Baby Registry Must-Haves
How to Register for a Newborn Photography Session
Welcome! This is Part One of my “Baby Registry Must-Haves”, an in-depth look at the items I think are most essential to register for when expecting a new baby.
I am a mom but more importantly, I am a Newborn Photographer, so I spend 90% of my life thinking about and working with babies (in addition to my own children). I’ve been through lots of sleep training, soothing, and infant safety training courses, and I’m constantly spending time with new parents, learning about the latest gear; hearing what works, and what doesn’t. I’ve realized I have so much knowledge to share with new parents but I typically don’t get to spend much time with them until their baby has arrived and the registry gifts have already been purchased.
Disclaimer…
I’m not going to bother discussing the basics like car seats and strollers and diapers. Retailers will begin to bombard you with ads the minute you even think about having a baby and the variety of choices is so wide the best choice for you really does depend on your needs – I’d have to hire a publisher for the novel I could write. There actually is a great book for comparing all the options if you haven’t heard of it yet called Baby Bargains [it’s frequently updated with current trends, and by now it’s really not as much about saving money as the title suggests, I would say it’s more about comparing brands and styles to determine which might be worth the splurge and where you should save your money]. I am keeping my series narrowed down to suggestions that I think all expecting parents will find most useful, regardless of each personal situation.
First Item on the Registry List…
BABY PHOTOS!
Yes, maybe this comes to my mind first because I’m a newborn photographer. But this is not a job I have just because I went to school for it (because I didn’t, I have 2 business degrees) it’s something I chose to learn later in life because I feel like it is such a beautiful gift for new parents. Seriously!
When I think about baby registries, I think about how many grandparents, aunts/uncles, etc. have contacted me to “gift” my photography sessions to the expecting parents in their lives. I’m always happy to accommodate this and they are always so excited about the idea of gifting something special like a newborn photo session because they know it is a gift that will truly last a lifetime. I am confident your other friends, family members, and coworkers would love to contribute to such a gift as well, but may not know which photographer you’d choose or may be less likely to fund the whole session themselves.
Well, Good News! Contributions can be made toward a Newborn Photography Session directly through your baby registry if you use a site like BabyList.com, and I will gladly walk through the steps to help you set it up!
Start your registry at BabyList.com:
It’s awesome – you can add items from almost anywhere, but your guests only have to see one registry. (Bonus: no duplicate gifts when Aunt Sue decides to shop at Amazon for the thing you registered for at Target, she can just mark it as purchased!) Once you’re set up, click “Add A Cash Fund” (highlighted on the right)
Create your “Cash Fund”. You’ll personalize the title and details in the next step so it doesn’t say Cash Fund on your registry, and you’ll have the option to allow your guests to pay with PayPal, so you aren’t actually asking for “cash”.
Fill out your fund details with whatever information you’d like your guests to know about this registry option! I always recommend that clients collect PayPal payments in their own accounts. You could certainly ask if your photographer accepts PayPal, but be sure to have a signed agreement in place first!
Just a reminder…
You (the parent) will need to sign your contract, and most photographers do require a session fee to be paid in full to reserve your session. Typically the way my clients like to make this work is to pay their session fee to reserve their spot, and then collect funds toward their product collections. And I’m sure many newborn photographers have methods to help manage contributions toward your session on your behalf. It will be the one registry gift you will treasure for long, long after you’ve sold or given away all that baby gear! I truly can not think of a more treasured and lasting gift for expecting parents!
And I promise the additional posts in this series will not also be related to newborn photography sessions, so stay tuned!
Featured Newborn Photographer:
I love to feature blog posts written by other Newborn Photographers and this one is especially helpful once you’ve reserved your session, your next step will be to prepare! Kate Williams is a Fort Collins Newborn Photographer and she has written the perfect list of Tips for Relaxed Newborn Sessions – I seriously couldn’t have said it better myself – you’ll be sure to find this information very helpful when preparing for your in-home newborn photo session!
