Christmas is meant to be a magical time filled with family, friends and joy. In reality, Christmas with a toddler can feel like the opposite of a holiday. Not only do you have to complete your usual, every-day tasks, you also have to make this time magical and special for your little ones, often while hosting other family members.
Hopefully, these tips will help you have a little more fun, and a little less stress this Christmas.
Stick to your own routines.
Make sure to prioritise your own routines and way of doing things at Christmas. So, if that means ignoring your aunt’s advice on which time really is best, then so be it.
Don’t overload the days.
A visit to see Santa is quite enough excitement for one day. Try to keep to one activity a day, and build lots of relaxing time around that. There’s nothing worse than dragging an overstimulated toddler around the shops after a day of playing.
Keep a calendar.
Writing the day’s activities on a calendar and displaying it for everyone to see can mean you spend less time answering questions, and more time enjoying yourself. It will help you clearly keep track of the days, and you can plan out activities and meals.
Take time for yourself.
One of the benefits to having family around means you can pass your little one over to someone else for an hour or so while you take some time to chill out. Maybe that means drawing yourself a bath or sitting down to read (even that means checking out potty training advice).
Playtime.
Embrace your creative side and put together a box of goodies for your toddler to play with while everyone else chills out on Christmas day. You don’t have to stock up on expensive presents or huge Christmas boxes; a crate full of packing foam and little trinkets to dig around in and find works brilliantly.
Limit sugar.
Now this can be a hard one — and it doesn’t mean stopping your child from enjoying a little chocolate — but avoiding jacking your child up on candy canes can make the world of difference on Christmas day. Make sure to pass the memo onto any other family members, too.
Fresh air.
Taking time away from the home during the holidays can be a real saviour. It stops everyone from getting cabin fever and can help your little one enjoy the excitement of Christmas lights. Plus, it helps tire them out!
Don’t get obsessed with presents.
Toddlers are joyful little things who don’t care about getting the latest toys. Don’t worry about buying them presents, enjoying the day and family time is the main thing.
Delegate!
Utilise the joy of having family and friends about and get them to muck in with the toddler-sitting, freeing up your hands for that glass of Christmas bubbly!
Go with the flow on the day.
Relax, enjoy yourself and don’t put too much pressure on the day (or the child). You’ll be amazed at the difference it makes!