At Adriana Reyes Photography, we love those classic newborn portraits — the tiny curled-up poses, the peaceful sleep, the flawless little details that melt your heart. That’s why we always recommend having your newborn session within the first 15 days of your baby’s life — it truly is a special window.

21 day old baby boy

But we also know that life doesn’t always go according to plan. You might need more time to recover, your baby may have arrived earlier or later than expected, or your schedule (and energy levels!) might mean you can’t book right away. And that’s ok. Beautiful, meaningful newborn photos can absolutely still be captured when your baby is older — even up to around 2 months old.

Let’s break down why the first two weeks are ideal, and how we adapt sessions for babies up to 2 months.

Why We Recommend 0–15 Days Old First

There’s good reason most newborn photographers talk about this early window:

✨ Sleepiness & Flexibility
Newborns in those first two weeks tend to be deep sleepers and can curl up naturally — which makes it easier to achieve those classic, womb-like poses you’ve probably seen on Instagram feeds and websites

✨ Fewer Startle Reflexes
Very young babies tend to startle less and sleep more deeply during handling, allowing for smooth posing and gentle transitions between wraps, props, and setups.

✨ Those Classic “Newborn” Traits
This early stage is when babies are smallest, peacefully curled, and have that dreamy, quiet presence that feels like newborn photography – precious and fleeting.

When sessions happen in this window, we can create what many consider the “traditional” newborn portfolio: peaceful, posed images that show off those tiny features and curled positions in the most serene way.

What Happens After 15 Days?

Once your baby gets older — around 3–8 weeks — a few things start to change:

• They spend more time awake and alert.

• Muscles strengthen — which means they might not want to curl up as much.

• Little expressions, big eyes, and more personality begin to emerge.

But that’s not a bad thing. It’s simply a different style — and a style that many families absolutely love. Instead of posed, sleepy portraits, we get:

💛 Beautiful wide-eyed moments
💛 Soft, alert expressions
💛 Sweet snuggles with parents and siblings
💛 A session that feels more lifestyle and interactive
💛 Memories of a stage you’ll miss in just weeks

Older newborn sessions are still incredibly precious — they just look and feel different, and part of what we do as your photographer is guide your expectations so you walk away with images you adore.

✨ In the end, there’s no wrong time to capture your baby. There’s only your time — and we’re here to make it beautiful.
— Adriana Reyes Photography

This couple contacted me for a maternity session, I gave them all the info and provided the link to my maternity dresses gallery for them to pick out their favourites to wear for the session, well, the day of the session came and nothing was picked. You see, I always check ahead just to make sure all my pregnant women have their options ready for them but this time I just forgot, in any case, all my dresses are always cleaned and ready, just not out of the storeroom. But I guess that was no problem because she actually didn’t want to wear any of the dresses, instead we managed to get creative with the shirt she brought and then, well you’ll see what happened…

The chemistry of this couple was amazing, we didn’t need any belly dresses or any clothes at all, the two of them were just enough… and mom was so radiant!!! that belly sure beamed all through the session…

Did you read me say “chemistry”? what do you think?…

When I had my little ones (long long time ago), one of the most scary and stressful things for me was to feed them; my first baby took forever to feed from my breast, then he hated anything “solid”, he would only eat yogurt and then he just never was interested in food; later, I had my daughter and she was a champ eating, loved her milk and once it was her turn to eat solids, she was very interested in my food but hated any mushy food. So I remember talking to my paediatrician and he told me that if she was interested in “grown-up” foods, well, to give her “grown-up” foods, back then that wasn’t even heard of, I was shocked and was a little lost, how could I give her fruit in pieces instead of a pureed fruit, would my baby be OK eating like that? would she choke?, anyways, I did it and it worked, but I did it without much documentation or support on how to do it properly or what to do when.

Now, after talking to so many moms, working with them every week and seeing my IG feed full of babies, I see most of my newborns are growing into beautiful healthy babies who feed themselves with “grown-up” foods, or what I see now is an actual thing called “Baby led weaning” or BLW for short.

According to the 2015 guidelines released by Health Canada: “From six months of age, an older infant's complementary foods can be many of the same nutritious foods enjoyed by the family. They should be prepared and served with little or no added salt or sugar (WHO, 2009). Commercial infant foods are not needed and can be high in added sugar (Garcia, Raza, Parrett, &Wright, 2013)”. Who would have thought?! my babies new what was best for them, I just had to listen!!

I asked some of my clients how is BLW going for them, what was their experience and this is what they have to say:

“I find BLW helps to introduce solid foods to babies in a non-invasive way. I had been reading about BLW since I was pregnant. I wanted my LO to build a healthy relationship with food and actually enjoy eating. However I won’t lie, it was frustrating in the beginning. At 6 months Alana had no interest in food whatsoever, she won’t pick up any piece regardless its shape or colour. Few weeks later, she started to “notice” food and bring it into her mouth. Meanwhile, I gave her some puree to ensure she had the nutrients. It is a slow process, for some babies may take longer than others; some children just aren’t ready for finger foods at 6 months. I am for the mixed approach, as it helps expose babies to finger foods and also minimizes the risk of nutritional gaps in the diet!”

Another one said: “I started reading a lot of things about Baby Led Weaning when I was pregnant. The idea of my baby feeding herself giving her finger foods was very interesting to me. I started doing my research online, following people on social media and watching videos about this because I wanted different recipes and ideas. One day, I found an online course that had all the information about it, how to start, what to do with the food and how to present it to the baby; so I took it and it gave me the confidence I needed to start.

We started with foods like broccoli, avocados and bananas and it was very exciting for us watching her take her first bite and explore all different textures and flavours.

My baby is 14 months old now and I can say that she looks forward to eating every day and she enjoys it. Also, I love that she can be a part of our mealtimes, eating the same food and spending quality time with us as a family.

I am very happy that we did BLW. Not only the baby is in control of how much they want to eat but it’s also an excellent way of giving them healthier foods. I definitely recommend it to all the families.”

Also, I asked the experts! and this is what Laura Martire (Holistic Nutritionist) had to say about BLW:

“Baby led weaning  allows babies to explore and build a positive relationship with food.   It gives them the opportunity to learn how to pick up, chew and swallow foods at their own pace.  It’s also a great way of ensuring your babies diet is full of fresh, whole foods. By avoiding the store bought baby purees which in some cases have added sugar and salt.  The key for me with BLW is to consider the nutrients being provided at each meal. Try and provide your baby with a variety of iron rich foods like lentils, meat and eggs. Plenty of healthy fats from avocados, or veggies roasted in olive oil. Also, be sure to include a variety of fruits and vegetables to ensure your baby is getting all the right vitamins and minerals.   Always remember there is no right or wrong way to introduce solid foods to babies. Every baby is different so always pay attention to the cues your baby is giving you. “

Want to have someone to guide you through the journey, check her out, she is awesome!

Do you want to share your experience? present or past? leave me a comment below!

But, remember, whatever you do, you will always know what is best for YOUR baby!!!

xoxo

Ok, there is no secret these sessions are my favourites, I just adore mothers-to-be, although some (ahem "most") complain about how big they feel, I see them all oh-so-stunning, the glow I see radiating out of a future mom is incredible! then, you mix that with the feeling I get going underwater, the muted sound, the weightless feeling and nothing else but the mom, the water and my camera and there you go! underwater photography is the definition of perfection for me!!! :) 

I hope you like these as much as I do...