5 Tips to Experience a Peaceful Holiday
Do you want to have a peaceful holiday season?
Are you already stressed out about the holidays?
Do you know anyone who has all their gifts bought and wrapped right after Cyber Monday?
Can you relate to those people who are completely decorated for Christmas or Hanukkah after the Thanksgiving dishes are cleaned up?
Or those people that have taken their Christmas pictures and have sent them out by December 1st?
If this is you…awesome! If it isn’t you, then I can totally relate. Instead of comparing yourself to what other families are doing, I suggest that you do what works for you. I give you permission to relax and enjoy the holidays and make them your own.
Wondering how the holidays will work with a baby or toddler? Whether you are a first-time mom or have been doing this for a while, I want to share with you from personal experience 5 tips to a peaceful holiday.
SLEEP
Of course, I am going to talk about sleep as it is what I love! It is very important that you try your best to keep your baby or toddler on a sleep schedule/routine so that they will be ready for all the fun things you have planned during the holidays. Commit to getting your little ones to bed on time and keep naps in place. If you need to plan around a special dinner, lunch, or activity to ensure your baby or toddler gets a nap, do it! Everyone will be happier in the end. I would rather have a later lunch or earlier dinner than a tired and cranky baby.
If you are going away for the holidays, just remember to bring everything your child might need for the most successful sleeping situation (SlumberPod, pack-n-play, swaddle or sleep sack, sound machine, and lovey if they are old enough). You can also plan to travel when they are supposed to nap to ensure they get some rest during the day.
A caveat for keeping your baby on a schedule…be flexible. If your child is sleep trained, you have more flexibility knowing that one or two nights here and there won’t mess up what you’ve worked so hard to achieve. While you do have to accommodate your little ones at times, it’s okay to deviate from a nap or extend bedtime if you have a fun activity going on.
Don’t Touch
Obviously, this is for newborns. Keeping your baby in the car seat or stroller covered with a blanket when you are out is perfectly okay. You can even consider baby-wearing to prevent people from touching them. Some parents use signs on their baby’s car seat that say, “STOP. Look but please DON’T TOUCH. Thank you very much.”
Let’s be honest—people don’t always have boundaries, and they often forget about germs. While it’s a sweet, harmless gesture to want to touch a baby, it’s acceptable to kindly ask people not to. If you’re with friends and family, carry hand sanitizer and ask them to use it before holding your baby. Don’t feel obligated to let others hold your baby, especially if it overwhelms them. The last thing you want is a sick child during the holidays—you’ll be the one caring for them!
Limit Activities
Sometimes less is more, especially for babies or toddlers who can get overstimulated. The holiday season is filled with fun things to do, and it’s easy to get caught up in trying to do everything. However, this can lead to unnecessary meltdowns.
Instead, focus on a few meaningful activities. Take a drive or walk to look at Christmas lights, make a simple craft, or bake cookies. If you set expectations too high trying to do everything your friends are doing on Instagram, you might end up with overstimulated babies—or even stress yourself out!
Traditions
It’s natural to want to recreate childhood traditions or start new ones. However, with Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest, we sometimes feel the pressure to keep up with everything others are doing. Give yourself grace and pick a few traditions that feel right for your family without going overboard.
For example, my favorite traditions are getting matching PJs and opening them on Christmas Eve, walking to look at Christmas lights, and picking out a Christmas tree. However, as my kids got older, I realized that picking out a tree became more stressful than fun. So now, my husband and I go together, and I take all the time I want—without making it frustrating for the family.
If a tradition isn’t working for your family, it’s okay to switch things up. Just because you or your spouse grew up with a certain type of tree doesn’t mean you have to do the same. You get to create your own traditions!
HOST WITHOUT HOSTING
What?!?! You heard me right. Some people love hosting holiday parties, but you don’t have to do everything yourself. Offer to have a celebration at your home, but ask guests to bring food while you provide the space. This is especially helpful if you have a newborn—packing up all the baby gear to go somewhere else can be even more stressful.
If you’re a nursing mama, you can take an extra-long feeding session as a way to regroup if needed. Get on the same page with your partner, and if necessary, they can wrap up the party if it runs too long.
A quick note on relatives and boundaries: I recently saw a great Instagram post from @transformingtoddlerhood about respecting children’s body boundaries. Instead of saying, “Give Uncle Larry a hug and a kiss,” try saying, “Uncle Larry is here! How do you want to say hello?” This allows the child to be in control of their own body and comfort level.
Back to hosting—here’s a final tip: Have a special friend or relative take charge of cleaning up. That way, as you put your little one to bed, everyone else pitches in to help—and you get out of doing the dishes. Win-win!
I hope these 5 Holiday Tips—SLEEP, DON’T TOUCH, LIMIT ACTIVITIES, TRADITIONS, and HOST WITHOUT HOSTING— help make your holidays less stressful and more peaceful. Enjoy this beautiful season with your little ones!
As always, if you’re struggling with your baby or toddler’s sleep, I’d love to help. Feel free to schedule a 15-minute discovery call so you can get your sleep back soon!