As an Anchorage Newborn Photographer, I get asked all the time, “When should newborn sessions take place?” And the answer is: whenever works best for your family!

Some families know they want the super fresh pictures, so we plan for when baby is 5-10 days old. Others may want to recover a little bit, especially after a C-section or difficult birth, so we plan for when baby is 2-3 weeks old. Others may really love the expressiveness that comes with older babies, so we purposely plan for when baby is 4+ weeks old. There’s no wrong answer, it just depends on what stage you want to document and the kind of pictures you are envisioning for your growing family. 

For newborns under 3 weeks, we’re able to do the session when they are still little and sleepy and easily curl into those squishy poses we all love. Babies do go through a growth spurt around 10 days old, so there’s a chance that they may be cluster feeding, so we just work around that as best we can and give lots of breaks. If your little one has started cluster feeding, it’s usually over within 48 hours and we can go ahead as planned along with the new chubby rolls they’ve added!

For newborns over 3 weeks, there’s usually an established routine by then and you’ll have a better idea of when they will be sleepy for the session. Older babies are more alert and have longer awake periods and are just starting to make eye contact. If you’re wanting sleepy pictures, it can be hit or miss and the first few weeks are a better bet. But even the most awake baby usually falls asleep for at least a catnap and this photographer can take a whole lot of pictures in just five minutes.

When deciding when to schedule your newborn session, spend time browsing your photographer’s gallery and see what pictures you find yourself drawn to and if you love the sleepy pictures of the fresh newborn or love the first smiles of an older newborn. Each one is beautiful in its own way and you’re going to get amazing pictures of your sweet new baby, however old they may be.

P.S.- this little guy was just about 4 weeks old. He was awake for 99% of his session but we got sleepy pictures for that last 1%, plus a big smile, too!