The first Christmas with baby
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The reflective time of the Christmas holidays offers an opportunity to look back on the past year and reflect on it. If you have had a child in the last twelve months, you are looking back on a very special year and are probably already looking forward to celebrating the first Christmas together with your baby. Perhaps you are also thinking about how your child will cope with the holiday hustle and bustle and how you can make the Christmas season a special time for the whole family without overloading him. In this article, you will learn what to pay attention to during your first Christmas celebration with your little explorer.
Childproof Christmas decorations
Festive decorations not only put you in the Christmas spirit before the holidays. Your baby will also be especially captivated by the many Lights and the Music fascinates during the Christmas season. Between the sixth and eighth month, its vision is already developed enough to perceive its surroundings just like you. However, small decorative items can also pose a danger to your baby. Here's how to decorate safely for your baby:
Arrange the Christmas tree or fir branches so that they cannot tip over. The accompanying tree decorations are best kept out of reach of curious little fingers, so your child cannot pull them down or hurt themselves. You should completely avoid small decorations that your child could swallow.
Instead of fragile glass balls, prefer plastic balls or tree decorations made from other materials that are less likely to break. If your child is a bit older, you can, for example, collect natural materials like pinecones as tree decorations during a walk or bake them yourself from cookies or salt dough.
Avoid certain plants such as Christmas stars and mistletoe, which are toxic to babies and young children.
Even though candlelight is beautiful – once your baby is mobile, real candles are not the right choice. Instead, use LED string lights: they do not heat up and consume 95 percent less electricity than traditional string lights. However, avoid loose, easily accessible power cords that your baby could trip over or strangle themselves with. One more tip: with a timer, the string lights automatically turn off at the same time every day. This way, you can enjoy the lights together with your little explorer and not forget to turn them off before bedtime.
Family visit during the Christmas season
Especially at Christmas, the whole family often comes together. This year, your baby will surely be the center of attention. However, so many unfamiliar people and new impressions can also cause stress. Therefore, try to make the family visit to limit to the closest relatives or if possible, spread over several days to avoid overwhelming your baby. It’s best to discuss in advance with the relatives about when and how many visitors you plan, to keep their expectations realistic. Additionally, especially with a newborn, inviting loved ones to your home can help, instead of visiting the entire family yourself. This way, your baby is in its familiar environment and it becomes easier to stick to your routine despite the hustle and bustle.
If you celebrate Christmas outside your own four walls, it is advisable to plan well and bring everything your baby needs. Their favorite or the familiar provides them with security during the exciting celebrations and helps ensure that you and your partner can also enjoy the holidays. Also remember that not every . Keep a close eye on your little explorer during their explorations and be aware of potential hazards.
Baby-appropriate gifts
Even if the gift-giving at Christmas in the coming years will surely bring bright children's eyes: In its first year of life, your baby can't make much of most presents yet, and they play a rather minor role. If you still want to give it something small, depending on its age, you might consider a teething ring, crinkly toys, or a book for looking at and as a joy. Your family will probably also want to give your little explorer something for their first Christmas. It's best to coordinate with them beforehand about what you really need to avoid your baby being overwhelmed with pretty but too many or even duplicate gifts.
The biggest hit with your baby is certainly the crinkling wrapping paper. Unfortunately, wrapping paper is often difficult to recycle due to its coating. So, if you want to avoid unnecessary waste when wrapping gifts, a soft cloth that you can reuse afterwards offers a nice alternative. Bet you your little explorer will love feeling and playing with the soft material?
Maybe your relatives can also team up and gift you something useful like a . While a new toy for your baby quickly becomes boring, you'll have it all year round! :)
The Christmas menu
No Christmas party is complete without delicious food. Whether you've been serving the same classic menu for years or you prefer to use the holidays as an opportunity to experiment – with a baby, the motto is: the simpler, the better. So you don't have to spend hours in the kitchen instead of enjoying your first with your baby, it's better to choose a tried-and-true dish. Another good alternative is for each guest to bring something. This way, you can quickly create a wonderful meal together and still have time for what really matters.
Christmas roast, chocolate Santa Claus, and others are not suitable for your baby yet, even if it already Solid foods receives. So, you should also stick to his usual diet on public holidays as much as possible. To still enjoy a special treat, we have a simple recipe for healthy, baby-safe cookies for you:
Spelt Banana Cookies (from nine months)
A ripe banana
A medium-sized carrot
200 grams of whole spelt flour
100 grams of butter
Mash the banana with a fork and mix it with the softened butter. Grate the carrot finely and add it as well. Stir the flour in and process all ingredients with a hand mixer into a dough, which you cover and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. In the meantime, you can dust the dough with some flour, roll it out to about one centimeter thick, and cut out cookies. If your child is old enough, they will surely enjoy helping you.
Bake the cookies for about 15 minutes and let them cool before your baby is allowed to nibble on them. In a sealed container, the cookies will keep for at least one week.
The right preparation
Christmas may be something very special for you, but your baby does not yet understand the hustle and bustle and still needs its familiar routines. Therefore, start planning for the holidays early to prevent falling into stress, which could affect your child. But you should also avoid overloading yourself with too high expectations. The past few years may have been characterized by Advent parties, shopping marathons, and a perfectly decorated apartment – but with a baby, many things are different from what you're used to. The most important thing this year is that you feel comfortable and that you Enjoying quality time together in peace can.
Just because you might take it a bit easier this year doesn't mean you can't enjoy the Christmas anticipation with your baby and create your own little rituals. With the of Christmas books, for example, you can get you and your child into the festive spirit. Even if they don't fully understand what it's about yet, they will appreciate the quality time and harmonious atmosphere. If attending church services is part of your Christmas tradition, it's best to check with your congregation whether a children's service is offered in the afternoon. These are usually shorter than the evening services and often include a nativity play, which is likely more exciting for your little one than a long sermon.
In its first year of life, your baby doesn't yet fully understand what's going on. Still, it will sense that this time is something very special for you. For you, the Christmas season will certainly be a bit different from what you're used to. But no matter how you celebrate and spend this time together: the first Christmas with your little explorer is something very special, and hopefully many more wonderful holiday memories will follow. We wish you happy holidays and a reflective time!