First Christmas with a new edition
Your baby’s first Christmas is a special one as you enjoy the day with an additional family member. Your little one won’t remember their first Christmas or know who Santa is, but it is still full of excitement and just as much for you as it is for them!
Each Christmas that passes will be exciting as baby grows and understands a bit more about Christmas and its meaning. Christmas for many families is an important time of year to get together with family and friends, and to share love and appreciation for each other. Every family will celebrate in a different way with routines and traditions, and this can be great for babies and children to do with you every Christmas.
For the first Christmas with your little one, it is important to enjoy the day with them, keeping stress levels minimal and not setting high expectations of yourself. Prepare what you need to before Christmas day, delegate as much as you can, and do online shopping to minimize going out into busy shopping centres with bub. Always put you and your baby first, whether that means staying at home or only going to one place, so you are not running around all day. Also, never feel pressure to hand baby around if you are not comfortable; just say no or keep baby in a baby carrier.
Ideas on what you may decide to do to celebrate bub’s first Christmas:
- Handprint or footprint clay moulds, including the year on it
- Buy a special Christmas book and write inside
- Custom stocking to hang up every Christmas
- Personalize an ornament for the first Christmas or buy a special decoration for the tree
- Make handprint Christmas cards for your family
- Measure their height in string or ribbon as a keepsake
- Take lots of photos to remember this special first Christmas
Ideas of Christmas traditions you can do every year:
- Matching PJs for the family every Christmas
- Decorate the Christmas tree together on December 1st
- Annual photo with Santa or in your family home
- Christmas light spotting in your community
- Write a letter to your child every Christmas as a special memory
- Christmas eve tradition. This may include a special box to open, watching a Christmas movie or preparing a plate of snacks for Santa
Remember, above all, your baby or children will not remember the presents they received every year, but they will remember the memories that were made, the laughs that were had and the love they felt. Happy first Christmas to all the beautiful babies and parents.
Blog by:
Aliza Carr
Midwife and Founder
Bumpnbub