Your toddler still thinks the baby is a doll.
You’re a few weeks out from meeting baby number two, staring at the calendar, wondering how a newborn session works with a two-year-old in the mix.
Breathe.
This is not the hard part. The hard part was the third trimester with a toddler climbing your belly.
A newborn session with a toddler sibling in the frame is some of my favorite work of the year. The smushed-cheek kisses. The proud “I helped” face. The shot where she leans in to whisper a secret into her brother’s tiny ear (she has no idea what she said, and it doesn’t matter).
Those are the frames that stay on the mantel for thirty years. So let’s set yours up to go exactly like that.
Talk about it like a fun outing
A few days before, tell your toddler you’re going to a special photo party for the new baby. Keep it light. Pull up her own newborn photos and say “look how tiny you were.” It builds excitement instead of confusion, and toddlers love being the expert in the room.
Pack the lovie, the snacks, and the bribes
Yes, bribes. This is not the day to skip the goldfish. Throw together her comfort item, a snack she rarely gets, and one small toy she hasn’t seen in weeks. My Cedarburg studio has a cozy lounge with toys, books, and a TV, but the favorite-from-home is your safety net for the inevitable “I want mommy” wobble.
Schedule for her best time of day
We build the day around the baby’s wake window first. But if your toddler is a 9 a.m. angel and a 1 p.m. gremlin, tell me. I’d rather plan around her and get the shot than race the clock and miss it.
Lower the bar, then watch her clear it
Here’s what most families learn the hard way. We only need one good sibling photo. Just one.
Yes, mama. That’s the whole job.
Most of the time we get five, because she ended up loving it. And if she has a hard moment, we pause, snuggle, snack, and try again, or I quietly catch the in-between moments while you comfort her. Those candid frames are usually the ones that make moms cry. The good cry.
Let your partner be the closer
Plan for your partner or a grandparent to take big sister home once her part is done. Then the rest of the session is calm, baby-focused, and yours. Maybe even a trip to the bathroom solo. You’re welcome.
Everything else runs just like a standard newborn session, with one extra small VIP. If you want the why behind it all, here’s why your newborn session matters.
Two-under-three sessions aren’t chaos. They’re magic, the kind that ends up framed on your wall, the kind your daughter picks up someday and says, “wait, that’s me holding him?”
Expecting baby number two (or three, or four, bring them all) around Cedarburg or Milwaukee? Send me a note and I’ve got the planning handled.
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Tara Fay is a newborn, maternity and family photographer with a full service studio in Cedarburg, WI. She’s been in business for 4 years, and specializes in bold, colorful imagery and a seamless client experience.
