This is how you survive the holidays with a baby

The busy month of December is full of holidays and activities. Very nice of course, but secretly also very tiring. Especially if you are celebrating the holidays for the first time this year with a (newborn) baby. Read this article for useful tips to enjoy the holidays with a baby.

One celebrates the holidays with drinks, dances and makes it a party, while the other dines more quietly in the company of friends or family. Of course you decide how you want to organize your holidays, but there is a good chance that your baby will need you again early in the morning the next day. You will benefit from the following tips, but of course you decide how you celebrate the holidays with your baby!

Christmas with a baby

First, think about where you are going to spend Christmas. Is Christmas dinner at your place this year or are you going to eat somewhere else Whatever you decide, try to arrange the day in such a way that you can also enjoy yourself a bit. Make sure you can put your baby to bed when needed. At home, your baby can of course go to its own bedroom, but you can also create its own room with friends or family (in consultation). It can then be useful to bring a camp bed.. 

Make a plan together
If you have a difficult sleeper, you might like to stay in the night so you don't have to wake your baby up to go home. Whatever you do: make a plan for the campaign and discuss in advance with your friends or family what is possible, so that no one is faced with surprises.

Follow your normal rhythm
Your rhythm is likely to be completely disrupted during the holidays, but try to follow your normal rhythm as much as possible for your baby. Use your fixed times for feeding and sleeping and use the fixed bedtime ritual where possible, so that your child knows that it is time to go to sleep. Do you always sing a song at home? Do that when you visit. Do you use itt NUNKI sheet? Then take this with you! The sheet fits most camping cots and gives your child that familiar feeling of security in bed, so that it can relax better and fall asleep faster.

Stay relaxed
With a baby things sometimes don't go as planned. So keep in mind that you might miss a course of Christmas dinner because you have to put your baby to bed or because he needs some attention. The more relaxed you are with your baby, the better your child can relax, so that it falls asleep faster. So don't feel rushed and accept that your piece of meat is getting cold. You can just reheat that piece of meat (or skip it, most Christmas dinners are lavish anyway), so there's nothing to worry about! With a relaxed attitude you enjoy Christmas much more. The first Christmas with a baby is different from what you are used to. Accept this and discuss it with the party ahead of time so no one triggers your FOMO or tries to persuade you to come back soon.

Old

Will you eat an oliebol at home in front of the TV this year or would you rather go out If New Year is the biggest party of the year for you, it might be useful to look for a babysitter. That way you can party and break into bed the next day. That's fine, as long as you leave the care of your baby to someone else. You happy and your baby happy - that's what we want, right If you do celebrate this New Year's Eve together with your baby, then the tips below can help.n.

On the road Go by car!!
If you are going to celebrate the New Year with friends or family, then go by car. You can then take a lot more stuff with you, such as a camp bed. This allows you to create your own (familiar) place to sleep for your baby. There are also often quite a few fireworks on December 31 and your baby can be shocked by all that banging. The car then feels a lot safer.

Stay asleep
Are you going by car, but would you like to drink a glass of champagne around midnight? Then ask your friends or family if you can stay the night. This way you don't have to wake your baby up to go home and it's easier to enjoy the evening without a deadline.. 

Waking up or staying asleep during fireworks?
Most babies don't just wake up from fireworks. If your baby is sleeping peacefully, don't wake him up. You may enjoy watching the fireworks with your baby, but your baby still doesn't understand much of it and can even be frightened by it. Use a baby monitor to monitor whether your baby wakes up and if not, let him sleep through the night. 

If the fireworks do wake your baby up, try to keep to the usual rhythm and do whatever you normally do when your baby wakes up at night, such as comforting, feeding or cuddling. If you stay in the (dark) room where the baby was sleeping, it is most likely that he will fall asleep again. It is not wise to take your baby outside. Because of the cold and the noise of the fireworks, there is a good chance that he will startle and then not fall asleep at all.t.

Happy new life!

Now that you have a baby, the new year will probably look very different. A baby grows very fast, so don't forget to enjoy all the little moments together. Before you know it, your child is no longer a baby, but a toddler! I wish you lots of fun and happiness together in 2023.

Love,

Frederieke