2 Under 2 Tips- Newborn Photos

Recently was S's newborn portraits, and our mini family portrait shoot. We went to the same place I had K's done (and her's were kind of spur of the moment), and I wore the same outfit, insisted on several of the same poses... we even had the same girl taking them. Yeah it was a bit neurotic like only your favorite Mama could pull off.

The entire process reminded me of when K had her photos done, and how unprepared I felt. This time was similar, but luckily I'm in the "Well, whatever" stage of parenting these girls... more on that later. Anyways, night before I had searched for tips on what to pack and bring and such, with no success. Obviously there is a hole in the World Wide Web, one which I'm about to attempt to fill. So with out any further long winded ado...

Mama's Tips for 2 Under 2 Photography

(alright it's still long winded, sorry)

• Keep it Simple Stupid- With K's newborn photos I brought 5 outfits. She only wore two, and we only bought prints of one. Now with a single child, feel free to go crazy. But when your dressing two squirmers please heed my advice, and keep it simple. This time K wore 1 outfit the whole time. S wore a simple onesie up until photo time, at which point I changed her into her sleeper, later I took off the sleeper and we had a few in the onesie with some pants, and finally a few simple diaper shots. Nothing is cuter then a naked baby, except a giggling naked baby.
• Bring Back Ups Though!- K was an easy child, S on the other hand.... Well lets just say Spit Up happens (and so does shit). I know I just said Keep it Simple, but for the littlest in your brood bring a back up. I also had a back up shirt for myself- With K I spilled soda down my front before we even got to the studio, luckily then I had a back up shirt too, but it wasn't my first choice. This time I wore my second choice up until photo time, then did a quick change. This rule also goes for things like blankets, because again spit up happens.
• Distractions & Edibles- For K food is a distraction. I made sure to bring relatively mess free snacks (wheat thins and raisins) and some water for her. I meant to grab her puzzle book, but as we were running out the door I forgot it. I was frazzled trying to get to an early morning appointment, which brings me to my next point:
• Don't Schedule Early!- AM hours are pretty much ick for anyone I think, especially with a newborn, even more with a newborn and a cranky toddler. I had every intention of waking up early to do my hair- didn't happen. Result being that very few pictures of me are what I deem acceptable. Another down side? K was so cranky by the end she was screaming, because we woke up early for photos and it went on into her nap time. She was exhausted. Luckily I had help.
• Bring another pair of hands- This along with Distractions & Edibles are great for when the toddler doesn't need to be in the picture. Which when trying to shoot a fussy newborn, is a lot. We brought my dad, and K spent about 60% of the time there playing with grandpa, while I tried to keep S content enough not to scream every time the flash went off. 
• Rotate- Dad helped feed S when K was being photographed, and when K lost focus we would switch. When S would start to fuss again, we'd switch back. I think it kept the temper tantrums at bay a lot longer and made both girls a lot more pleasant to work with.
• Arrive Early- Get comfortable with your surroundings, make sure everyone is fed and content and has clean diapers or empty bladders. There is nothing like pee breaks and diaper changes to ruin a groove.
• Stand for what you want- I went in this time knowing exactly what I wanted, and no screaming child, or fussing newborn, or line of customers was deterring me. They're only this small and precious for so long, and I'm probably not going to remember it very well, so I'll be damned if I spent all that time, energy, patience and effort for something I'm just "ehh" about. By the same token, don't go in blind, do some research, don't expect miracles and you won't end up possibly disappointed.