Being a mom can be hard enough on its own, but if you become a new mom right before the holidays, things can get a bit more complicated without you even realizing it.
Many new moms say that the holidays are the toughest time during the first year of their kids’ lives. The stress you can feel because you’re awake all the time, thinking about your baby when you try to sleep, and making sure everyone’s safe and well – this is multiplied during the festive season. If you’re one of those moms who love to make perfect and want to have the best holidays with your new family, you need to have a list of survival tips you can turn to during these tough times.
Ask for help
Running errands during the holiday season can sometimes last longer than you imagine so having someone to help you is always a good thing. Don’t be ashamed to ask your partner, family members, or friend to help you. Anything from watching the baby, doing your Christmas shopping, or buying groceries will help you take things off your plate and let you relax and spend some time with your children. New moms accumulate stress quite easily, and this can get even worse during the holidays, so it’s normal to ask for help and treat yourself with time to do something to cheer up a bit.
Set your boundaries
If you want to host the Christmas dinner right after having a baby, this might not be the best idea in the world. However, you can make this happen as long as you’re aware of the fact that it will bring a ton of unnecessary stress your way. So, if you want to go through it, set some boundaries with the people you want to invite. Let everyone know the timeline of the evening and tell them when you want to bathe your baby and get it to sleep.
Everyone will understand if you let them know how your evenings usually go, and someone could even offer you help with the dishes and cleaning everything up. In addition to that, let people know the rules regarding your older kids, especially when it comes to the certain types of food you don’t want your children to eat or how you deal with their tantrums. By wanting to help, friends and family can sometimes make things worse and cause unnecessary stress, so making sure everyone knows what they’re doing is the best way to go.
Share the experience
No one knows how you feel and how to get through the festive seasons better than other moms going through the same things as you. Connect with them and share your wishes, plans, and fears for the upcoming period, and ask for their opinion and advice. One of the best ways to achieve that is by using a helpful Mumli motherhood app that will allow you to read inspirational stories and get the best advice on surviving challenging periods in your life.
Cherish small things
Spending time with your family is the most important part of the holidays, so you need to make sure you’re there for all the things that are about to happen. Make a playlist of your favorite festive music and enjoy time with your new baby and your partner. Dance, sing, take photos or organize a nice walk to get some fresh air. This will be your first Christmas as a new family so cherish these small things because they’ll be among the best memories from your first year as a new mom.
Be realistic
Even though you’ve planned the greatest photoshoot ever, you can’t expect much from your new baby as a model. Not all babies are calm while you’re taking pictures of them, so know that even a picture of your baby crying in an elf suit will be something you’ll remember as the best memory from your first Christmas together. When it comes to having too many people around your loved ones, you can expect fussy and nervous babies so be prepared to possibly spend dinner calming them down.
Life is already hectic being a new mom so give yourself a break during the holidays. Relax as much as you can so your baby doesn’t feel your stress. Learn how to adapt to situations and make your baby a priority whatever you do!
