The biggest tips I can offer with older sibling engagement during a newborn photoshoot is patience and gentle expectations.
Welcoming a new family member is exciting, overwhelming, confusing and challenging for everyone but especially the older siblings. Learning how to share mom and dad can be such a hard lesson! The whole family dynamic changes overnight and brings with it big emotions. Keeping that in mind can help you remain patient if your child is having a hard time engaging with your newborn.
I am a mom myself and have been through the transition period two times. It is beautiful, sweet, fleeting and hard.
Having gentle expectations is helpful! Your child might not sit perfectly still or hold their new sibling carefully all while smiling at the camera…But you might be able to hold your newborn while dad airplanes your toddler in for a kiss, or your oldest might sniff your newborns head and tell me what it smells like. I have endless creative ways of how to help include older siblings in the frame and make it a fun and memorable experience.
Most importantly, do your best to relax, knowing that I am creating beauty from the chaos.
