Baby Photos: What milestones to capture during your baby’s first year?

Needless to say, life goes by in the blink of an eye. This is especially true when you have children. One minute you’re nibbling on their little toes and the next you’re holding back tears as you leave them on their first day of school.

Your baby’s first year if he is full of I can’t miss moments that is to be captured, saved, printed, stored, shared and cherished!

I’ve been a photographer for 13 years and here are my personal suggestions for capturing the exciting first year!

Maternity: The journey begins!

I am going to suggest a maternity photo shoot here because this is where the journey begins. Hearing your heartbeat for the first time, moving, kicking, and seeing your heartbeat for the first time during your first ultrasound (sonogram) appointment.

Some do not feel comfortable taking photos during their pregnancy but trust the photographer. They will make you feel great and look beautiful! You will look great! After all, you are shining!

Take photos when you feel most comfortable, most like their photos around 32 weeks or 7 months.

Newborn: So sleepy and small!

The best time to capture newborn photos would be before 2 weeks. At this stage they are so small and so sleepy! You can take newborn photos at 4 weeks but they are more prone to waking up when posed and are a bit bigger too.

Before the 2 week mark, since they are very sleepy, you can pose them in a variety of ways without interrupting their sleep too much. They can be on their tummy, back, on their sides, and can be attached to anything like a basket, toy chest, and small cart!

At this stage, they may have a little scratching (keep gloves on to protect your face), maybe a bit of jaundice, and a few pimples. Don’t worry! The photographer must correct these imperfections.

Newborn photos are essential to remember this little stage that passes very quickly!

3 or 4 months: Tummy time and mental balance!

This is perhaps where you will see the most changes in the first year.

They have grown a lot since the newborn photos. They smile more often, maybe they have a bit of hair, and they probably already look like you. But, they don’t do much more than face up and a few seconds face down. The balance of the head must also be full strength!

The photos at this point show a great contrast in the physical changes of your baby. You will carry your baby a lot at this stage, since he cannot sit up on his own yet. They will lie on their backs and maybe some photos with them with their heads held high!

6 or 7 months: Sitting laughing and smiling!

This is my FAVORITE STAGE! At this point, they interact and smile some more. They sit, grab things, bite things, and have the sweetest laugh!

I love capturing the 6-7 month photos while the baby is in a big bed or on a cozy blanket outside. They sit well, but sometimes that head is too big and they wobble. So beautiful!

At this point, tummy time is no longer torture for them, so they can last a bit longer. Oh! And don’t forget to capture some footage of them biting their toes while on their backs.

Enjoy the cuteness overload during this stage.

1 year: On your feet, on the move, and smashing cakes!

Here we are! That first year flew by! This is the movement stage where they have developed a way to get from point A to point B. Either by crawling, sliding, rolling or walking.

Dress them up in their Sunday best, give them lots of hugs and kisses, maybe a little cake, and enjoy the memories of their first birthday!

I hope this helps you when planning photos for your baby’s first year!