Your beautiful baby has arrived earth-side and you couldn’t be more in love. You have an have an in-home lifestyle newborn session scheduled and amongst all of the planning for your little one to arrive, you also need to plan outfits for the session. When you book a session with me, you will complete a questionnaire where I will get to know you better and also assist you in styling your family for your session. I really want planning out the details of your session to feel fun and enjoyable, so I have put together a guide for you with some general tips to follow and full proof outfit ideas for any time of the year.
General Tips to Follow
1. Fit your Style to your Home
First things, first. For in-home sessions, I want you to feel in your element- which means comfortable clothes that reflect you and your style. Look around your home, what colors did you use to decorate? What vibe do you feel when you walk through your home and baby’s nursery? Use your clothing to help compliment the environment and fit the overall style, tones and feeling of your home.
2. Choose your outfit first, Mama!
I want you to shine and feel your most comfortable during the newborn session. Once you have an outfit you love, pick a palette of 3-4 colors that will coordinate. Let this be your starting place for choosing everyone else’s outfits. Think in terms of tones: earth tones, neutrals, etc. Everyone in the family can express their own sense of style within the chosen color palette, and the whole group will coordinate beautifully.
Tip: Baby’s skin can be prone to easily picking up color casts on their skin from bright/saturated clothing, so wearing neutral colors for everyone generally works best.
For new mamas, try to avoid tight fitting clothing that you feel uncomfortable in during the session. Think layers, especially ones with texture (weather permitted), can photograph beautifully. Also, if you are nursing, consider wearing something that is comfortable and allows easy access.
Some ideas include:
- Flowy maxi dress
- Lace kimonos over a camisole + jeans
- Ivory/cream chunky sweaters + leggings (tip: if you have a dog in the home who sheds, avoid black leggings during the session)
- Beige cardigan + white tee + ripped jeans
Some of my favorite places to shop for mom’s clothing items are:
3. Coordinate the Outfits
Now this doesn’t mean everyone has to 100% match with khaki pants or jeans and a white shirt! You want to complement each other’s outfits by choosing colors that work well together. I find that if everyone is wearing the same clothing, people will all tend to blend in together and there won’t be too much pop and life to the images. When colors compliment each other, it is more appealing to the eye. If you do want everyone to wear the same colors, I recommend adding in different textures and make sure not everyone is wearing the same bottom colors and/or same top colors.
4. Baby Outfit Ideas
We will try to limit the amount of times we change your baby, as babies tend to become fussy when cold during those early days. For outfits, I personally love Lou Lou & Company knotted gowns. I have a couple on hand you are welcome to borrow in pink, blue, brown, and tan. Swaddles are a great way to add coordinating colors, as your baby will be swaddled often during the session. Another option is a classic white onesie, as it is a timeless and will easily coordinate with your outfits.
Some of my favorite places to shop for baby’s clothing items and swaddles are:
- Lou Lou and Company
- Mebie Baby
- Copper Pearl
- Spearmint Love
- Carter’s (Little Planet Brand)
- Colored Organics
5. Dad’s Outfit Ideas
For dads, I want them to feel comfortable, relaxed and wearing clothing items they would typically be seen in and outside the home. Also, remind them they do not need to wear socks or slippers during the session. I recommend sticking to neutral colors: cream, white, navy, light blue, grey, khaki and denims for dads.
Some ideas include:
- Khaki pants + white henley
- Dark denim jeans + gray v-neck tee
- Jeans + button down linen shirt
- Navy chinos + chambray button down
- Jeans + waffle knit henley shirt
Some of my favorite places to shop for dad’s clothing are:
7. Sibling Outfit Ideas
Siblings add such a special and fun element to lifestyle newborn sessions. For siblings, I recommend clothing they feel comfortable in and would typically wear during their day to day activities at home.
Some of my favorite brands for siblings clothes are:
7. Plan Ahead
Make sure you have given yourself enough time to think about all of the details of your session. Plan ahead so that you have enough time to get the items you want and ultimately, you are stress free before your session.
8. Check out my Pinterest Boards
Having a hard time conceptualizing outfits? You can see my Pinterest board for Lifestyle Newborn Session inspiration here.
9. Check out my Client Closet
I also have many items on hand that you can borrow during your session. Please feel free to see my current options here
10. Style & Select
Once you complete your questionnaire, I will send you outfit ideas from my complimentary online styling service Style & Select. You can also utilize it on your own and will be able to create a profile for each member of your family to coordinate for styling. You will have the option to select a color palette, style you would like to achieve and sizes for each individual. The guide will show you various pieces that will coordinate with your vision.
From the e-mails, you have the option to purchase the selected items. The best thing that can come out of using this service is seeing options you already have in your own closets that can fit your vision!
TO ACCESS STYLE AND SELECT:
1. Access Style & Select HERE
2. Insert your styling code. Your unique code is your first name + last name + year. For example, mine would be NICOLEHODGSON2021
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