Some of my customers’ favorite photographs are typically newborn pictures with siblings, which makes perfect sense—after all, who couldn’t love an image of their newest child next to their first child—or, in this case, next to their TWO newest babies—?

I want to give you five pointers on how to take stunning pictures of babies and their siblings.

First tip: Take safe pictures of your newborn with your siblings.

As usual, the top focus in my studio is safety. This is why there are a few things to keep in mind while posing newborns with their older siblings:

Most of the time, infants should be swaddled  

An infant will feel safe and secure when they are swaddled in addition to being kept warm and comfortable.

We don’t want baby to squirm or baby’s arms flailing in siblings’ faces – we want them calm and relaxed so that older siblings do not get fгᴜѕtгаted (and we don’t want big brother or big sister to ɡet whacked in the eуe by ассіdent!).

Furthermore, when a newborn is in a tidy little “package,” as it were, it’s simpler for an older sibling to wrap their arms around them.

Securing the arms and legs of a newborn comfortably around their body also enables the photographer to focus solely on the head position.

Nonetheless, if a baby is on or in a prop and an older sibling is placing their face next to the baby or resting their head on them, there is no need to wrap them.

As always, whether the baby is positioned on or in a prop, the spotter should be able to keep their hand on them and, after the baby is secure, only take off their hand for the few seconds it takes the photographer to shoot the picture.

Picture on a bed

Should the elder sibling be of sufficient age, they could be able to safely place their younger sibling on a bed (with their parents watching).

If the older child holding the baby is at least four years old and appears confident and at ease doing so, I will usually try this setup.

I place the kids in the center of the bed and keep the spotter handy.

Children under four can sit with their older and newborn siblings, much like in this picture. It is also acceptable to urge younger siblings to touch the infant.

Tip #2: Older Children Should Have Fun Taking Photos with Their Infant Siblings

Firstly, when I arrive at a client’s house, I try and bond with other older siblings.

I make it a point to talk to them, give them high fives, ask them questions about their favorite action heros or movies, etc.  I’ll even ask them to show me their rooms before we start the session (kids love this).

It is important to establish a connection with an older child before you start asking the child to do things for you (lay here, look at the camera, etc.). It is even better to make the session as fun as possible for older children. Sometimes, with parents permission, I will even bring older children a treat (because who doesn’t like treats)?

Having the older child like and trust you, and even have fun, makes creating their portraits with their newborn sibling much easier.

Tip #3: Let the Older Sibling Feel Important at the Newborn Photoshoot

In addition to having fun, the older siblings should also feel important.

Since so much focus is on the newborn baby during a session, it’s critical that older siblings don’t feel ɩeft oᴜt.

There are a few strategies that make older children feel that they have an important гoɩe to play.

For example, sometimes I’ll ask an older child to come tell me if I’m doing a good job (I’ll take an image of the newborn and show the older child).

I may ask them which headband or which hat they like better, and put their favorite on the baby.

I’ll ask them if they believe I’m doing it correctly after explaining what I’m doing (I get a lot of “whys?”). When the moment comes to take a picture of an older child holding their younger sibling, I will ask, “Can I see you give baby a kiss?” or rather than saying “give your brother a kiss” and “hug your baby brother,” say “can you show me how you hug your baby brother?”

In my experience, the more the older child has been involved in the session, the easier it is to create the portraits.

Tip #4: If You Must, Bribe

I am not opposed to bribing, if necessary.  Because at the end of the day, if we can offer older siblings something they want in exchange for a few minutes of cooperation which will create portraits that will be adored for generations, I believe it’s worth it.

However, we must exercise caution in what we provide the youngster. Gifts that are wrapped or even food will do, but not ones that are gooey or sticky. Your youngster eating chocolate while wearing a white shirt is not what you want. I like to provide cereal and other less messy incentives because of this.

If you give cheerios to a two-year-old, you’ll be amazed with what you can get (and the spontaneous smiles you’ll get)!a

Treats can also be incorporated into the actual session to encourage younger siblings to participate.  A friend of mine gave me a stellar tip – if a two year old won’t go near the baby, place cheerios on the baby, and ask the two year old to eаt the cheerios off with no hands.  At best, the resulting image will look like the two year old is kissing the baby, or at “woгѕt,” you’re going to have an image of a very excited looking two year old coming close to baby

Some post-processing will of course be required to remove the cheerios.

Tip #5: Go with the Flow

Going with the flow is important.  If the older child is sleepy, I’ll focus on creating the newborn’s portraits while the older child rests.  If the older sibling is һᴜnɡгу, I’ll suggest to mom or dad it’s time for a snack.

It’s really easy for me to take breaks, have snacks, and go play while the remainder of the session is going on because I hold all of my sessions at my customers’ houses.

In addition, I typically take newborn pictures of siblings at various points during the session. This is due to my preference for giving the older kids a break rather than expecting them to perform a lot of work in a short period of time. I will never put up with an older child, and I pick up cues from both of them, just like I do from the infant. I am usually able to capture lovely newborn photographs with siblings by being adaptable and going with the flow.

To schedule your newborn photography session and create stunning photographs of your baby and siblings in the comfort of your own home, please get in touch with me.

Main voted Jessica Catherine Photography the Best Newborn Photographer of 2019.