There was once a belief that if you wanted newborn photos you had to photograph your baby within the first few days or weeks of life, but these days, more and more parents are choosing to wait until their baby is around 2–3 months old and honestly I think it’s a beautiful stage to capture.
While those sleepy, curled-up newborn photos are gorgeous, there is something incredibly special about photographing a baby once they have started to become more alert and interactive. At 2–3 months, your baby is changing almost every day. They are beginning to discover the world around them, making eye contact, responding to your voice and sometimes, giving you those first gorgeous little smiles.
These moments are absolutely worth photographing.
You haven't missed the newborn stage
One of the biggest things I hear from parents is, “I wish we'd had photos done when they were a newborn, but the first few weeks were just such a blur.”
The good news is, you haven't missed your chance.
A 2–3 month baby photography session can be just as meaningful as a traditional newborn session. In fact, for some families, waiting a little longer feels much more relaxed. You've had time to settle into life with your new baby. You may feel a little more confident as a parent and your baby has started developing their own little personality and that's what we want to capture.
Those beautiful little smiles
Around this age, babies are starting to become much more expressive. You might get a gorgeous little smile when Mum or Dad talks to them, a curious look as they watch what's happening around them, or those adorable moments where they seem completely fascinated by their own hands.
These aren't necessarily the posed moments you'd see in traditional newborn photography, they're real interactions between your baby and the people who love them most and that's exactly what I love about Lifestyle Baby Photography.
A more interactive baby photography session
At 2–3 months, your baby is generally much more awake during their session.
This means we can capture lots of those beautiful little expressions and interactions.
We can photograph:
Your baby's first smiles
Their beautiful eye contact
Tiny hands and feet
Mum and baby cuddles
Dad and baby interactions
Siblings meeting and playing with baby
Your baby being held and comforted
Little details that you never want to forget
Those funny expressions and emerging personality
There is no need for your baby to sleep through the session or stay perfectly still, we simply follow their lead.
Your baby doesn't need to "perform"
One of my favourite things about lifestyle photography is that your baby doesn't need to do anything in particular.
If they want to be cuddled, we cuddle them.
If they need a feed, we stop for a feed.
If they become unsettled, we take a break.
If they are wide awake and curious about everything, we photograph that too!
There is no pressure to create the "perfect" photograph.
Instead, the session is about documenting this beautiful little person exactly as they are at this moment in time.
2–3 months is such a fleeting stage
The newborn stage can feel like it lasts forever when you're in the middle of those sleepless nights, but suddenly your tiny baby is changing.
Their face is becoming more expressive. Their little body is stretching out. They're discovering their hands. They're looking directly at you. Before you know it, they're rolling, sitting and eventually crawling around. That's why I love photographing babies at 2–3 months old. They're no longer brand new, but they're still so tiny. They're beginning to show you who they are and those memories are just as precious.
There really is no "perfect" age
Whether you choose to have your baby photographed at a few days old, a few weeks old or at 2–3 months, there is no right or wrong time. Every stage has something different to offer. If you've waited until your baby is a little older, don't feel like you've missed out. You haven't. You’re simply capturing a different chapter of your baby's story and one day when you're looking back at those photographs, you'll be so grateful you documented those tiny hands, those curious eyes, those first smiles and the way your baby fitted so perfectly into your arms.
Baby Photography in Melbourne & Bayside
As a Melbourne and Bayside baby photographer, I specialise in natural, relaxed and baby-led photography. Sessions can take place in my Highett home studio or in the comfort of your own home, depending on what works best for your family. There is no need for elaborate props or complicated posing. Just you, your baby and all those little moments that make this stage so incredibly special because your baby won't be this little forever.
