I’m going to be frank here – yes, quality newborn photography can be expensive. But, and this is a big butt, it’s the most important investment you’ll make when it comes to your baby. THE MOST IMPORTANT. I can’t stress that enough.
Here’s why…
The newborn baby stage – that stage where your baby is teeny tiny and curls up into the sweetest ball – it’s gone in 3 weeks. After that your baby is already growing up. They don’t want to curl up the same way, they’re filling out more, and they’re packing on weight like no one’s business.
Their job when they’re out of your womb is to grow.
If we want newborn memories – their little puckered lips, their sweet toes, and the more-adorable-than-anything curled up poses – we have 3 weeks. With no room for error.
I understand that there are so many items to purchase when it comes to a newborn. We mothers go to town setting up the perfect nursery, deciding between cloth diapers and disposables, and buying tons of cute little outfits. I can’t tell you the decision making process that went into my stroller purchase – and, holy smokes, can those things be pricey!
Want to know the reality? Babies could care less about their nursery decor, nor what you choose to put on their bums. (I think I spent something like $1000 on fancy cloth diapers.) Babies also don’t care about their outfits and most either get stained by blowouts or never worn because baby grew through that size too quickly.
Confessions… My first baby had everything baby you could have. My 2nd slept in a baby box on the floor by my bed for 3 months. My 3rd has worn cute outfits a handful of times and lives in jammies.
So what am I trying to say?
Essentially that while having cute newborn stuff is nice – don’t get me wrong, of course it’s nice – it’s not what’s going to last. Once my last baby has grown, I will be donating all of my baby items. (I mean, I might keep the 0-3m monkey-bum cammo pants as a keepsake because they’re the cutest ever.) But the rest will be leaving my house. Even the Tula carrier with the pattern I wanted so badly because it was just soooo cute.
What will last, what will be my real keepsakes, what will be my memories, are my newborn photographs.
When I see comments in baby groups asking for a newborn photographer that “doesn’t cost an arm or a leg” I shudder.
Number 1 – I have to ask if those arm/leg photographers are trained properly in safety, etc. You’re putting your baby in their hands and babies are so fragile and there are so many ways to hurt them doing poses incorrectly. (Don’t get me started on that topic.)
But number 2 – and I can say this from experience – your newborn photographs are your memories. You think you’ll remember without them but you don’t really. You’re living in a sleepless haze. Your foggy brain will retain nothing.
How do you want to remember your baby?
There is a real art in posing and editing a newborn baby. If you end up regretting your decision, it’s going to be too late to have your newborn images redone. The newborn window will be gone.
Thinking about it this way does it make sense to book the cheapest photographer you can find and spend 4x that on your stroller?
