Is the first Christmas with a baby coming up? How exciting, how wonderful! But perhaps your thoughts are now circling around the big question: How can the Christmas celebration with the little one be particularly relaxed? We have a few practical tips for you.
11 tips for the first Christmas with a baby
The first Christmas with a baby marks the beginning of a whole new chapter for you as a young family. Perhaps you will even introduce your very own Christmas Eve traditions. There are no limits to your creativity.
We know how stressful all the preparations for Christmas can be. But with good and, above all, timely planning, it is possible to look forward to the celebration with serenity. It is best to ask yourselves questions during the pre-Christmas period such as:
- How or where will we spend Christmas?
- Which family members should celebrate with us?
- What is the optimal timing for our Christmas celebration with a baby? How can we adapt the celebration to our child's rhythm?
- What do we want to eat on Christmas Eve?
- And what about the gifts: Who should get what, or would we rather limit ourselves to just a few gifts?
In the following, we give you some tips on how you can optimally organize and plan the pre-Christmas period and Christmas itself with a baby. We explain what really matters and what might be too much of a good thing. Especially when it is the first Christmas with a baby and you have an infant who still requires your full attention.
1. Avoid stress and hustle for everyone involved during the Christmas season with a baby
It is never easy to plan and organize a beautiful celebration without stress. This is even more true for the preparation for the first Christmas with a baby. But what is actually wrong with keeping everything a bit smaller this year?
There will be so many more Christmases to follow in which your child can actively participate and help shape. By then, life as a family will have settled in better, and you will get through everyday life and the Christmas season with more routine. For the first Christmas with a baby, you should take it easy. Hectic energy is automatically transferred to your little one.
This also means consistently saying "no." Of course, other family members, especially grandma and grandpa, have their expectations and ideas. But as a small family, you do not owe anyone an account or explanation. If you want to celebrate Christmas with your baby in a larger circle, then nothing works without timely and, above all, joint planning. Hold grandma and grandpa accountable. Not everything depends on you.
2. Good preparation is everything
Think early about when which errands need to be done, what there is to eat, which preparations who will take over, and how your home should be decorated. The better you manage your time, the more comfortable your baby will feel. The most important thing is: Do not let yourself be overwhelmed and delegate tasks. Grandma and grandpa, aunts or uncles – they can all lend a hand. When it comes to food, you don't have to prepare everything yourself, and even the Christmas tree can be set up and decorated together.
The baby doesn't understand what it's all about yet. For your child, the most important thing is that you all celebrate Christmas in a harmonious and relaxed atmosphere.
3. Keep an eye on the baby's needs
The little being doesn't care at all whether the apartment is magnificently decorated, a Christmas tree is in the living room, or just an Advent wreath is on the table. Your baby needs – as always – a lot of closeness and attention from the parents and healthy sleep. Therefore, always pay attention to your child's body signals and plan sufficient rest periods for them.
Your little one has no concept of things like duck with red cabbage and dumplings yet. Mainly, your darling wants to feel harmony and relaxed parents. You should always keep this in mind amidst all the hustle and bustle surrounding your first Christmas.
4. Consider family visits carefully
Christmas doesn't just take place on Christmas Eve, but over several days. There is the evening singing before Christmas Eve or the big brunch on Christmas Day at the aunt's house. Christmas time is usually family time!
Presumably, you don't want to miss out on certain rituals, and that's okay. With a baby, it's just important that you think beforehand about what routines are planned for these days and when you want to be out and about with the baby.
Even with a large family, members can sometimes follow your lead. You don't have to please everyone. And sometimes a short walk is enough instead of a big brunch.
5. Check all baby essentials once more
Have you decided to visit your family with the baby, or do you even want to travel? Then you should ideally create a checklist beforehand. Remember: All shops are closed on public holidays. This means spontaneous errands are hardly possible.
Do you have enough diapers and diaper cream? Are complementary foods, the pacifier, and wet wipes taken care of? Check your supplies again in peace before you set off. This will save you unpleasant surprises during the Christmas days.
6. Feel free to take traditions a bit more lightly
If you don't want to break with traditions, you could invite grandma and grandpa to your place this year instead. And you could simply skip the long drive for the additional visit to the aunt and great-aunt this year.
It is good for your baby if they don't have to cope with an unfamiliar environment in addition to somewhat unfamiliar voices.
7. Use the relief provided by swing2sleep
If you own a swing2sleep, simply take it with you on your Christmas visits. You can use it anywhere. This way, you don't have to cancel any visits.
With the stand or the door clamp, you can use the swing2sleep automatic baby hammock anywhere very quickly and easily. While your baby is peacefully rocked in their familiar and known sleeping environment and slumbers peacefully, you can enjoy coffee and Christmas stollen with the parents in comfort.
8. Order a festive meal or keep it smaller
Perhaps some of you already dread standing at the stove for hours to prepare a festive menu while the baby is crying and your partner is quickly doing the last-minute Christmas shopping. You should spare yourself such stress during this already demanding time. Why not just order your festive meal from a nearby restaurant?
The question is also whether it absolutely has to be an opulent meal for the first Christmas as a family of three. A lukewarm potato salad and Viennese sausages will do – and they taste delicious too.
However, if you like to put on your cooking apron for the celebration and want to spoil your partner and perhaps the grandparents with a delicious dish, it is advisable to conjure up something simple and already tried and tested. You shouldn't choose the first Christmas with a baby of all times to try your hand at grandma's famous Christmas goose for the first time. That only results in stress and hustle.
9. No stress regarding the gift for the baby
The gift-giving on Christmas Eve makes children's eyes light up. No wonder if you can hardly wait to finally give your offspring a gift. But here, too, you don't need to let stress arise. The child is still too small to make connections and will neither know that it is Christmas nor that they are being given a gift because of it. It is perfectly sufficient if you choose, for example, a great first toy or a small stuffed animal. At that age, gifts for the baby are primarily gifts that you yourself enjoy.
10. Communication is everything
Each of you probably has your own ideas and visions of how the first Christmas with a baby should go. Therefore, coordinate with your partner to avoid disappointments and misunderstandings in advance. The same applies to other family members. Practice "expectation management," i.e., ensure together that your expectations match and are realistic. Then everyone knows what to expect, and no one arrives with false or too high expectations for you and the joint Christmas celebration with the baby.
11. Stay flexible and, above all, relaxed
No matter how many preparations you make, stay flexible. If the baby is crying, for example, while you are singing Christmas carols or just enjoying the cooked festive menu, then it's no use trying to force your schedule through at all costs. The baby will not stop crying because of it, and the frustration of everyone involved will grow minute by minute. Stay flexible, let other family members help you, and take care of the baby first.
Christmas with a baby: A small conclusion
In summary, all tips basically aim at one thing: Stay relaxed and simply enjoy.
If everyone keeps their expectations in a realistic range and doesn't expect too much of themselves and others, the first Christmas with a baby can be one of the most beautiful experiences for you even under unusual circumstances and become the first building block for great subsequent Christmases.
The more relaxed you are, the more this is transferred to your baby. Make it clear to everyone involved that Christmas is about love and reflection, not about dragging along and showing off the new family member.
