I can't wait to capture
your sweet baby...
Welcome to my Milestone/CakeSmash combo prep-guide. This is such a fantastic age to invest in professional portraits because your baby's unique personality and expressions are starting to shine through.
I want your experience to be easy and enjoyable from beginning to end, so I've put together some helpful information that will prepare you for your upcoming session. If you have any questions or concerns at any point please don't hesitate to reach out!
Welcome to my Milestone/CakeSmash combo prep-guide. This is such a fantastic age to invest in professional portraits because your baby's unique personality and expressions are starting to shine through.
I want your experience to be easy and enjoyable from beginning to end, so I've put together some helpful information that will prepare you for your upcoming session. If you have any questions or concerns at any point please don't hesitate to reach out!
xoxo
Melissa
book around nap time
A rested baby is a happy baby. We will be scheduling your session to fall between your baby's nap routine, so that we catch them when they're at their most alert and content part of the day.
I understand that routines change over time. We may schedule your session a couple of months in advance and 10am sounds like the perfect time, but then the week before the session things shift and you think 11am might be better. That's no problem at all, just shoot me an email and we will adjust the session time. We do NOT want to mess with nap time!
A rested baby is a happy baby. We will be scheduling your session to fall between your baby's nap routine, so that we catch them when they're at their most alert and content part of the day.
I understand that routines change over time. We may schedule your session a couple of months in advance and 10am sounds like the perfect time, but then the week before the session things shift and you think 11am might be better. That's no problem at all, just shoot me an email and we will adjust the session time. We do NOT want to mess with nap time!
Even after all of our best efforts to avoid nap time and to bring some favourite toys, sometimes babies are just not happy. In my experience more often than not (at this age) it is due to discomfort from teething.
If you think this might be the case for your baby I would encourage you to be ready with any of the remedies that you usually use. Whether it's baby Tylenol or a teething toy to chew on, whatever you like to use at home should come with you to the session just in case it's needed.
Sometimes babies are uncomfortable or shy in new places, which is completely normal. We will give our little model a few minutes to warm up to the studio and to me, but if they are still reluctant there are some tricks that I have found to be helpful.
Bring a favourite toy or book to the session. I can hold the object so that they look at me or we can place it just out of reach to urge them to crawl for some 'action' shots.
Another trick that seems to work well is to have mom play a video or song on their phone to get baby to smile or wiggle.
tell me more
bring something familiar
consider teething
01.
preparation
bring something familiar
Sometimes babies are uncomfortable or shy in new places, which is completely normal. We will give our little model a few minutes to warm up to the studio and to me, but if they are still reluctant there are some tricks that I have found to be helpful.
Bring a favourite toy or book to the session. I can hold the object so that they look at me or we can place it just out of reach to urge them to crawl for some 'action' shots.
Another trick that seems to work well is to have mom play a video or song on their phone to get baby to smile or wiggle.
tell me more
02.
preparation
consider teething
Even after all of our best efforts to avoid nap time and to bring some favourite toys, sometimes babies are just not happy. In my experience more often than not (at this age) it is due to discomfort from teething.
If you think this might be the case for your baby I would encourage you to be ready with any of the remedies that you usually use. Whether it's baby Tylenol or a teething toy to chew on, whatever you like to use at home should come with you to the session just in case it's needed.
03.
preparation
baby
portraits
When you arrive at the studio we will be doing the Milestone portraits first while baby is fresh and clean. After the cake smash there will be icing... well, everywhere.
We will likely have enough time for 2 outfits, as well as some bare bum shots if you'd like. You are welcomed to bring your own outfits or choose from my selection in the studio. I would recommend keeping your choices classic and timeless. Colour is fine, just keep in mind that if you want these images to be displayed on the walls of your home you will want them to coordinate with your decor.
