Check out my favorite styling tips for the postpartum mama at your upcoming lifestyle newborn session!

I don’t know about you, but I spent my first few weeks after having a baby wearing sweatpants, putting my hair in a messy ponytail, and wearing the baggiest T-shirts I could find. The last thing I wanted to do was get dressed up in uncomfortable clothes to take photos for my baby’s lifestyle newborn session! 

If this sounds like you, check out the following tips for dressing up for your newborn session without the stress. 

LOOKING THE PART

The most important thing for these photos is that you look and feel your best, which can be hard in the first few weeks after giving birth. If jeans are your style, go for it! I wore jeans for my firstborn’s newborn lifestyle session and I have zero regrets about it! If you want to go for a little more dressed up look because you’ll be putting these photos on your wall or creating a photo album for these pictures, you can always wear a comfortable dress! 

CHOOSING THE DRESS

I recommend wearing a floor length dress that is easy for you to sit and lay down in. If you wear a dress that is super short or tight, it may not be comfortable for the session or allow you to position yourself in a way that looks natural. Choose light, flowy fabrics that look flattering and you feel beautiful in. (Since baby may need to nurse during the session, consider wearing a nursing-friendly dress!) 

I’ve found that many beautiful dresses that you wore during pregnancy also double as great postpartum dresses, so consider recycling that favorite dress and getting one last use out of it before packing it up with your other pregnancy clothes! 

WEAR LIGHTER COLORS AND SIMPLE PATTERNS

In a previous blog post here, I mentioned how it is useful to take photos in a room with light and neutral colored walls and beddings to brighten up your space and allow the focus to be on you and your baby during photos. The same suggestion applies to what you wear during photos, so wearing white is always a great option for these sessions! Light pastels are also a beautiful choice, but you may want to leave the black shirts and orange tones in the closet. Try to wear outfits without busy patterns on them, as they can be distracting in photos. 

SIMPLIFY YOUR ACCESSORIES

Your baby is the star of the show, so you don’t need to wear tons of accessories for these photos. You don’t want to wear anything that baby may tug on for photos. (Anyone else have visions of baby tugging on hoop earrings? Ouch!) It’s always precious when Mama wears a matching headband with her newborn baby girl, so that’s always a fun option! I love to capture some closeup photos of baby that feature your wedding bands, so don’t forget your rings! 

REMEMBER THE HANDS

As a new mom, I felt like I barely had time to brush my hair, let alone focus on my nails! During newborn lifestyle sessions, I will be taking quite a few photos of you holding your new addition, so if you typically like to have manicures done for photos, it may be worth considering doing for these photos too. (It may even be relaxing to have an hour at a local salon to focus on you for the first time in weeks too, Mama!) If you can’t get away from sweet baby and have your nails done professionally, a quick swipe of polish at home always looks great too!

NEED SOME STORE INSPIRATION ON WHAT TO WEAR?

If you’re having trouble searching for beautiful dresses for photos at your normal store, check out the following online retailers for your photo shoot:

Rent the Runway allows you to rent a beautiful dress or two and then return them after your session, so it won’t take up too much closet space! It’s a win-win! 

Baltic Born has beautiful dress options that I’ve personally used several times for sessions with my little ones! Their outfits are so flattering and they often offer great sales to help you find the best affordable dress for you!

Amazon was my go-to for finding maternity and nursing dresses during my pregnancy, so I know you can find some great options here too!

No matter what you choose to wear for your baby’s lifestyle newborn session, as long as you’re comfortable and feel beautiful, your photos will turn out stunning! I can’t wait to capture these precious memories for you and your growing family soon!