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What to Wear for Newborn Family Pictures

A guide of what to wear for family photos with your newborn baby with tips from the parents and the photographer. #parenting #newborn #photography
Preparing for a newborn photo session is one of the most stressful photo sessions to prepare for. It’s really tough to prepare for before the baby is actually born because as the mom (especially) you have no idea what size you are going to be and what you might happen to fit in, let alone be comfortable enough to have your picture taken in. In my case, this varied drastically from my first child to my second… for my first I lost the exact amount of weight that my son weighed (spoiler, that means I lost exactly 8 lbs and only 8 lbs after his birth and it stayed that way for two months afterwards…). 
I was extremely uncomfortable in my own skin after having him and yet knew that his newborn pictures were pictures I would keep forever and hopefully fall in love with at least one of the pictures I was in as well. Listening to advice from people who happen to have the beautiful newborn photos that you are also hoping for as well as your photographer is essential to “getting it right”. Hiding behind patterns and bright colors is not the answer in this case and in fact will likely give you the exact opposite response you were wishing and praying for.
In order to help you prepare for your newborn photo session I have put together all of my best tips as well as those from my photographer for baby Kate’s newborn session – I hope you find this helpful and don’t forget to share/pin this post for future reference as well.
A guide of what to wear for family photos with your newborn baby with tips from the parents and the photographer. #parenting #newborn #photography

Table of Contents

Color

Most people will tend to choose white and while white is always a great choice it might look a little boring and brighter than what you were hoping for once photographed. Light neutrals like off-white, beige, grey, blush, and blue go with almost all skin tones and should help to make you look your best. If you prefer darker tones that is fine too – but stick to neutrals like navy, black, dark grey, etc. For Little Dude’s newborn photos I wore black and that is what made me feel good while for Kate’s newborn photos a sheer blush blouse is what I felt comfortable in. In the end how you feel will be reflected in your photos so choose a color that makes you happy.
What to avoid – bold / busy patterns and really bright colors. Bold patterns (big bright floral, plaid, etc. can be limiting as well and tend to distract from your beautiful bundle of joy. Bright colors are beautiful but they tend to reflect their color onto your skin tone. Wearing bright green (as an example) can make you look a little sickly.

Fabric

Using different fabrics and textures is a good way to add interest to your photos without looking like you’re trying too hard. Keep in mind that you will likely want loose fitting clothing postpartum so choosing something that flatters your current size and doesn’t tug in all the wrong places is key. In these photos I chose a loose fitting sheer blouse in blush and then found clothes for everyone else to match me. Using sweaters is also popular (especially in winter) to add texture but determining your style will help dictate this. 

Style

Keep in mind these are pictures you are going to keep FOREVER. Yes, forever. Newborn photos are a little different than outdoor family photos where it is ok not to “match” entirely. for newborn photos you don’t have to wear the exact same thing, but outfits that coordinate nicely with tones and style will help to keep the focus on your new baby. Wearing clothes that reflect your personal style, your home and look like something you would actually wear should be top of mind. We are wearing clothes that we already owned (except for Little Dude) and are items that we didn’t choose especially for these pictures. The colors we chose match our home and will look good on the walls and most of all, what we are wearing shouldn’t surprise anyone that sees them and who knows us. In our case it would have been more surprising for others if we all had on plain white t-shirts (something none of us own or ever wear…)
Sibling Photos should follow the same rules as the family photos since his is likely the second photo you will have prominently displayed in our home and being using the most (second to the full family photo), but a few extra things to keep in mind are:

Big Brothers

Big brothers look best in solid neutral dress shirts and jeans or shirtless. The whole idea of the solid color once again is not to draw focus away from the newborn baby who will likely not have a pattern on regardless of the gender.

Big Sisters

Big sisters look best in neutral coloured dresses or tops. Nothing too uncomfortable that will make them squirm around during the photo shoot… just like us, little girls are happiest and the most cooperative when they feel good.
While preparing this post I polled my instagram community for some additional tips about what to wear for newborn family photos since getting advice from many different people and families will help suit everyone’s taste. Here is what they said:
  • Dress comfortably
  • Wear solid colors
  • Wear loose fitting clothes
  • Wear jewelry that you love
  • Relax, it’s just a picture
All great advice, right?!
Lastly, I wanted to show you two more families that Sonya Rose Photography had the pleasure of photographing and that are wore different colors than what we chose. They are following the same guidelines but you can see how different everyone’s pictures will look based on style, colors, and of course the poses chosen.
A guide of what to wear for family photos with your newborn baby with tips from the parents and the photographer. #parenting #newborn #photography
A guide of what to wear for family photos with your newborn baby with tips from the parents and the photographer. #parenting #newborn #photography Do you have additional tips to share? Let me know! I love learning from all of you.
xo Jenna
A special thank you to Sonya Rose Photography for capturing 
these photos of our family and for sponsoring this post.
 As always, all opinions are entirely my own.
DON’T FORGET TO PIN THIS POST
A guide of what to wear for family photos with your newborn baby with tips from the parents and the photographer. #parenting #newborn #photography

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