I have lots of beautiful handmade wooden props that we will be using as well. In the booking form that you filled out I asked you for your colour preferences so that I could create a custom experience for you. If after deciding on the outfits, you want to adjust the colours that you selected that's no problem at all, just be sure to let me know no later than the day before the session.
session
on the day of your
When you arrive at your session I want you to leave all stress and anxiety and exhaustion at the door. The purpose of the session is obviously to document your newborn and create beautiful keepsake imagery for you to cherish forever, but that is 100% my job... your job is to relax!
I want you to take the time during your session to sit back and have some "me" time. I am a full service studio which means I will take care of soothing, changing and even feeding your baby (if you are using bottles).
Having said that, there are a number of things you can do to prepare for your session that will make everything go as smoothly as possible. My intention is by no means to add stress to your existing routine, so just do your best and don't worry about the rest.
02.
If you are nursing, or bottle-feeding breastmilk, try to eliminate caffeine and spicy foods from your diet for 48 hours prior to the session. Most of the poses I do have baby laying on their tummy or all curled up so gas can really affect the baby's comfort when in these positions.
If bottle feeding, breastmilk or formula, please bring more than you think you will need. Newborns hit a growth spurt during their second week and sometimes need to cluser feed. A hungry baby will not sleep, so we definitely want to be sure to have more than enough food on hand.
feeding continued
tell me more
session
on the day of your
When you arrive at your session I want you to leave all stress and anxiety and exhaustion at the door. The purpose of the session is obviously to document your newborn and create beautiful keepsake imagery for you to cherish forever, but that is 100% my job... your job is to relax!
I want you to take the time during your session to sit back and have some "me" time. I am a full service studio which means I will take care of soothing, changing and even feeding your baby (if you are using bottles).
Having said that, there are a number of things you can do to prepare for your session that will make everything go as smoothly as possible. My intention is by no means to add stress to your existing routine, so just do your best and don't worry about the rest.
03.
Dress baby in an outfit that either buttons or zips so that I don't have to pull anything over their head to get them undressed. My goal is to take them right from the car seat, undress them and get right into the first pose. The more fussing I have to do with layers the more chance there is that baby will wake up.
Also try to avoid anything that might leave an indent such as socks or an elastic headband. These marks can take quite a while to disappear on newborn skin.
dressing baby
tell me more
session
on the day of your
When you arrive at your session I want you to leave all stress and anxiety and exhaustion at the door. The purpose of the session is obviously to document your newborn and create beautiful keepsake imagery for you to cherish forever, but that is 100% my job... your job is to relax!
I want you to take the time during your session to sit back and have some "me" time. I am a full service studio which means I will take care of soothing, changing and even feeding your baby (if you are using bottles).
Having said that, there are a number of things you can do to prepare for your session that will make everything go as smoothly as possible. My intention is by no means to add stress to your existing routine, so just do your best and don't worry about the rest.
04.
The more awake time that baby has the morning of the session the more exhausted they will be when they get here.
If you're able, give them a bath just before that last feed prior to leaving the house. The bath will keep them alert and awake as well as getting them squeaky clean for their session. And don't forget to moisturize after the bath as well.
morning bath
tell me more
session
on the day of your
When you arrive at your session I want you to leave all stress and anxiety and exhaustion at the door. The purpose of the session is obviously to document your newborn and create beautiful keepsake imagery for you to cherish forever, but that is 100% my job... your job is to relax!
I want you to take the time during your session to sit back and have some "me" time. I am a full service studio which means I will take care of soothing, changing and even feeding your baby (if you are using bottles).
Having said that, there are a number of things you can do to prepare for your session that will make everything go as smoothly as possible. My intention is by no means to add stress to your existing routine, so just do your best and don't worry about the rest.
05.
It's not uncommon to take 15 minutes perfecting a single pose, and if baby starts to stir during the process a pacifier will more often than not sooth them enough to get the shot without having to start all over again.
