Oh I adore the holiday season! Putting up festive lights, decorating the Christmas tree, shopping for presents for the ones you love & most importantly, getting the chance to spend time with family while celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. To quote one of my favourite Christmas songs : “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!”

You see, my husband and I have been doing the same routine for 4 years:
Dec 22: drive 4 hours to visit with his parents & sleepover
Dec 23: downtime with family
Dec 24: attend Christmas Eve service, visit with grandparents, Aunts & Uncle’s, return home, open presents with family & enjoy Christmas snacks / goodies
Dec 25: enjoy breakfast & drive 4 hours (in the opposite direction) to visit with my parents, enjoy Christmas dinner, open presents with family & enjoy Christmas goodies
Dec 26: Boxing Day shopping & downtime with family
Dec 27: pack up the car with all our goodies & head home

Sounds like a typical Christmas: family, gifts, goodies & celebration, but now add a baby into the mix! Exciting yes, but the realistic part is…we wanted her to enjoy herself (aka not cry or be cranky) as well. You see at home, there’s no such thing as ‘bad timing,’ she gets fed when she’s hungry & plays when she gets excited. It’s just Mom, Dad & her crazy puppy.

Being as it was our first time away from home for an extended period of time, I was a little nervous how she would handle all the festivities! However, she managed quite well considering all the commotion & new people!

Here’s how we did it:

1. FEED HER BEFORE TRAVELLING IN THE CAR & UPON ARRIVAL
As much as you may have a certain time that you would like to leave the house (so you can make it to your destination on time)..try to plan to arrive earlier than expected. For instance, my parents were hosting Christmas dinner at 2pm. Given his fact, we planned to arrive around 1pm (just in case). So we left his parents at 9am, meaning our little angel was fed from 8:30am – 8:50am. I’ve always noticed that a nice big feed helps her stay full longer & usually it puts her to sleep as well! Perfect travelling conditions!
Also, I fed her upon arrival! Now it may seem odd to arrive & instantly take your daughter into the living room to feed her, but think about it, she just spent 4 hours in the car with no food! Either she’s going to last another 30mins – 1 hour & then cry her little heart out… Or I could feed her now, fill her tummy, make her happy & socialize for another 3 – 4 hours before she’ll need another feed. I’ll go with the second option!

2. GIVE HER TIME TO ADJUST TO HER NEW ENVIRONMENT
So as I mentioned earlier, we went to his parents, his grandparents & my parents place for Christmas. That’s 3 different houses with 3 different sets of people. Therefore, when we brought our baby into a new house, either my husband or I took her out of her car seat, held her & stood in one spot for a while. This wasn’t because the house was cramped or there was no where to walk, it’s because we wanted our little one to take in all that was around her. Also, we would talk to her & explain what it was she was looking at. Once she was comfortable in one room, we would continue this process for the next room, until all the rooms she would encounter during her visit were introduced. By this time, she was ready to be passed around…as you know, everyone wants to hold the baby!

3. TALK IN A LANGUAGE / TONE THAT SHE’S FAMILIAR WITH
I know at home, my husband and I talk “baby talk” to our daughter often. It’s just a habit, you don’t even realize you’re doing until you’re around other people. All of a sudden, you feel a little weird to sing the made up songs you sing to her on a daily basis or say “who’s my good girl” 10 times in a row. However, she enjoys it & will find comfort in that familiar voice saying those familiar phrases. So chat away & tell your family : ‘No need to hire a comedian for this party, Mom & Dad have it on lockdown!’

4. PACK SMART
Simply pack the toys & items that she uses the most!
** Item #1: Diapers — packed 8 / day — approx. change every 3 hours / preparing for the infamous, just changed her diaper & bam! It’s dirty again!
** Item #2: Wet wipes — a full tub of 72 should do the trick
** Item #3: Clothes — I packed one extra outfit for each day we’d be gone — just in case the poop or pee fairy found its way onto my baby’s outfit for that day
** Item #4: Playmat — she enjoys her toys & this familiar scene should help make her “feel at home” when she’s not
** Item #5: Playpen — use as a change table, napping area & somewhere to sleep at night — also, great to put her playmat in, so she’s up off the floor during all the commotion!
** Item #6: Baby carrier — quick & easy mode of transportation when having to take puppy for a walk & for Boxing Day shopping! Trying to squeeze a stroller into stores with all those people…not a good idea!

Now, I’m sure there’s other tips & tricks that I haven’t touched on, but this is what worked for us! We thoroughly enjoyed our holidays together as a family & hope you did as well! Merry Christmas!

**And please, feel free to comment below on what works for you & your little one! After all, we are 1st time parents enjoying each holiday for the first time with our baby girl!**