If you’re planning an upcoming maternity photo shoot to showcase your beautiful baby bump and are after some ideas for how to make it even more great and unique, I’ve come up with some suggestions.

Using props in a maternity photo shoot are great as they can add a really personal touch to a photo. They are perfect if you aren’t sure how comfortable you’ll feel as it’s amazing how much more relaxed you’ll feel if there’s something else to focus on! Here are 7 of our favourite ideas for what props to use in your maternity shoot.

1. Baby clothes or accessories

Using baby clothes or teeny accessories in your shoot will be absolutely adorable. It’s also a great way to reveal the sex of the baby too, as you can opt for certain colours or items to show whether you’re having a boy or girl. Other baby accessories that are really sweet include teddy bears too. This is a gender neutral option which may be handy if you’re not finding out the sex.

2. Floaty fabrics

When booking your maternity photography from Venture or other great companies, your professional photographer will talk you through what sort of things are good to wear, etc. Floaty fabrics make a great prop in maternity photo shoots. The reason for this is they are comfortable, feminine and sexy! This can be a great alternative to being dressed and you can talk to your photographer to ensure you feel 100% comfortable on the day.

3. Chalkboard sign

Perfect for revealing the gender, or even the actual pregnancy, would be to use a chalkboard sign. You could also use it to write things on like your due date which is really sweet, along with name ideas or your family name, too.

4. Baby scan photos

Using photos from the baby scans is a really nice touch and will be great for making the shoot all about baby. If you’re having a shoot quite far on in your pregnancy, you could use the different scan photos from the different stages to show just how much baby has developed.

5. Your pets

Involving pets in a maternity shoot can be absolutely adorable, especially if you can showcase them interacting with you and your bump. Simple little gestures like having your dog or cat rest their head or paws on the bump will be really sweet and will create a photo you’ll treasure forever.

6. Your cravings

Going for a slightly more comedic option that is still sweet is to include your food cravings in the photo. Having a snap of you with a giant tub of Nutella and a spoon is sure to make you giggle forever. What a great way of remembering your food cravings.

7. Baby books

Holding a classic baby book such as Guess How Much I Love You over your bump will be super sweet. It is a really modern and minimalist idea that is really cute at the same time.