What If My Baby Won’t Sleep During Their Newborn Session?

This has to be one of the most common worries parents carry into a newborn session - and one of the most unnecessary but equally a very valid one!

Many imagine that newborn photography depends entirely on a sleeping baby. In truth, some of the most beautiful and meaningful images come from moments when your baby is wide-eyed, stretching, and discovering the world for the first time.

Your baby does not need to sleep to be photographed beautifully. Remember, I’ve been doing this for over 11 years, I’ve had sleepy babies, awake babies, babies who just wanted to be upright for cuddles, babies who have entered the cluster feeding schedule, honestly, I’ve seen it all! Please don’t let this worry you or put you off booking a newborn session.

Every Baby Brings Their Own Routine

Some newborns drift into sleep easily, settling into soft, curled poses. Others prefer to observe - to look around, to move gently, to remain alert in your arms.

Neither is right or wrong. Neither is better.

My approach is guided by your baby, not by a rigid list of poses. If your baby wishes to sleep, we will go with that. If they wish to remain awake, we will shape the session around those precious, open-eyed moments instead.

Both tell the story of who your baby is in these earliest days.

Awake Moments Are Just As Beautiful

An awake newborn offers a different kind of magic:the slow blink of their eyes,the way they study your face,the tiny movements that show personality beginning to emerge.

These moments feel alive. They feel intimate. And they are just as worthy of being preserved.

Often, parents later say these are the images that move them most - because they recognise their baby’s expressions exactly as they were at home.

A Gentle, Un-rushed Pace

Your session is never hurried in an attempt to “make” your baby sleep. We allow time for feeding, cuddling, and soothing, always following your baby’s lead. Of course over the years I’ve developed my ‘baby whispering’ techniques but it doesn’t always work and nor should it have to.

Sometimes babies fall asleep partway through. Sometimes they do not. Either way, the experience remains calm and unforced.

Your baby’s comfort is always the priority.

You Don’t Need a “Perfect” Baby

There is no such thing as a perfect newborn for photography. There is only your newborn.

Whether they sleep peacefully or stay awake in your arms, the goal remains the same: to create images that reflect connection, closeness, and the quiet beauty of this season.

Perfection is not found in closed eyes. It is found in presence and connection.

Their Story Will Be Told Either Way

When you view your gallery, you will not think about whether your baby slept. You will see their tiny features, the way they fit into your hands, and the tenderness of those first days.

That is the story your photographs will tell - not whether their eyes were open or closed, but how deeply they are loved.

Hannah x