Have you seen the beautiful photos all over Instagram and Pinterest of brand-new babies nestled in flower wreaths and thought, I want to do this, but there is just no way I can re-create these beautiful photos? Well, think again!


It is way easier than it looks, and all you’ll need is your phone, some flowers and a whole lot of outtakes and patience.

But since you’re a mom, I’m going to guess you’ve already got a whole lot of photos on your phone of your baby and lots of patience.

Let’s begin.

1. Set the stage.

Find a place with a lot of natural light, preferably near a window.

Locate props like blankets, bonnets, bows, swaddles or anything you can use to make your newborn look extra cute and cozy.

Use a big blanket, sheet or throw as your background.

2. Choose your flowers.

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When choosing your flowers, keep in mind that to make your wreath look full you are going to need filler flowers like, baby’s breath, delphinium or lavender. They’re usually cheaper than other blooms

If you want to keep costs down when buying flowers, check out your local supermarket.

If you are photographing a baby boy and you’d rather stay away from super-flowery shoots, you can use only filler flowers or even eucalyptus leaves or pine wreaths.

Another great option is to replace flowers and use fruits instead.

3. Create your background.

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Spread your blanket or sheet near a window. If the floor near your window is too hard you can place more blankets or a comforter underneath. Then start creating your wreath by combining the filler flowers and flowers, forming them into a circle.

As you can see, it doesn’t have to be perfect.

4. Get your baby to cooperate.

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Babies sometimes just don’t like to go along with our plans.

But don’t let that discourage you from taking a beautiful photo of your baby—the truth is that sometimes these “picture perfect” photos are less than perfect behind the scenes.

Take your time to make sure baby is fed, changed and in a good mood.

Pro tip: Start the photos by swaddling your baby. Usually this helps baby feel cozy and makes for a better picture.

Compare the photos above and below. Swaddling = happy baby.

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5. Involve siblings.

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If you have older children, take the opportunity to involve them in some photos.

Though let me just share that taking photos of a newborn baby is much easier than taking photos of older children. But I’m sharing my deep secrets here, people.

The truth behind the photo above is that there are actually two other people in the background helping me, and though it may look like the little girl is looking at her little sister, mommy is there in the background holding Elmo on the phone on the other side #truth.

So even though the shoot might feel chaotic with big kids in the pics, you still may capture some incredible images.

Pro tip: Another idea for photographing with siblings is to have your camera ready and let them just naturally do what they do. In the photo below, big sister Stella naturally leaned in to give kisses to her little sister. With a lot of outtakes I was finally able to capture this stunning photo of this moment. Keep your camera ready for anything unexpected.

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You’ve got this, mama. Share your photos with us by tagging #TeamMotherly and #MotherlyPhotos on Instagram.