Bringing home a new baby is hard. It is definitely harder than bringing home your firstborn. After all, now your attention is torn between two babies.
When I come into your home to photograph your newborn, this is the story I love to watch the most: How your firstborn has adjusted to life as an older sibling. That is the story that I want to tell. Therefore, they are the ones that get most of my attention. during our time together.
Every sibling has a different reaction to a new baby coming home. And in the 10 years I have been photographing newborns, I have seen the entire spectrum of emotions. (often times all within one session)
Sometimes the new big brother is obsessed with the baby. He wants to check on them, help feed them, help with diapers and give (a few too many) hugs. I lovingly refer to this response as smothering love. If you have one of these kids, you know what I mean.
Sometimes the new big brother wants literally nothing to do with the baby. He ignores her. He doesn’t talk about her. He literally will not acknowledge this tiny new human in his home. And that is totally normal too.
When this happens, the photo session definitely has more of a challenge involved, but I make it work. I am not here to tell a fake story of what your house is like with a new baby. If the big brother wants nothing to do with his baby sister there is zero chance I will try to force a photo with him holding her. Nope.
What I will do, is engage with him. Allow him space. Allow him to call the shots during the session. I also make sure that he is getting lots of attention from whichever parent he chooses.
Most of the time, the new big brother’s response to the baby falls somewhere in between. He loves her one minute. And the next minute he is over it. This is the reaction that I see the most. And it is totally normal because kids constantly change their minds about everything!
If you are expecting a new baby and worried about your first born’s reaction to a new sibling, the best advice I can give you is not to worry. Things will be wild at first, but no matter what end of the spectrum the fall on, things will even out over time. I promise.
Just do your best, engage with your toddler, keep your newborn alive and things will be just fine. If you are expecting and would like to know more about a newborn session with me, I would love to chat. Just shoot me an email and let’s talk about your session.
