I can plan ahead.

AFTER THE SESSION

Once your milestone session is complete, I will start editing your images. The editing process can take up to 14 days days, although usually less. When finished, I will email you a gallery link where you can choose your images, prints, and/or wall art that you would like to purchase.