“is my baby too old for newborn photos?”
My short answer, “no!” – but I will say go ahead and book that session now!
As a newborn photographer in OKC, I get this is a question from time to time. “is 3 weeks too old for newborn photos?” or “can we do newborn photos at 1 month”? When a family realizes that all of sudden their baby has been here for a month and they totally forgot about scheduling photos! Or maybe your little one has had to spend time in the NICU or had to be treated for jaundice. Or maybe you had breastfeeding or feeding issues and the lack of sleep and stress means that a newborn session is the last thing on your mind! Or maybe a rough birth and you need to recover! There are so many different reasons why you might not want to have a session as soon as you get home from the hospital.
No, your baby is not too old for newborn photos. No, you aren’t late for newborn baby photos. The idea behind the question is baby is too old for newborn photos comes from the studio newborn sessions.
Though I will encourage you to book while pregnant so you can have your spot guaranteed. 🙂 Also one less thing to think about after baby arrives! But book now – whether you are pregnant, your baby just arrived or your little one is almost 10 weeks old!
Why many photographers say newborn photos HAVE to be done in the first 10 days….
Most studio newborn photographers will tell you that newborn photos have to be done in the first 14 days. They really want you in there in the first 3-10 days if at all possible. The reason for this is because they need the little one to be quite sleepy and pliable to form into different positions for the studio style. They want to be able to snuggle them tight and feed them a bunch so they sleep. Some will take your baby up to 3 weeks or so but they keep a gold standard of under 10 days at best. So when you ask them is my baby too old for newborn photos and they say yes – go find another photographer!
A related post to check out – when is the best time to take newborn photos?
But if you choose a lifestyle newborn photo session this means we have SO much flexibility as to when your session happens.
Because posing is natural and baby led, a session can happen anytime within those first few months. I recommend between 1-3 weeks just for those tiny details but I also love those little 6-8 week old littles and older. Once they’ve passed that one month stage their personality starts to blossom! Lifestyle newborn sessions are about the little details, the storytelling, the parts of life tell us this season is beautiful, hard and going by so fast.
In my baby-led newborn photography I also do NOT encourage you to overfeed or overheat your baby because the baby has to sleep for the photos. An awake baby is perfect for a lifestyle session. (Also a lifestyle newborn photo session doesn’t have rules! It’s unique, it’s beautiful to you and your family!)
Read: what to expect at a newborn lifestyle session
What to expect from a session with an older newborn?
A lot of snuggles, grins and interaction. Babies who are in the 1-3 month stage might decide not to sleep for as much or any of the session but we will likely get those grins and full personality. They are starting to interact and be apart of things. They are awake and curious to the world.
Another precious part is those delicious little baby rolls. By 6 weeks your little one has filled out quite a bit and you get to have photos of all that precious goodness. (I mean come on is there anything more adorable??)
Take a look at this darling newborn that was nearing his 9 week birthday. So much beauty, life and story with parents that were madly in love with their precious new baby.
No, a baby that is older than 2 weeks is not a baby too old for newborn photos!
And whenever you do actually have your newborn photo done they will be special and unique for your family. No baby is too old for photos – truth is no human is too old for photos!
Sharing my work and others is an inspiration…when you have a chance check out Michele Quattrin’s beautiful work as she shares a lovely In Home Newborn Experience on her blog.
Hey! Charis here, the OKC family & newborn photographer behind this site and would love to serve your family! Find out more about me here or look into a session details and let’s book a session!
