[Huggies] Celebrating Holidays with the Family

I love celebrating holidays with a lot of fun get-togethers, great food, and all of the people that I love. But the holiday season can be hard to navigate with a brand new baby. It doesn't help that the upcoming holidays happen to be right in the middle of cold and flu season. So how do you survive from Halloween to New Year's without losing your sanity?

My first suggested line of defense is ALWAYS to lower your expectations. At first this always sounds terrible, but all it really means is to take a realistic look at what you can accomplish with a new baby in tow. Maybe you cut back on the holiday decorations. One year I let my older kids decorate the entire house with paper decorations. I didn't have to pull out all of the boxes and when the holiday was over they all went to the recycle bin, so almost no time was spent on clean up. Maybe this isn't the year to send out homemade Christmas cards. Make a list of all of the traditions that are the most important and start there. You should be able to find a balance of enjoying the holidays and still enjoying your baby too.

Another essential step is to plan for the best case scenario and prepare for the worst. With a new baby, things are likely to not go as planned, so have a plan b and a plan c. If you are headed to a family members home to celebrate Thanksgiving, when you are discussing what you can bring to dinner, ask about securing a quiet place for the baby to sleep and eat. This isn't something you want to spring on them while they are taking the Thanksgiving turkey out of the oven. Make sure you pack all of your typical diaper bag items, and then some. Even more diapers and and an extra, extra change of clothes. Toss the stroller, your baby carrier, and even a portable swing into the back of your car. You may even want to drive separately from your spouse. Worst case scenario, you can sneak home with the baby while the rest of your family enjoys the celebrations and brings you home a giant slice of pumpkin pie!

How do you plan to survive the upcoming holidays with a new baby? Do you travel out of state or celebrate at home?
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