Choosing newborn props is not just all about finding the cutest items for newborn poses. It is important to make sure they are safe to use in your newborn photography studio.

Newborn safety is always … ALWAYS more important than getting a cute shot. We all want to be known as the safest photographer around but you may not know exactly what you need to be doing and what to be looking for.

In today’s video I’m going to share with you my tips on being the safest photographer around!

Prefer to read? Here you go!

1. Prop material

The first consideration when you’re working with props, is considering what it is made of. Specifically, I’m talking about glass. You never ever want to be using glass with a newborn, sincet it could break. That’s just not a risk worth taking so just being mindful of that when you’re choosing props.

2. Original prop contents

The second consideration when choosing newborn props is to consider what did this prop actually contained before.

One time I was shopping at this antique store and I fell in love with this beautiful box that had this ornate script on it. I knew it was going to be super dreamy in my newborn sessions. However, when I read the fine print on what it once contained, it actually was a container for sheep dip!

When you’re working with tiny little newborns with delicate skins, you’d want to make sure that you’re not putting a baby in something that could have contained something corrosive, explosive, acidic, or anything that could harm them.

3. Sharp edges

The next consideration when choosing newborn props would be to look at the edges around the prop. Make sure that there are no splinters, or any rust, or anything that babies could harm themselves on.

A lot of these old buckets have beautiful little handles, so when you’re working with them, make sure that that area is always covered and make sure that there’s not any way a baby could tip over or lean over into it.

If you need to, you can file things down if you need to – grab a bit of sandpaper and use it on the inside of the crate if it’s got those those edges.

4. Rust

Make sure your metal objects like buckets do not contain any rust. If rust gets into punctured skin it can cause some nasty infections, and that’s not something that you want to be responsible for! So make sure that these items are rust free, or at worst, that the rust or patina is always on the outside and in an area no baby could touch.

5. Cleanliness

When choosing newborn props, consider whether it is clean, or whether it can be cleaned. Now I know, one of the most amazing shots is with babies in firefighter gear. If
you think about it, newborns and the chemicals that are being used to put out fires just don’t mix.

If parents are really wishing for this image, I always ask to have the equipment be super clean, and I explain that they’re using heavy-duty chemicals to fight fire, plus there’s all the soot covering the boots and hats.

6. Counterweights

Use hand weights or sandbags inside your props to avoid tipping. A lot of times we use these beautiful baskets, and because the head is a huge percentage of a baby’s body weight, they can potentially tip that basket entirely forward when they are leaning over.

What I like to do is put hand weights or two 10-pound disc weights inside my basket to make sure that it’s not going to tip forward. Make sure that you have that spotter beside the baby so that you know tipping is never going to be an issue.

7. Spotter

Having extra hands and eyes watching baby is paramount in keeping that baby safe. You never want to walk away from a baby, or get distracted.

You always want to have someone there, so that if you are not with the baby, someone else is. It may mean hiring an assistant or using some extra hands from mom and dad.

We’re all about talking about newborn safety! If you are too, check out what we had to say about when to use composites for your newborn images!