Even if you don't intend to use a pacifier going forward, I would urge you to let me use one just for the time that you are here. If you do not want to buy one just for the session I have new unopened ones in the studio.
magic pacifier
tell me more
session
on the day of your
When you arrive at your session I want you to leave all stress and anxiety and exhaustion at the door. The purpose of the session is obviously to document your newborn and create beautiful keepsake imagery for you to cherish forever, but that is 100% my job... your job is to relax!
I want you to take the time during your session to sit back and have some "me" time. I am a full service studio which means I will take care of soothing, changing and even feeding your baby (if you are using bottles).
Having said that, there are a number of things you can do to prepare for your session that will make everything go as smoothly as possible. My intention is by no means to add stress to your existing routine, so just do your best and don't worry about the rest.
06.
When you arrive you are welcomed to park in my driveway. Street parking is also available on both sides of the street if you prefer.
My studio is located in the basement of my home, so unfortunately that means a full flight of stairs. If you have had a c-section and require assistance I am more than happy to carry baby and any bags down for you so you can take your time on the stairs.
logistics
i have everything we need for your session, all you have to bring is baby...
My studio is fully stocked with classic and timeless props and accessories for your session.
My prop closet is jam packed with beautiful wooden beds, bowls and baskets as well as wraps and texture layers in any colour that you could imagine.
I have a small selection of 6-12 month outfits that you are welcomed to use if you choose not to bring your own.
smash
cake
If you haven't already chosen a theme for the cake smash portion of the session, then I would encourage you to browse through Pinterest to get some ideas. You can pick absolutely anything you want, the sky is the limit. You can leave the set design completely up to me, all you need to do is provide the outfit. When you have your outfit, please send me a picture of it so that I can be sure to coordinate the colour tones with the setup.
I have curated a Pinterest board of some setups that I have done in the past as well as some other cute ideas I have found that might get you started or give you some ideas.
You may be surprised to learn that more often than not the babies don't actually do much 'smashing' in these sessions. A lot of the time they are quite uninterested in the cake and the messy part is somewhat staged. Don't be surprised if I ask you to get in there and mess up the cake a bit. There are some tricks that you can try to help encourage your baby to do the smashing though...
01.
this is probably the most important one!
in the weeks leading up to the session encourage your baby to feed themselves, no matter how messy or unproductive it becomes. if they are primarily spoon fed then they won't know what to do when a cake is put in front of them.
not encouraging self-feeding before hand can actually backfire because when we 'stage' the messy part and put some cake on their hands they might actually freak out and cry because they don't like the feeling of it.
encourage self-feeding
tell me more
take me to pinterest
smash
cake
If you haven't already chosen a theme for the cake smash portion of the session, then I would encourage you to browse through Pinterest to get some ideas. You can pick absolutely anything you want, the sky is the limit. You can leave the set design completely up to me, all you need to do is provide the outfit. When you have your outfit, please send me a picture of it so that I can be sure to coordinate the colour tones with the setup.
I have curated a Pinterest board of some setups that I have done in the past as well as some other cute ideas I have found that might get you started or give you some ideas.
You may be surprised to learn that more often than not the babies don't actually do much 'smashing' in these sessions. A lot of the time they are quite uninterested in the cake and the messy part it is somewhat staged. Don't be surprised if I ask you to get in there and mess up the cake a bit. There are some tricks that you can try to help encourage your baby to do the smashing though...
02.
our brains react a certain way to sugar, as i'm sure you would agree. babies react in all sorts of different ways when trying sugar for the first time. We don't really want to be testing these waters for the first time during the session with a pile of icing in front of them.
i would recommend at least giving your baby a bit of sugar a couple of times before the session to get them used to the taste and how it makes them feel.
give them sweets
tell me more
take me to pinterest
smash
cake
If you haven't already chosen a theme for the cake smash portion of the session, then I would encourage you to browse through Pinterest to get some ideas. You can pick absolutely anything you want, the sky is the limit. You can leave the set design completely up to me, all you need to do is provide the outfit. When you have your outfit, please send me a picture of it so that I can be sure to coordinate the colour tones with the setup.
