When it comes to keeping my kids on a strict schedule and routine, I’ll be the first to admit that this is not one of my strengths. I always followed the mantra of living my life with my baby, instead of living my life around my baby! I know while some parents would like to do the same, they are in fact more strict with routines and schedules. I guess at the end of the day, every parent has to do what works for them and their family. Unfortunately (or fortunately), there isn’t one right way of raising a child and ultimately, it comes down to the personality and lifestyle of both the kids and the parents. So while we do have a bed time for our kids, we’re fine with breaking that “rule” once a week for special occasions (in our case, that’s every Friday night when we have a big meal with my extended family). The same is true when we are on vacation and when we’ll be up north at the cottage over Christmas break in a few days.
If you are concerned about your children’s schedule and routine and don’t want to disrupt it because of the holidays but want to enjoy some family time, read on. Here are a few tips put together by The PC Organics Baby team on how to keep your baby safe and happy this holiday season.
Schedule
Try to keep your little one’s schedule as close to their regular routine as possible. Bring your little one to holiday gatherings, but for late evenings or overnights with the family it may be a good idea to bring bed- and bath-time items with you. If you’re not staying overnight, you can consider leaving the festivities early but give advance warning so your family or host so they understand when you dash out. Personally, our kids are great at transferring from car seat to bed so we put them in their pj’s before we hit the road. This allows us to often stay out later knowing that the kids will fall asleep the minute we get them in the car and that they’ll be out for the night.
Safety First
Watch out for bright and enticing sweet treats and decor like tinsel and small ornaments which can be a safety risk. Some sweet treats can be a choking or allergy hazard. Also, mistletoe, holly, poinsettias and other plants commonly used as decorations during the season are potentially poisonous and should be kept well out of reach.
Assessing the candy loot for the Gingerbread house
Special Snacks
Understandably, family and friends often want to feed little ones at a party, but many adult foods aren’t the best choice for your baby or toddler. Why not pack some colourful fruit or age-appropriate baby cookies for them to snack on? These options will make your baby feel included in the festivities while giving you piece of mind that they’re not eating anything they shouldn’t. Personally, I don’t leave the house without a bag full of snacks. When my kids are fussy or upset, nothing soothes them better than a few of their favourite snacks.
Mealtimes Matter
With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season it can be easy to forget to focus on family mealtimes and sit down to eat. These changes in schedule and food can sometimes cause tummy upsets for little ones. Try to keep your baby’s meal times as consistent with their regular routine as possible. If you’re on the go, off them healthy options like President’s Choice Organics Strained Butternut Squash or President’s Choice Organics Vegetable and Rice Casserole with Chicken.
Family dinner AFTER the kids are asleep!
Celebrate!
Remember that the holidays are most special to the little ones in your life, and everything you do is sure to bring them joy and happy memories for years to come. Include your baby in as many family holiday traditions as possible. Most importantly, don’t forget to snap photos along the way to capture those precious moments. It’s crazy how much you will forget!
Xmas morning ritual
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Try to remember that the kids are stressed too from all the commotion. Give them some down time.
be prepared for meltdowns, christmas is a hectic day for them too! just relax though
Engage in their joy…relax…These will be the memories one day! Try to get some sleep in between events.
Not everything has to be a picture perfect moment! It’s ok to step away from the busyness to let your child (and you) sleep/rest/just find a quiet moment.
Enjoy your time with your kids and don’t stress over all the hullabaloo!
I would say chill out and let the kids and yourself enjoy the holidays.
I make lists of everything I need to do and plan way way ahead 🙂
Keep it simple! I think when you fill the holidays with TOO much, it can really be overwhelming for the children and very stressful for the adults.
My tips is to focus on the joy and not stress about everything being perfect. Kids will look back and remember the excitement, laughs and tearing open the presents. No one will even remember that dinner was three hours late and the house was a mess.
Jonnie
Just allow whats going to happen to happen. Everyone gets stressed at some point but try to laugh or shrug it off and allow kids to have meltdowns, it happens!
let them help you prep
Remember to make kids take their afternoon naps! Makes the evenings easier.
Don’t stress, it probably won’t go perfect, go with the flow
Take lots of pictures, they are great memory makers!
