As a Newborn Photographer, I have become an expert in soothing babies making for dreamlike poses for their very first newborn baby shoot. All parents worry that their babies won’t be settled for their baby shoot and therefore won’t make beautiful newborn baby photos. With each newborn baby photoshoot, I share my tips and tricks with parents and it works every time. As I’m sure you’ve heard before, all babies are different and this is so true! It’s all about finding what your baby likes in order to make them comfortable and settled. Here are my tips and tricks…
1 : Swaddle
Swaddling your baby recreates that sense of security they had inside the womb. It not only calms and soothes babies but also decreases startling and help babies sleep longer. Master the art of swaddling by keeping babies hands down by their sides and let the hips be loose and flexed. This takes lots of practise. Make sure your baby does not overheat and babies should not be swaddled all day or night, only during fussing. An Irish babsed company supplies really comfortable swaddles for babies, check out their range here...https://babyboo.ie/product-category/bedtime/swaddles/
2 : White Noise
Shushing creates white noise similar to your baby had in the womb. Match your shush to your baby’s level of crying, and soften your shush as your baby’s cry lowers in volume. It is best to do deep, long shushing instead of short, quiet shushing, as your baby will respond better to deeper tones. Deeper tones are similar to the noises your baby is used to hearing in the womb. An excellent app for this is 'Sound Sleeper', I use it all the time in the studio. https://apps.apple.com/cv/app/sound-sleeper-white-noise/id507967709
3: Temperature
Check that your baby isn’t too hot or too cold. I make sure that my studio is nice and warm particularly during the winter. This ensure that babies are thoroughly comfortable and sleepy too!
4: Rock and Sway
Add in some gentle rocking, by holding your baby securely, supporting baby’s head and neck, swaying back and forth with an added bounce in your sway. Once your baby is calm, placing him in a swing to continue this motion is also a good option.
5: Suck
Allow your baby to suck, whether you breastfeed or offer your baby your finger or a pacifier. Sucking is a self-soothing mechanism for babies, and many babies definitely calm easier when taking a pacifier.
6: The Hold
One more trick that I use during my newborn sessions is ‘The Hold’, Dr. Robert Hamilton demonstrates this in the following video and it definitely does work! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2C8MkY7Co8
