Milestone Prep Guide

Preparing for your session

To help you and your baby prepare for a successful baby milestone session, I have put together some tips and answered a few frequently asked questions for you. These helpful tips will apply to any milestone session, whether it’s a session in-studio or outdoors.


The Day of the Session

To set your baby up for a successful session, consider the following tips:

1. Feed your baby a meal or snack before heading in to the studio. A fed baby is a happy baby!

2. Schedule your session preferably right after nap time and when baby is at their happiest time of day. (If you want an outdoor session, this may not be possible due to sunset times).

3. Please wait until you are at the session location to get baby dressed in their outfit. This will ensure that there are no wardrobe accidents prior to the session and will help avoid wrinkles.

4. Avoid bringing toys that you do not want photographed. Once they see their favorite toy, it will be difficult to capture images without it.

6. Consider leaving guests and siblings at home. Baby can become easily distracted by too many people around during the session.

7. If you are doing a cake smash, consider bringing along a container for any leftovers that you might want to bring home. 

8. If you are providing a cake, I suggest placing an order about a month in advance with your bakery. We suggest either a 4 inch or 6 inch cake so that it does not appear larger or block the baby in the images.



9. If your baby has been sick within 48 hours of the session, please let me know immediately so that we can reschedule. It’s important to keep in mind that we often have newborns in the studio and we want to avoid unknowingly passing a virus on to a newborn baby. I also want your baby to be happy during their session and a sick baby is not a happy baby. If you are worried about the cake already being made, the cake can be placed in a freezer and used at a later date.

10. Avoid replacing nap time with a nap in the car on the way to the session. Babies who take their nap in the car, are often woken up mid-nap and are not happy. Or they don’t fall asleep in the car like they normally do. I highly suggest doing baby’s normal nap time at home and then coming straight to the session. Schedule the best time of day between 10am-2pm that your baby is the happiest!

11. To ensure that baby will enjoy playing and eating the cake during the cake smash, let them play in some kind of mushy food like mashed potatoes a few times before the session. You could also try giving baby a cupcake a few times before their session. It can be more likely for baby to be interested in the cake if your baby has touched it and tasted it before! 



Frequently asked questions


HOW FAR IN ADVANCE DO I SCHEDULE MY BABY’S MILESTONE SESSION?

We suggest that you schedule your session date 2-3 months in advance. If you wait, you may not have many options to choose from when scheduling your session.


WHAT TIME SHOULD I EXPECT THE SESSION?

In-studio sessions can be scheduled between 10am-2pm. Outdoor sessions will take place 1-1.5 hours prior to sunset.



WHAT SHOULD BABY WEAR?There are a few options for baby:

There are a few options for baby:

  • Naked baby bum
  • Diaper cover
  • Your outfit of choice
  • Outfit from our studio wardrobe closet

I have a carefully curated selection of outfits for ages 6 months to 1 year available for both boys and girls. However, you also have the option to bring an outfit that you would like photographed.

Items with a vintage feel (lace, suspenders, neutral tones) photograph well and offer a timeless look. Try choosing outfits with texture (to avoid being too plain) and solid patterns. Rylee & Cru, Zara, Baby Gap, Jamie Kay, or H&M have great neutral-toned clothing options for babies. If you are planning on using outfits from our studio collection, please let me know which ones so I can set them aside for your session.


WHAT TO EXPECT AT EACH BABY MILESTONE SESSION?

Babies tend to have a short attention span and I have found that they become uninterested in the session after around 30 minutes. Every baby is different, however, I have found that a 30 minute session is the perfect session time for a successful baby milestone session.

I will photograph baby in diaper cover/naked baby, our studio outfit, and/or an outfit provided by the parents. I can add bubbles, wooden toys or you can bring along a family heirloom (wooden toys, quilt, etc) to be photographed. We will let your baby play and have fun while we capture all those smiles, playing, crawling, standing. If you’ve decided to dedicate part of your session to a cake smash, we will bring out the cake for the last 10 minutes of the session.



I hope that these tips have been helpful in getting you prepared for your baby’s milestone session! The baby’s mood, clothing, and your expectations will all set the tone for your session.





Turnaround time

Turnaround time often depends on the time of year and how busy I am. Typically I deliver your gallery 10-20 days following your session date.


I'm looking forward to your session and can not wait to capture these memories for you!

Please let me know if you have any questions!