Toddler and Newborn Shoots - Natural newborn shoot at home North East

If you're expecting your second (or third, or more) baby and you've got a toddler at home, you might be wondering: how will a newborn shoot work with an energetic little one underfoot.

It's a valid question because your toddler will probably have a bigger say in how the shoot goes than your newborn will.

Your toddler has just had their whole world turned upside down. One day they're the centre of attention, the youngest or possibly an only child. The next day there's a tiny human who needs constant attention, and suddenly everything revolves around this new baby. Add in an unfamiliar situation like a photographer arriving to take photos, and it can be alot for their little minds. Some toddlers take it in their stride. Others go into complete meltdown. Others do a bit of both and every reaction is completely normal.

When I arrive to do a newborn shoot with their toddler sibling, I don't arrive expecting a calm, smooth shoot where everyone is floating round in newborn bliss. I'm ready to be flexible, to work around whatever your toddler needs, and to capture the real moments—which often involve a bit of chaos, and that's absolutely fine and always good fun.

Here's a top and bottom view of the same moment 😆

Here's What Can Help

Bring Backup

If you have a friend or grandparent who can come along, they can stay with your toddler in another room while you and your partner get some images with your newborn. Then, whenever it suits, your toddler can join in and we capture them interacting their new sibling.

Tag-Team It

You and your partner can take turns for images with you both on your own with your newborn — while one of you gets pictures on your own with your baby the other is plays with their sibling in another room.

Just Go For It

Some families say "let's all just be here together"—and we work with whatever happens. Sometimes that means the toddler is running around in the background, sometimes they're cuddling the baby, sometimes they're wearing a princess dress, sometimes they're having a meltdown. I'm quietly shooting the whole time, capturing all the delicious real moments.

The Most Important Thing

Try not to have any huge expectations and just go with the flow. Your toddler doesn't understand what's happening or why there's a stranger in the house. When they sense there's no pressure, no expectation for them to cooperate, something shifts. They relax a bit. And that's when the magic happens—not because they're perfect, but because they're real.

So if you're nervous about how this will work—don't be. We'll figure it out together, and I promise you, we'll get beautiful images. Maybe not all the ones you imagined, but the ones that actually matter: your family, exactly as you are.

Ready to chat about making this work for your family?

Email me: angela@angelafenwickphotography.uk

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