What Size and Style for Hospital and Newborn Photos?

Day-one hospital photos come with almost no warning — most parents haven't packed a bow, let alone thought through sizing, and a well-meaning gift from before the birth is often the wrong size once she actually arrives. Here's the short version for the first 48 hours, before you've had time to measure anything.

Always size 0–6 months, never guess smaller

Every one of our headbands and bows comes in a 0–6 month band as the smallest size, sized to fit real newborns rather than needing a separate "preemie" category — see our size guide for the actual measurements once you're home and can measure properly. In the hospital, there's no time or tool for that — just start at 0–6 months, the smallest band we offer, and size up later if it turns out she measures small even within that range.

Softer fabric matters more than usual right now

Newborn skin is more sensitive than it will be even a few weeks from now, so a soft, stretchy nylon-blend band is the safer choice for the first photos, over anything with a stiffer or more structured base. This is also just more comfortable for a baby who's had a big first day.

Simple photographs better than busy, at this size

A single solid color or a small, simple bow tends to photograph better on a newborn than a large or heavily embellished one — there's very little head to work with, and hospital lighting is rarely great, so a clean, high-contrast color usually reads best in photos taken on a phone in a hospital room.

If you're buying this as a gift before the baby arrives

You genuinely cannot know her exact head size in advance, so buy the 0–6 month size rather than guessing up — it's the size actually meant to fit a newborn, and a mismatched larger size just sits in a drawer until months later. If you want to cover more ground, a solid color in that size works for more outfits than a print does.