New Year is a wonderful family holiday, but for many parents of newborns and young children, it often becomes a source of stress and additional hassle. Many worry that they will not have time to prepare a rich holiday table, to buy gifts for all relatives and friends, or that the baby will be capricious and cry and will not give a pleasant and fun to spend the festive evening ...
Here is our list of tips on how to prepare for the holiday so that you can enjoy it!
1. Reasonable approach
Do not try to assume several responsibilities at the same time. Cleaning and decorating the apartment, thinking through the menu, shopping, cooking - all this in conditions of constant need for caring for a child who is still too small to remain without mother's attention for a long time. Yes, babies' mothers are not accustomed to such an overload, but it’s better to make yourself a reasonable and thoughtful list of to-do and purchases that you will follow and critically review from time to time.
2. Gifts
Since a quiet shopping trip for mothers of babies is a luxury, it is most reasonable to choose and order gifts in online stores, with the possibility of home delivery. It doesn’t matter if you don’t find exactly what you planned to give there, follow the proverb “The important thing is not a gift, but attention”, for mothers with babies this is quite excusable.
READ ALSO: What to give your child for the new year: a list of 100 gift ideas for the upcoming 2019
3. Festive table
Forget about complex dishes with lots of ingredients this time. You still have time to do Olivier when the child is a little older, but for now, find simple but tasty recipes on the Internet, the preparation of which will not take more than 20 minutes. Choose those dishes that have the same product: for example, boiling and slicing potatoes or eggs, you can use them for different salads, appetizers and side dishes.
4. Purchase of products
Remember that on New Year's holidays we are all used to eating more than usual, and it is unlikely that your family is an exception. Therefore, stock up on products according to the “plus 1” rule: for example, buy 1 pack of cheese or a stick of sausage more.
5. Simple dishes
Having celebrated the New Year, try not to stand at the stove during all the New Year holidays. You are the mother of the newborn, you need rest, and the baby is your time. Therefore, let the rest of the household do not expect delicacies, sometimes you can get enough of store dumplings.
6. Your rules
One of the main entertainments in the New Year period is the opportunity to meet with your friends and relatives.
Let the child not be an obstacle for you, but an advantage that gives the right to choose a place and time for a meeting. Make appointments as close to home as you can not spend precious hours of free time on the road. You can invite a friend to take a walk in the park, then the baby will be in the stroller with you, and if the grandmother of the baby or his aunt came to visit, why don't you take a hot bath while she is babysitting?
7. List of guests
Thoroughly think over the guest list for New Year's Eve, because a relative who likes to loudly sing songs after midnight is unlikely to be a welcome guest for parents with a baby. Take advantage of the excuse about the difficulties of the infants and protect yourself from those who will not add you relaxation on these holidays.
8. Your personal time
Let dad (grandmother, or if there are other relatives) determine the days and hours when they will be engaged with the baby: play with him, go for a walk, so mom will be able to save some time for herself, for example, to get out. Yes, many mothers feel guilty if they are not every minute with the baby, but this is wrong! The kid needs a rested cheerful mom, and you are not under house arrest! A little “going out” will benefit both you and the baby and even dad - that’s how he learns to deal with the child, play with him, and more deeply feels what it means to be dad. Just remember to express breast milk and leave it to your dad or grandmother.
9. Do not forget about the little things!
Think about what unexpected surprises you can expect from a baby during New Year's dinner and prepare in advance.
10. Taboo to the bright light
If suddenly your baby wakes up at night during your feast, then the bright light will irritate him and wake him up even more. Take care of a soft dim light source or even prepare candles: their flicker will soothe it.
11. Festive food for the baby
If the baby so far is only eating milk, then prepare bottles with mixtures or breast milk in advance in order not to do this before the guests at midnight.
12. Cleanliness
Wet wipes and towels should always be on hand in case of regurgitation after feeding or other troubles. You do not have to constantly run out of the table, having at hand hygiene products. And it would be wise to offer a small towel to guests wishing to have a baby: a baby can leave not only traces of milk on their clothes, but also other “surprises”, because mothers know that diapers do not always give full “insurance”.
13. Clothing
If you are a nursing mother, then your clothes should be comfortable and multi-layered: so you can discreetly breastfeed at the holiday table or take off a soiled cloak or cardigan. Try not to dress the baby in complicated suits with clasps or with Santa Claus sashes, he should be dressed so that you can quickly and quickly change his diaper, especially if the chimes are about to break through midnight!
Follow our tips, and you will see that you can spend a wonderful holiday with your baby! Remember that you and your child should be in the main place, relax and enjoy the magical atmosphere of the holiday this New Year for your baby!
READ ALSO:
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- New Year with the baby: how to manage everything and enjoy the holiday
- Whether to observe the regimen of children's day in the New Year
- Christmas tree in the house where there is a small child
- Personal video greeting from Santa Claus to your child: create a fairy tale for your baby
- What to do if a child asks for something unreal for the New Year
The truth about how to celebrate New Year and Christmas with a small child
In our family, responsibilities are divided in such a way that both mom and dad, and brother and sister can sit with the child. Therefore, when I prepare a holiday treat, the child does not distract me. And when the cleaning of the apartment begins, then I can sit with my daughter, and my husband vacuums. The eldest washes dishes at this time. Well, when the holiday itself, the baby can sit in my arms, and relatives take it.
Good article, that year we celebrated the new year a month after discharge from the hospital, so there were a lot of difficulties. The main thing was not only to prepare food for the guests, but also to think about what it would be possible for me to eat, because at first the restrictions were great at first. It is good that almost all the preparations were undertaken by my husband and grandmother. This year we’ll go to celebrate with friends already, in order to avoid all these troubles.
In the new year, his son was 6 months old, he demanded a lot of attention. I thought that we would go to grandparents, everything was ready))) But my husband wanted us to meet friends. As a result, we gathered at our place, three families with children of different ages. Ours was the smallest, so I was freed from cooking, I only showed where the pan-plates. The girls cut salads, the men prepared meat, and we generally celebrated the holiday very well. This year we plan to gather almost the same composition, but already with friends. The kid has already grown up, he will be interested, and it's easier for me.