I have curated a Pinterest board of some setups that I have done in the past as well as some other cute ideas I have found that might get you started or give you some ideas.
You may be surprised to learn that more often than not the babies don't actually do much 'smashing' in these sessions. A lot of the time they are quite uninterested in the cake and the messy part it is somewhat staged. Don't be surprised if I ask you to get in there and mess up the cake a bit. There are some tricks that you can try to help encourage your baby to do the smashing though...
03.
if baby isn't interested much in the cake, sometimes it's helpful to have familiar snacks that we can stick down into the icing so they want to go in for it.
cheerios or puffs are perfect for this because they are small and colourless so they aren't even noticeable in the images. but obviously it would need to be something that your baby is used to having at home and would recognize right away.
bring small snacks
take me to pinterest
no germs
Though all diligence is taken to clean the studio between clients, it is my policy that if you or baby have had any sort of illness in the days leading up to your session, that the session is to be rescheduled.
I regularly have brand new babies in the studio and their underdeveloped immune systems are a very real concern for me.
If your baby has a runny nose and/or fever due to teething and only teething, then that is fine. I trust that as a mother you will understand and appreciate these precautions.
Though all diligence is taken to clean the studio between clients, it is my policy that if you or baby have had any sort of illness in the days leading up to your session, that the session is to be rescheduled.
I regularly have brand new babies in the studio and their underdeveloped immune systems are a very real concern for me.
If your baby has a runny nose and/or fever due to teething and only teething, then that is fine. I trust that as a mother you will understand and appreciate these precautions.
I understand that this is an exciting event and you want to document every special thing that happens in your baby's life.
During the session I don't mind you taking behind the scenes images with your cell phone, provided that myself and the surrounding area are in the image. I do not however permit cell phone images of your baby in a setup that I have created without the surrounding context.
If you would like to share any 'behind the scenes' images on your social media I ask that you please tag me.
I do not allow older siblings to come along for milestone sessions. It is much too distracting for baby when their older sibling is also in the room. I want baby to be focused on me and looking at the camera.
I also only allow 2 adults to come with baby much for the same reason. The more people there are to look at, the less focused baby will be, especially if there are many familiar faces and I'm the boring stranger.
These policies are in place to ensure that we get the best possible images of your baby.
tell me more
no siblings
no cell phone pics
01.
studio policies
no siblings
I do not allow older siblings to come along for milestone sessions. It is much too distracting for baby when their older sibling is also in the room. I want baby to be focused on me and looking at the camera.
I also only allow 2 adults to come with baby much for the same reason. The more people there are to look at, the less focused baby will be, especially if there are many familiar faces and I'm the boring stranger.
These policies are in place to ensure that we get the best possible images of your baby.
tell me more
02.
studio policies
no cell phone pics
I understand that this is an exciting event and you want to document every special thing that happens in your baby's life.
During the session I don't mind you taking behind the scenes images with your cell phone, provided that myself and the surrounding area are in the image. I do not however permit cell phone images of your baby in a setup that I have created without the surrounding context.
If you would like to share any 'behind the scenes' images on your social media I ask that you please tag me.
03.
studio policies
products
pictures
print your
In this hyper-digital world some clients choose to not print their professional photos, but I would like to take a minute to try and explain why I feel it is very important that you do...
You have commissioned your photographer to create art. Would a museum have the same impact if you could only scroll through a digital gallery on a screen? Art needs to be printed (and large) to fully convey the emotion and sentiment of the imagery. What better place to display an art piece that encompasses your love for your child than on the walls of the home you've built together as a family.
Ultimately, the tangible value of deciding to print your photos is unparalleled. Your baby's milestones deserve better than a Facebook album or USB drive that lives in your junk drawer. Photos are meant to be viewed, so make sure you’re giving those memories a chance to be enjoyed every day.
contact me
send it
Please allow 24 hours for a response (during business hours).
Please allow 24 hours for a response (during business hours).
