Newborn Photos With a Toddler Sibling: A Savannah Studio Newborn Session

 

 

If you are expecting your second baby, there is a very good chance you have already pictured the photograph. Your brand new baby curled up beside her big brother, his little arm wrapped around her, both children looking perfectly content while you stand nearby wondering how in the world they suddenly became your children, plural.

And then reality enters the chat.

Because the big brother in question is three.

Newborn photos with a toddler sibling are some of my favorite images to create, but they are also something moms often worry about before their newborn session. Will my toddler cooperate? Will he sit beside the baby? What if he wants absolutely nothing to do with pictures that day?

The good news is that I never expect a three-year-old to suddenly behave like a tiny professional model simply because there is a camera in front of him.

For this beautiful baby girl’s studio newborn session, we let her three-year-old big brother be exactly what he was. A three-year-old who had just gotten a very important new job in the family.

And the photographs that came from it were beautiful.

 

 

Preparing a Toddler for Newborn Photos

When an older sibling is involved in a newborn session, I always encourage parents to start talking about the session before they arrive.

If your child is old enough to understand, tell them what will happen. Let them know that we are going to take some really special pictures for Mommy and Daddy. Talk about getting to cuddle their new baby, give kisses, sit close together, and show me what a wonderful big brother or sister they have become.

Make it sound fun because it is fun.

What I don’t recommend is spending the days before your session practicing smiles or reminding your toddler over and over that they need to “be good for pictures.”

That can put a lot of pressure on a very little person.

Instead, we keep expectations reasonable and give them plenty of encouragement once they arrive.

Three-year-olds are wonderfully unpredictable. Sometimes they want to hold the baby. Sometimes they would rather investigate every corner of my studio. Sometimes we have approximately 14 seconds before they decide their modeling career is officially over.

That’s okay.

I know how to work quickly when I need to.

 

 

 

 

Letting Big Brother Be Part of the Story

For this session, Big Brother was not simply brought in for one obligatory sibling photograph.

He was part of his baby sister’s story.

We created photographs of the children together and gave him opportunities to interact with her naturally rather than expecting him to perform for the camera. At three years old, connection is far more important than perfection.

Those are often the photographs parents end up loving most.

There is something incredibly special about seeing just how little both of your children were when they first became siblings. Your newborn is impossibly tiny, of course, but then you look at the three-year-old beside her and realize that your “big kid” was still pretty little himself.

That is something photographs allow us to see differently.

 

Soft Pinks and Whites for a Baby Girl Newborn Session

Once it was time to focus on baby girl, we kept her newborn portraits soft and simple with pinks and whites.

I love using a restrained color palette for studio newborn photography because nothing has to compete with the baby. Soft blush pink added a feminine touch to her gallery while creamy whites kept everything light and classic.

The result was exactly what I want newborn photographs to feel like.

Simple. Feminine. Beautiful.

Nothing overly trendy that will immediately tell you what year the photograph was created. Just a tiny baby girl and all of the details her family will want to remember about her.

 

 

Mom Didn’t Have to Figure Out What to Wear

One of the things I want moms to worry about as little as possible before a newborn session is clothing.

You have just had a baby. Your body is still changing, you’re probably surviving on questionable amounts of sleep, and the last thing I want you doing is ordering seventeen dresses online hoping one of them fits the way you imagined.

Mom chose a dress from my client closet for this session, which coordinated beautifully with the soft pink-and-white palette we had planned for baby.

My client closet is available to moms specifically for this reason.

I help you choose something that photographs beautifully, works with the rest of your family’s wardrobe, and most importantly, helps you feel beautiful in photographs with your baby.

You don’t have to arrive knowing exactly what to wear or how everything should coordinate. That is part of what I am here for.

 

And Then Grandma Joined Us

One of my favorite parts of this particular newborn session was having Grandma there.

We made sure she stepped in front of the camera, too.

There is something about photographs with grandparents that becomes more meaningful as the years pass. Right now, everyone is focused on this brand new baby and how tiny she is. But one day, this little girl will be able to look at these photographs and see the women who surrounded her at the very beginning of her life.

She will see herself with her mother and grandmother.

Three generations of women together.

Those are the kinds of photographs that remind me why family images matter so much during a newborn session.

Your baby’s individual portraits are beautiful, but the photos showing who loved her are part of her history.

 

 

What If My Toddler Doesn’t Cooperate During Newborn Photos?

This is probably the question I would ask if I were bringing a newborn and three-year-old into a photography studio.

And the answer is simple.

We adjust.

If your toddler needs a break, we take one. If he needs Mom for a minute, he gets Mom. If cuddling the baby isn’t working, we try something different. If I see an opportunity for a beautiful photograph, I am probably going to take it before your toddler even realizes we were taking a picture.

I am not expecting perfect behavior from your children.

I am looking for the little pieces of your family that are already there.

Sometimes that is a big brother proudly cuddling his new baby sister. Sometimes it is a quick kiss on her head. Sometimes it is the way he leans against Mom while she holds the baby.

And sometimes we use every trick in the photographer and mom handbook to get the photograph.

I am perfectly comfortable with that, too.

Newborn Photos Are About More Than the New Baby

This session was filled with everything I love about newborn photography.

A tiny baby girl surrounded by soft pinks and whites. A three-year-old learning what it means to be a big brother. A mom who could walk into the studio and choose something beautiful from the client closet instead of worrying about what to wear. A grandmother who stepped into the photographs and gave this little girl something she may appreciate even more when she is grown.

The newborn stage may be the reason families initially walk through my studio doors, but I am never only photographing the baby.

I am photographing the family that changed when she arrived.

 

Planning Newborn Photos With a Toddler Sibling in Savannah, GA

If you are expecting another baby and wondering whether you should include your older child in your newborn photographs, my answer is absolutely yes.

Even if they are two.

Even if they are three.

Even if you are currently reading this while your toddler is wearing underwear on his head and you are thinking, You have clearly never met my child.

Bring them.

We’ll figure it out together.

Newborn sessions in my studio are designed to include baby individually as well as parents and siblings, with wardrobe guidance and access to my client closet to make preparing for the session easier.

If you are looking for a Savannah newborn photographer, you can learn more about my full studio newborn experience here. I recommend reserving your newborn session while you are still pregnant so we can have everything planned before your newest little person decides to make her arrival.

 

If you liked this post then I think you’ll love:

Best Time to Book your Savannah, Ga Maternity and Newborn Photographer

The Beauty of Savannah Heirloom Children’s Portraits

Savannah Family Session with Toddler Tips That Actually Make Photo Day Easier