Newborn Session Tips : What If My Baby Cries During the Session?

The honest answer from a Raleigh newborn photographer who has seen it all. These newborn session tips will help you feel more prepared and less stressed if you’re worried your baby will cry during your session.

What If My Baby Cries the Whole Time During My Raleigh Newborn Session?

Updated: May 2026

You’re in the early days of motherhood — healing, adjusting, and holding someone who already feels like your whole world. You know this time is fleeting. You want to remember it. But one thought keeps creeping in: what if my baby cries the entire time and we don’t get a single good photo?

I hear this question more than almost any other. And I want to give you the most honest answer I can — babies cry. It’s literally their only form of communication right now. A crying baby during a newborn session is not a failed session. It’s just a baby being a baby, and I’ve got newborn session tips that make it work every single time.

Crying Is Normal — Here’s What We Do About It

I had a session once where a sweet little boy cried for the first hour straight. Mom was mortified. She kept apologizing, kept offering to reschedule, kept thinking we weren’t going to get anything. By the end of that session we had some of the most beautiful, tender images I’ve ever delivered — including one of her holding him against her chest with the most exhausted, loving expression on her face. That photo makes me tear up every time I look at it. It was real. It was them. And it was perfect.

Here are my go-to newborn session tips for working through a fussy baby:

• Feed on demand. If baby is hungry, we stop and feed. Every time. No rushing.
• White noise works wonders. I always have it playing in the background — it mimics the sounds of the womb and often settles babies quickly.
• Skin to skin is magic. Sometimes the best thing we can do is hand the baby back to mom and just let them settle. We use that time to take beautiful holding shots.
• Warmth matters. I keep the session space warm because babies calm down faster when they’re cozy and comfortable.
• We slow down. A baby-led session means there’s no checklist we’re rushing through. If we need to take twenty minutes to settle, we take twenty minutes.

What If My Baby Never Falls Asleep?

This is one of the most common newborn session tips I share with families before we even start — sleepy newborn photos are gorgeous, but awake baby photos are equally stunning in their own way. Those wide open eyes, that curious little gaze, the way they look up at your face like you’re their entire universe — those images hit differently.

Some of my favorite galleries I’ve ever delivered have been from babies who were wide awake the entire session. We lean into it. We capture those alert little expressions, those tiny fists raised in the air, those yawns that turn into the best faces. An awake baby is not a problem — it’s just a different kind of beautiful.

What If I Don’t Feel Ready to Be in the Photos?

This one deserves its own section because it comes up just as often as the crying question. So many moms show up to their session feeling like they’re not camera-ready — still healing, still adjusting, still not feeling like themselves yet. I had a mom recently who told me right before her session that she was planning to just stay behind the camera. I gently encouraged her to join in — and by the end she was texting me saying those ended up being her absolute favorite photos from the whole gallery. The ones she almost didn’t take.

One of my most important newborn session tips for moms is this: you don’t have to feel ready. You just have to show up. The way you look at your baby in those early days is something you will never be able to recreate. That exhausted, overwhelmed, completely-in-love expression is worth documenting exactly as it is.

A Few More Newborn Session Tips Before We Wrap Up

Here are a few final newborn session tips to help you feel prepared and calm going in:

• Book early. Newborn sessions are best captured in the first two weeks of life when babies are sleepiest and most flexible. I recommend booking during your second trimester.
• Feed right before we start. A full baby is a sleepy baby — try to time a feeding so it ends right as we begin.
• Wear something comfortable. You don’t need a special outfit. Soft, neutral tones photograph beautifully and keep the focus on your baby.
• Lower your expectations — in the best way. Come in open to whatever the session brings. The unplanned moments are almost always the best ones.

You’ve Got This — And I’ve Got You

Every single family who has walked through a newborn session with me has left with a gallery full of images they love — even the ones whose babies cried the whole time. These newborn session tips exist because I’ve lived through every scenario, and I promise there is always something beautiful to capture no matter how the session unfolds.

These days are fleeting — if you’re expecting and thinking about booking a Raleigh newborn session, don’t wait too long. Check my availability and let’s get something on the calendar. Be sure to check out my latest work on Instagram.

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Newborn Session Tips : What If My Baby Cries During the Session?