Baby’s First Christmas: Making the Holidays Easy With a Newborn

Infants and newborns can be overstimulated by all the noise, crowds and commotion that comes with the holidays. How can you help baby celebrate their first Christmas in an enjoyable way that is low stress for everyone in the family? Stork Baby Gift Baskets offers tips to help make your baby’s first Christmas merry and bright.

Read Your Baby’s Cues

Some babies are captivated by the bright lights and merry sounds of the holidays. For other babies, silver bells and Santa’s sleigh are scary. Some newborns simply go to sleep when they are overstimulated. Others might fuss or scream. If your baby starts yawning and looking away, they are done with that activity, at least for the moment. Even if you’re a first-time mom, your instincts are better than you think! If you watch closely you’ll know when baby has “had enough.”

Set Time Limits

To help prevent baby from fussing, getting bored or overstimulated, set time limits of about 15 minutes to a half hour for activities like looking at Christmas lights, singing Christmas carols or opening gifts.

Be Firm But Polite

Holiday celebrations might be the first time some friends and relatives are seeing your new addition. But that doesn’t mean your baby should spend his first Christmas being passed around like the fruitcake gift in a Yankee Swap.

If you don’t want someone to hold your baby, it’s okay to make up an excuse. Anything from, “He just ate and I’m afraid he’ll spit up on you,” to, “He’s getting ready to nap, maybe later,” or, simply, “Not right now,” should fend off most people.

Carve Out Quiet Time

When you arrive at a home for a holiday party or dinner, scope out a quiet spot where you can escape to nurse or just give your infant some quiet time. Don’t hesitate to go there before your baby starts fussing to avoid a marathon scream session.

Bring Something Familiar

If you’ll be spending holidays around a lot of people who are strangers to your baby, bring a favorite toy, comfy security blanket or something else that will provide a sense of comfort and home.

If you have your baby girl wearing a fancy dress, or your little man in a suit or a scratchy sweater, bring Christmas pajamas to change after a little while. Combining an unfamiliar environment, uncomfortable clothes, and lots of people can be a recipe for disaster.

Baby’s best are adorable and comfortable enough to wear all night long. Consider saving the dress or suit for the Christmas card photo shoot.

Plan to Be Home Early

Traveling with an infant, if you plan the trip between feeding times, can be pretty easy, as many babies fall asleep in the car. (Traveling with a potty training toddler? Now that’s another kind of Christmas story!) To avoid problems with a newborn or infant, plan to be home before bedtime to maintain your bedtime routine.

Keep Celebrations Simple

If you have a newborn, eliminating stress is not just about minimizing stress for your little one. It may also mean scaling back your holiday celebrations. Remember, a smaller tree is not just easier to put up and take down. It also means you can leave half your ornaments and lights in the attic, making decorating quicker, easier and less dangerous if your infant is already mobile.

For the next few years, plan to decorate the tree with non-breakable ornaments large enough that they won’t fit in a child’s mouth. Baby’s 1st Christmas is a good time to start.

If you traditionally host a large holiday gathering for your family, consider asking if someone else can hold it at their house this year. Don’t feel bad if you can’t stay long, either. This year is all about what’s best for your new baby and your family. There will be plenty of time for full-scale Christmas celebrations as your child gets older.

Ask for Help

No matter how much you cut back, there are still times during the holiday when you’ll need help. For instance, don’t even try to brave the Black Friday crowds pushing a baby stroller. Get a babysitter or, better yet, do your shopping online. It’s amazing how quickly you’ll learn how to browse the Web one-handed while you cuddle your little one. Above all else, cuddling your little one and appreciating your baby’s first Christmas is now the most important part of the season for you and your family.

write by Adonis