By Guest Blogger Kristen Kelly
The months before my son was born, I learned about monthly baby photos from browsing Pinterest and seeing friends on Facebook post their own images. I knew I wanted to try this once he arrived! Here is the result, as well as some tips I learned along the way, that I shared on my blog, Ready…Set…Parenthood!
First off, keep in mind that “success” is a relative term.
Our monthly pictures were by no means perfect, but they did what they were intended to do…show how our son grew and changed over his first year. The first year of a child’s life involves so much transformation, both physical and in personality. Monthly pictures are a means of capturing these changes, that seem to happen way to fast!
After experiencing our first time of capturing monthly baby photos of our little guy, here are some tips to help you are your capture your own.
1. Plan ahead.
If you are going to take on monthly pictures, you might need to make that decision before your little nugget arrives. You definitely will if you are going to use a onesie sticker or other prop in your pictures. I ordered our stickers off of Etsy from Peach Tea Couture.
2. You’ll Need Perspective
Pick some type of object that will allow you to have a perspective as to how much your little one has grown. It might be a stuffed animal (we used a bear in most of Patrick’s pictures), a chair, an accessory or a laundry basket. Having something that stays constant allows you to see just how much your baby has changed from month to month.
3. Pick a Starting Point
Decide if you are going to start at the hospital, when you get home, or wait until the one-month mark. If you are going to start at the hospital, make sure you pack what you need for the picture in your hospital bag.
4. Keep in mind he will become more mobile!
When you are selecting where you are going to take your monthly pictures, remember that your little bean will be way more mobile by the end of the year! Chairs and surfaces that he can fall off of might become more difficult as the year goes on. We used his crib, which kept him contained, as well as showed when he was able to stand up.
5. Have fun!
At the beginning of our sessions, I worried about trying to get the perfect shot and making them look similar from month to month. However as the months went on, it became clear to me that the sessions needed to be about fun and capturing how much fun we were having then the images looking perfect.
6. Use them.
After all that work of taking those fun images, make sure you use them in some way! We had a banner up during Patrick’s birthday party showing how he changed over the year. Some other ideas are to frame the pictures to have around the house or create a photobook.
Here are how our images turned out. It amazes me how much Patrick changed from that 10 pound nugget in the hospital, to the amazing boy he has become now. Have fun with your journey!
The GRAND FINALE:
Photo credit Brittany Gidley Photography
***************************************
Kristen is a 30-something mother, wife, and educator living in Cleveland, Ohio with her husband Dave and son Patrick. She is a proud alum of Ohio University and loves Steelers football. She loves getting out and exploring the city and finding new and fun family-friendly activities. She writes about her experiences, both with parenting and Cleveland, on her blog Ready…Set…Parenthood!
Great advice