Newborn Props You don’t even realize you have at home! | In my Bag Series

You are super excited and can not WAIT to meet  your little one that you’ve been dying to know for 9 months.  Really it’s 10 months but who’s counting right?! And technically it’s even longer because you’ve been dreaming about this little one for months even before you knew you were pregnant!

You’ve finally gotten to meet them and they are the most incredible adventure that has ever happened to you! It’s breath taking really!  Now it’s time to start taking a million photos because you can never have enough, especially when they are this teeny!  They change so incredibly much every day!   Heck sometimes it feels like they are changing on an hourly basis!

So you’ve looked around and you’ve started thinking about having a newborn session!  Newborn photographers have a TON of props usually that they use and some will have props that they adore and will use over and over again!

But did you know… YOU have some of the best props lying around your house already?!  YOU TOTALLY DO!!! And these are things trust me, you would never ever even begin to think of that would even fit with a newborn session!

Wanna know more?!  Wanna know what I’m talking about?!!!  Here are some baby props and baby gear that you should be packing that I promise you probably have in your home right now!

There are obvious props and baby gear you have in your house:

• Baby Blankets!  These are amazing for using as full on props, especially if they have sentimental value.  If you have a special quilt or blanket made by someone, bring that baby with you!  Let’s feature that blanket!!!  Baby blankets are also great for helping to stuff and position… so I always have extras on hand!  Aiden and Anias are some of my favorites but if you have certain ones you love, bring them with you as many as you want or feel comfortable lugging with you the day of your session!  
• Hats!  This one is also pretty known!  There is nothing cuter than a little tiny babe with a super cute hat!  So if you have some hats that you have purchased or been given as gifts, bring them!
• Keepsakes!  I’m probably the only one that asks parents for this but if you have the hospital bracelet bring it!  I love to take detail photos so I can always include that with some other personal things before we even get the session started!  It actually makes a great cover photo for the album in your PASS gallery!  Other little keepsakes could be little blocks with your babies name or little serving spoons.  Anything that you have that you adore or were specially picked out with your little one in mind, I say bring it along if you have the room!
• Wipes and Clothes:  Always make sure you have extra wipes in your bag and plenty of clothes for baby to change into!  It never fails that during a session, my wee little clients will relax and use the bathroom!  It’s absolutely OK and totally expected!  Wipes are nice to have right on hand.  Wipes are also nice for quick little fixes like smoothing of hair or helping to smooth out the skin on your little ones face!  Clothes are always helpful too!

Here are some not so obvious props that you probably have never thought about to pack!

• Sound Machine!  This is a life saver and if you are ever trying to photograph your little one at home this is such a helpful little trick!  If you don’t have a sound machine, download white noise for your cell phone! They have tons of white noise apps for free!  This simulates being in the womb and it always does the trick to help relax baby into a nice, comfortable sleep!  It’s not a miracle but that along with some other little tricks usually always works for me!
• Change of clothes for Mom and Dad!  My house where I shoot my sessions is kept HOT!  Babies like to be warm and snuggly so I usually set my thermostat a high setting.  This means I’m sweating and your sweating!  I also usually have a space heater in the room too!  I encourage all my parents to wear light clothing like shorts and a t-shirt for the session and then pack another set of clothes to leave and drive home in!  I am always sweating during the session so I’m sure my parents are too!
• Different textures you love around your house that baby likes!  This is from my own experience!  Linc loved the feel of this one blanket we had.  It was like a bear rug almost and it felt so soft and furry!  He would lay on that and be as content as could be.  However, if I tried to position him on my bean bag which is for newborn photography on any other blanket he would cry!  Linc loved texture!  The best picture I have of him as a newborn was using my friend Katie Pegher’s flucati which was this weird textured, almost bird like nesting blanket!  I thought for sure he would cry because it bothered me but he nuzzled right on in and sank into that basket and fell asleep!  It’s the only sleeping newborn picture I have of him!  Try out different textures and see what you get!  
• RUGS!!!  Ok this sounds crazy but what  you see as a rug, I see as a beautiful background!  One of my client’s actually gave me this idea and it’s the best idea I’ve ever received!  Rugs come in all different kinds of textures and colors and they are small or large!  She happened to have this adorable pink little rug for her daughter’s room and thought to bring it!  It was the perfect background for her daughter with a set of angel wings and a little lace crown!  

Things you can use at home!

• Wrapping Paper:  Wrapping paper can make a great backdrop!  This goes for any kind of paper!  I love to go to Michaels and look at their teacher section and see what’s  available in their bulletin board section.  Sometimes they have great wood paper there and it looks amazing!  You would never know it’s paper taped to the wall!
• Boppy:  The boppy is a great way to help position your little one for photos!  Cover the boppy with a blanket and use it to support the head and neck.  Babies are really resilient and while they aren’t quite as fragile as we think, they still need to be protected!
• YOUR COMPUTER!  There are so many great resources out there and online video tutorials on how to re-create certain shots!  There are videos that talk about newborn safety which I HIGHLY recommend if you are trying to taking pictures of your little one like any image you see from a studio session or on pinterest.  While it looks super easy ( I mean hey, it’s just a sleeping baby in a basket right?!) It’s actually so much more than you think and a lot more thought and safety goes into.  That one you shot that looks so simple can take anywhere from 20 minutes to 40 minutes to set up!  Use your computer and take a look at these online videos!  It’s so worth it and you will love spending that time with your little one and you will have a better image!

Those are some things you can have ready in YOUR bag!