Tips for Soothing a Fussy Baby during a Newborn Session

Today, I wanted to share these sweet photos from an in studio lifestyle newborn session in conjunction with sharing my tips for soothing a fussy baby as a newborn photographer. Everybody loves photos of the newborn baby sleeping sweetly or looking contentedly awake, but how difficult is it to actually achieve those photos and are there tricks to getting the baby to lay so contentedly? As a lifestyle newborn photographer, and a mom to three, I have learned a few things over the years that have helped me in my newborn sessions and I am sharing those with you here today.

Baby Saylor was adorable and so sweet. She wasn’t a particularly fussy baby, but did have a few moments during the session where we needed to pause so she could be fed and she did at one point seem a bit overtired and so we just needed to help her get to sleep before we could proceed with the session. 

When a baby cries or is fussy or just generally unsettled, there could be a number of reasons for that:

1. First, does the baby need to be fed?

   Newborn baby’s eat every 2-3 hours and in some cases they might be cluster feeding, meaning they will want to eat more frequently than that. If the baby is fussing and turning their face in and looking around for the breast or bottle, then that indicates she is probably hungry and needs to eat. Pause to feed her. Additionally, I would recommend making sure that she is changed into her outfit or swaddler first so that you aren’t disrupting her after getting her all fed and sleepy.

2. Is the baby sleepy and borderline overtired?

   This will usually be indicated by the baby rubbing their eyes, yawning and fussing. I also take into account newborn baby wake windows which is the amount of time newborns are generally awake before they need a nap. From about 1-4 weeks a baby’s wake window is only about 30-60 minutes. This is generally shorter than my newborn sessions, and so if the baby has been awake the whole time I have been there, I know that we are going to need to try to get them asleep ASAP. 

   The solution for an overtired baby is to try to get the baby to sleep by whatever means necessary. Usually this is a combination of feeding, swaddling (check out my favorite swaddles) and rocking/bouncing, white noise, and in some cases a pacifier. One of my favorite ways to get a newborn to sleep is to swaddle her and then pick her up and rock, bounce or walk around with her until she falls asleep. Newborn babies are used to being in moms belly which means they are used to feeling cozy in a tight space with loud white noise and motion from mom rocking or moving around.  I often find that using tactics that mimic being in the womb will get baby to sleep fairly quickly.

3. Is the baby Overstimulated?

   Too much noise, light or activity (such as older siblings running and talking loudly) can all cause the baby to become overstimulated. Moving the baby temporarily to another room or a more calm and subdued environment can help. White noise, rocking or swaying, making the room dark and trying to get her settled/sleeping is ideal. 

4. Is the baby uncomfortable for some reason?

   There could be a few things that make her uncomfortable. Does she need a diaper change? Is she cold or too warm? Swaddle or turn up the heat if needed. Is she in an outfit that might be itchy or irritating? Change her out of the outfit (tulle is not a great outfit for newborns, haha) Does she need to be burped? Or maybe she just doesn’t like to position or pose you are trying, change positions to see if something works better.

It is rare that we have tried all of the above and the baby is still not settled, but if that does happen usually it is toward the end of the session and she is just done.  If that is the case, I try to snap a few more candid shots at the end that don’t require her face, for example, grabbing detail shots of the baby’s feet, hands, hair, etc. I may also do some more candids of the whole family pulled back where the baby’s face is less noticeable. Obviously I don’t want to keep her screaming and upset for a long period of time, and so if there are any last shots I can get quickly I will, and then we will wrap up the session.  Baby’s comfort and needs will always come first!

I hope these tips will be helpful if you come across a fussy baby at your newborn session. Let me know in the comments, or feel free to share additional tips as well!