Guides/Baby's first New Year photo ideasFirst New Year photos

Baby's first New Year photo ideas

You can take the New Year photo and the monthly photo as one picture. Put this month's sticker on the onesie, and keep the rest of the setup plain.

Necktie onesie stickers labeled Just born, I can smile, and One year

How old will baby be on New Year's Day?

A first New Year can fall in any month of the first year. Use the sticker for the month they are in that week.

If they were born in January, this is the newborn photo, and you use the first month sticker. If they were born in late December, January 1 may still be that first month. If they were born earlier, count the months from that birthday and use that number. The calendar year does not pick the sticker.

The sticker keeps the photo in the year, so you can tell it from the other months later.

A smile is optional. If they are done after a minute, stop and try again later in the week with the same month sticker. Month-by-month baby photo ideas covers what to try in the other months. If this is the first onesie photo, newborn onesie photo ideas is the shorter session for those early days.

What should baby wear?

A plain onesie is enough. Choose a color you can see against the blanket, such as cream, black, or deep green, and leave the face clear.

The sticker sits on the chest, so that part of the onesie stays uncovered. A sweater, a vest, or a costume over the chest hides the month. If you want one extra piece, add a soft hat, and take it off if it slides toward the eyes. The onesie and the sticker still show the day.

Skip face paint. Skip loose glitter, and skip anything with small parts they can pull off.

Close-up of blue, turquoise, and gray necktie stickers

When should I take the photo?

Take it in the daytime, on January 1 or in the afternoon before. Midnight is a dark room, and a flash is a hard light on a baby.

New Year's Eve often runs late. You do not have to keep them up for it. A photo the next morning, after a nap and a feed, is the same day on the calendar and an easier session. If you would rather finish before the evening starts, take it that afternoon and use the month sticker for the week you are in.

If January 1 is a hard day, use the same sticker later in the week. The month still reads.

How do I set up the shot at home?

Take the photo on the floor, near a window, with the light coming from the side. Turn the flash off.

Use a blanket you already have. A solid color keeps the onesie and the sticker easy to see. Sit on the floor with them. If they can sit, sit beside them. If they are younger, lay them on the blanket. Hold the phone near their eye level. A photo from standing height often shows the top of the head and misses the sticker.

If the window is behind the baby, the face goes dark. Turn until the light reaches the face and the chest. Monthly baby photos at home covers a plain background and a short session. Monthly baby photos with a phone covers focus, a short burst, and holding the phone still.

Stay with the baby the whole time. Don't set them on a table or a counter to line up a prop. A baby can roll off a raised surface. If they can roll, keep this photo on the floor. Take it before the room fills up. Hot drinks and an open flame do not belong in the frame.

What props are safe and easy?

Use one or two things you can set on the floor, out of their hands. A paper hat to the side, or one large soft decoration, is enough.

Leave confetti in the bag. Don't hand them a noisemaker, a sparkler, or anything with small parts. Don't put a candle in the frame. Set the hat beside them, not on the face, and move it back if they reach. If a hat covers the sticker or the eyes, take it off. You still have the onesie.

Skip glass, beads, and loose ribbon. If they grab a prop, take the prop out. Baby's first Christmas photo ideas uses the same limit: one sticker, one small extra, and the photo on the floor.

What's in the pack: necktie stickers in blue, turquoise, and gray

How do I fit in the monthly sticker?

Press this month's sticker onto a clean, dry onesie before you start. Peel it off when the photo is done.

Monthly Onesie Stickers is the blue, turquoise, and gray necktie set, for a monthly photo on a onesie. The shop lists the sticker sets if you want to see them together. Using monthly stickers on a baby onesie covers which set to open if you have not picked one yet.

Check that you can read the month. If a hat or a hand covers the sticker, move that piece. The month has to stay readable if this picture is also the monthly one. Don't leave the sticker where the baby can chew it. Peel it off before you put them down to rest. If you already took a December photo, this is the next one. Use the month they are in now.