Its a busy time, we will try to do as monay actiivites as we possibly can, but remember we can’t do it all
to relax and let the kids enjoy these special moments if you don’t stress the kids will stay calmer
Take them to buy gifts to share with a local charity. It helps them to appreciate what they have! (Suzi)
They need downtime…quiet story reading is great and snuggles since mom and dad can appear stressed.
Don’t stress! Be sure to get in proper nap times & food. Enjoy the small moments & time together instead of trying to ensure everything is perfect.
If you are planning to have activities late into the night, let them relax or nap before the event.
Don’t expect everything to go as you planned it and try not to stress about the mess because tomorrow is another day.
Have things that are kid friendly planned and leave the fragile stuff in boxes!
I make it all about the grandbabies and keep them entertained.
My tips for celebrating the holiday with kids is to make sure they drink water and eat at their normal dinner hour. Even though the holidays have lots of fun and visiting and playing to do, the later kids stay up the more accident prone they become and crankier too! It’s beneficial to stick to the normal schedule and routine when you have little ones.
roll with it meldowns happen try to keep to the routine betimes etc. and roll with it christmas is a mjical time for kids
My tip about celebrating the holiday with kids is the week before Christmas we go to bed an hour earlier so we are not tried and stressed with the season,Everyone has to work together and do their part.
Let them have a break and play outside. It’s good for them.
dont over schedule…..staying home is awesome rafflecopter charityk
Don’t sleep late
make sure to bring some snacks along with you and their favorite drinks (just in case they dont have lets say, apple juice where you are going) and also try not to interfere with you childs bed time schedule. i know its hard but if its past your young ones bedtime and they are getting cranky best thing to do is leave so you can go home and get them in bed.
Understand there may be some melt downs and that is OKAY!
Embrace the chaos and the mess, it will be over soon enough
Just remember they are all excited too with Christmas and all the treats and presents, and the stores and commercials don’t help, just take everyday one step at a time and do not get angry, they will settle down once it’s all done with!!
Keep things fun and easy-going, and don’t expect them to stay in one place for too long!
I put two mini Christmas trees with lights in both of my boys room. They LOVE it because it’s their own tree and they keep it on at night as a night light. 🙂
Take the time to sit and read seasonal books & watch holiday movies with the kids!
Do not over schedule yourself. Make sure you have time for naps (for everyone).
Enjoy this time, and if they’re young, don’t expect them to be perfect little angels. They’ll get tired, just like you will.
Don’t over schedule, and go with the flow. It saves so much stress, and makes for so much fun!
With lots of people to visit, try not to over schedule yourself and baby.
Prepare and remind them of your expectations for them. They usually want to please and keep the day fun!
My tip is to try and keep structure. There are so many late nights and early mornings, so naps are essential (At least in my house!)
My tip is take time to give the kids the attention they need, this way they wont get too aggravated..
special snacks made into fun shapes!
Dont stress the small stuff! we try so hard to make everything perfect for our kids, who more than likely won’t remember!
Enjoy every minute! See the magic through their eyes.
I tried to feed the baby a ton of veggies and fruits before heading to the holiday festivities since I knew I would get distracted and not be as diligent as feeding her when we’re with the family! Also, try not to rush and stay safe on the roads- people will understand if you’re running late because you’ve got kids to take care of first!
Kids can easily get overwhelmed – from all the visitors to all the presents. Try to keep things simple and fun.
try to keep everything stress free and simple instead of visiting a couple of people a day just visit one family a day let the kids have fun at home.
Try to make sure that it is not too hectic for them and that they have some down time. WATCH the amount of sugar that they intake.
We try to get the kids to bed at a reasonable time. Staying up too late will lead to meltdowns. Also, get some fresh air and exercise outside if possible — it makes everyone feel better after long periods inside.
Relax!
Holidays sure look fun at your house!
Make sure you have stuff for them to do , enough to keep them busty so that you can have at least 5 minutes of peace.
Relax everything can be untrained/fixed/trained in three days- or at least that is what my mom tells me
Have fun, take your time, relax and enjoy your time with family and friends. Happy New Years!
I would ask them to have fun, enjoy every visit with family and friend.
Keep calm and dont stress out!