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Your baby's first Christmas

No matter if your baby is going to be a few weeks or many months old during her first Christmas, it is definitely important not to go overboard. Babies won’t understand what all the fuss is about and, for this reason, it is advisable that you don’t invest too much time or energy in the festive season.

Mum of two, Becky Whitney, 41, says that although her daughter’s first Christmas was just another day, it was hard not to get involved. “All the adults were very excited, but the first Christmas is like your child’s first birthday, lots of presents and keen adults and ultimately your baby doesn’t have a clue!”

Try to cherish the fact that for the next few years, your baby is not going to be demanding the latest Nintendo DS/dvd player/other expensive piece of technical equipment and in fact, will definitely be more impressed by the leftover wrapping paper than the present inside it. Soon this will change and you will be hit for wallet-fleecing presents left, right and centre. Enjoy your reprieve while it lasts.

Obviously, if there are other older children to be catered to, then it is more unrealistic to expect Christmas to be low key but if not, try not to go mad. Whitney says that even though your baby doesn’t understand what is going on, it is a symbolic occasion. “In a sense, it is the beginning of Christmas becoming magic again. You know your baby doesn’t understand, but you also know that soon they will and therefore you can indulge your own childlike fantasies again.”

Here are gurgle’s top tips on how to make your baby’s first Christmas both enjoyable and stress-free.

Travelling
If you are planning on going to another family member’s house for the festivities, try to ensure that you are making the sort of journey that you would be comfortable with doing normally. Travelling hundreds of miles on trains that you need to change four times on Christmas Eve might not fluster you in the least, but if you would never normally make that type of trip, then don’t!

Get people to come to you, or just resolve to have a smaller celebration at home. You want to enjoy yourself, but by piling on unnecessary pressures, you might make that difficult to achieve. Take comfort in the knowledge that your baby will not be able to remember where you went or what you did. If it is too difficult to get to far-away family celebrations and you want to have something bigger, then why not gather together your friends and invite them to spend Christmas at your house?

If you are travelling anywhere by plane or car, remember that there are inevitable cues at Christmas time, so pack food supplies for you and your baby and be prepared for your baby's schedule or routine to be turned upside down by Christmas travel chaos. Leave plenty of time to get to the airport etc for this reason. The last thing you want is to be rushing to catch a plane with a small baby in tow.

Food
Firstly, if you are hosting Christmas at your house, do not try to do too much. Your priority should be to relax and nobody is really going to care about whether you bought the Christmas cake from the supermarket, or if you haven’t baked your own batch of mince pies. Give yourself a break. Divide the tasks between yourself and your partner and life will become much easier. It is perfectly reasonable to ask for help at this time.

We all know that at Christmas we can all become a little indulgent and let ourselves get carried away. We often allow ourselves to eat and drink things at this time of year, that we might otherwise avoid and that’s fine. However, it is well to be aware that your baby (if weaned) may suffer from eating too many rich or strange foods. Stuffing Christmas pudding and brandy butter and cake on a plate for your child is probably not such a great idea.

Remember that new foods ought to be introduced one at a time so as your baby’s delicate stomach has time to get used to them. Rich foods containing high amounts of salt, sugar and alcohol are only going to cause problems. Nothing will ruin your Christmas more swiftly than having to deal with a sick baby. Little children can react strongly to foods that disagree with them and for this reason it is a good idea to keep their food simple, however much you may want to indulge their taste buds. Try getting them used to Christmas dinner type foods before hand so that they don't turn their nose up on the day. Luckily young children loved mushed up potatoes and parsnips, even if they won't go near brussels sprouts. Don't forget that some cheeses like Brie or Stilton may be too strong for your baby so make sure you buy a wedge of mild cheddar in your Christmas shop.

Time Out
If you are hosting Christmas, or even if you have travelled somewhere for it, chances are that there will be plenty of eager relatives who would like nothing more than to babysit your little charge for a while. Take the opportunity to spend some quality time with your partner, or catch up with old friends. You don’t need to stay up all night drinking and going wild to have a good time.

Likewise, if you do get inundated with offers of help with your baby or the practical side of cooking and entertaining people, then don’t be too proud to say yes. Don’t make life overly difficult for yourself. It is hard enough with a young baby, without deciding you need to do everything yourself. Nobody will think you are a bad mother for accepting a bit of support and grandparents will be secretly delighted to take charge a bit. On the other hand, if you feel your baby is being swiped away from you at every opportunity by eager relatives, don't be afraid to get away from it all and have a bit of Mummy, Daddy and baby time.

Presents
You might not want (or need) more stuff for your baby and the thought of being given yet more things to clutter up your (probably) too small living space could bring you out in a cold sweat. The answer to this is to be brutally honest beforehand. Open a savings account for your baby and tell relatives you would prefer them to make a contribution to that, or if grandparents want to spend some money, ask for something really practical that will make your life easier. If you explain your reasons, family members shouldn’t be offended with this line of thinking. Don't forget if you are flying somewhere else for Christmas to remind people to buy your baby (and you) small presents that can easily be packed. The last thing you want when returning home after Christmas is a huge excess baggage bill or six bags too lug home.

More and more people are getting fed up with the blatant consumerism of Christmas nowadays and lots of families are pledging to donate money to charity in place of buying each other presents. If that is something that interests you, there are lots of charity organisations which can buy anything from a goat to a village school in less privileged areas of the world. Your baby is certainly not going to miss out at this age, if you did decide to do that.

Above all, try to enjoy the festive end to your baby's first year without exerting undue pressure on yourself and others around you. Good luck and Happy Christmas!

Christmas things that babies love:

- All children, whhatever age love Christmas trees and lights, so if your baby needs some time out from smothering relatives, take her to see the magical lights on the tree.
- Wrapping paper and boxes usually discarded at Christmas make brilliant play for babies. Be sure to supervise and make sure that all plastic bags are out of reach in case of suffocation hazards.
- If you usually don't let your child have sweet treats, Christmas may be an exception. Choose carefully and don't let your child eat too much, also make sure whatever treat you give is suitable for your child's age; a tin of Roses is not a good idea for a small baby for example!
- Left over Christmas dinner can make brilliant baby food - turkey, veg and even stuffing can be whizzed into a puree or mashed if your child is older.