Christmas with a newborn

[Tofu35]

I have waited until September to start this thread but I've been trying to figure out how to keep some of the Christmas festivities and cosiness going when we will be parents of a 1 week old baby!

I'm already buying Christmas gifts for my nearest and dearest (thanks to the Christmas bargain threads on MN!) and told our families who we usually visit that we'll probably stay home and figure out what on earth we've gotten ourselves into.

So far my mum has offered to cook some Christmas food for us and drop it round (although she lives an hour away) and she'll probably come in for a cup of tea and a grandchild cuddle. Same with the in-laws.

But, experts of Christmas, what should I be doing to make sure Christmas stays alive among the chaos of new parenthood? Is it buying lots of party food for the freezer? Getting the tinsel and lights out in November so the house is decorated? Only sing the baby Christmas songs while he wears a tiny Santa hat?

I'm joking, but I'm also interested. For those who are going to be new parents, and those who have older December children, what does tiny baby Christmas look like?

I brought DS home on Christmas Day! So beforehand I had all the decs up, cards posted and presents wrapped and posted or wrapped and stashed in bags long before Christmas. Then my parents cooked a simple Christmas lunch at their house and drove it over and finished cooking it/reheated to serve when I got back with the baby.

Do you mean baby's due on 18th Dec?

Oooh if your mum could cook Christmas lunch at yours your house will smell all Christmassy which will definitely make it feel more normal.

Dd was about two weeks old for her first Christmas and quite honestly I barely remember it other than having an ungodly amount of cards (Christmas and new baby)! The maternity ward gave out Santa hats to all the babies born in December, I think it was part of the freebie thing they hand out to everyone.

we took her out to get a tree at about a week old and then went to family in the week between Christmas and new year. I quite liked decorating in the quieter periods when you’re getting into what you actually ‘do’ once you get the baby home.

It was all fine but it was a whirlwind. I’d take your mum up on her offer!

I had 3 that were born in December... I'm not popular with family!

We told everyone that we were having a quiet christmas those years, and made sure that we sent all gifts out for family for the middle of December. We filled the freezer/fridge/cupboards, and made the most of having a good excuse not to dash here there and everywhere!

I think those Christmasses kind of passed us by in a haze of exhaustion tbh, and luckily my Mum took pity and delivered us lunches so we didn't have to cook.

Mine was a few weeks old at Christmas. We told family we were having our first Christmas as a family of 3 on our own, then it was mostly like a normal day filled with exhaustion, colic and the most horrendous poonami it covered me and the wall behind me. We had a roast dinner and watched crap TV. Was as lovely as it could be at that point.

I’ll have a newborn too this year! But also a 3 year old.

Dinner will be Waitrose or M&S from the catalogue, things we can shove in with zero prep, so we get the full works without effort. Carols from Kings on Christmas Eve. Tree up early (pre baby!) and lots of solar fairy lights on the porch. Fancy pastries for breakfast. Hopefully armfuls of holly and ivy draped on the mantelpiece. Giant box of Roses and falling asleep in front of Mary Poppins.

Tbh newborns are chaos but Christmas is fairly easy to maintain a Christmas feeling with one around, because: tree, lights, music, chocolate log.

Ours was 5 weeks old last year, arrived early so I was glad to be organised.

I had gifts and non perishables organised by October, stayed up to silly o’clock to get a Christmas grocery delivery slot when they were released, and wrapped presents in the few days of Mat leave I managed before she arrived. It felt like we had a Christmas but it’s all a bit of a blur

If you’re batch cooking anyway some seasonal stuff like braised red cabbage and roasted veg is nice but there’s nowt wrong with aunt Bessie’s.

Party food makes excellent breastfeeding fuel

I had a 2 week old at Christmas and she was awake all night cluster feeding! So I stayed in bed until about 2pm and then popped round to my parents to eat some Christmas dinner.

A very memorable year despite me not feeling very festive! But I was very grateful to have my parents to provide some nice food and to hold the baby for a bit so me and DH could enjoy it.

That is peak sleep week for a newborn. you can have a lovely time eating and watching tv relatively undisturbed.

Put your decorations up in early December.

Then just wait and see.

I invited my parents to stay, partly to make it special for my toddler, but also because I knew my Mum would help and cook or look after the kids, which ever we wanted.

I had a 2 week old at Christmas. Carried on like any other Christmas. Not sure why you'd want to ruin your own Christmas to stay home and not see any family, tiny babies are the easiest to transport and they sleep a lot. We went to my in-laws from Christmas Eve to Boxing day morning so everything was cooked for me and there were lots of people around to cuddle the baby and give me a break. Then on Boxing day we went to my family and repeated the whole thing. Went home late Boxing day night after a wonderful Christmas with lots of help and minimal effort

Go with the songs and little Santa hat, even thinking of that made me feel joyful.

Will be in the same position as you - week old at Christmas and with a 3 year old.

have been thinking about this too - think we will get decorations up early, and either mum can cook or we can sort out a waitrose/m and s delivery that you can just bung in the oven. I’ll be having a tipple or two and just enjoying it myself with very close family to the extent possible

i don’t remember the first week being the worst and hopefully that will be the same this time around

that said, as I would feel more comfortable at home rather than heading to in laws (given I may be breastfeeding and will have everything needed at home)

kind of like nesting but with a cosy Christmas vibe

DS was born just before Christmas- we made it home on Christmas Eve. DD was born just after Christmas having been due just before.

Mu tips would be- decide who you want round when and don’t just agree to having millions of people just because it’s Christmas and they’re all off work. Buy all your favourite food well in advance and get your decorations up nice and early. I think I probably had presents ready by September 😭 Basically, anything to avoid having to do any work at all in December. Yes to Christmassy music especially chilled stuff like Tracy Thorn’s Christmas album.

Honestly, being cuddled up on the sofa with your sleepy newborn, lights down low and the Christmas tree lit, is truly magical and a lovely start in the world for them. For me it was nearly 2 decades ago and it’s still one of my most precious memories.

I'm due end of Nov so will likely have a 3/4 week old - we plan on having a 'posh' breakfast and then will drive over to SILs for Xmas lunch (20 mins away), then home again. TV and chocs in between.

You seem quite confident that your baby will be with you at that point… I was over a week late when I went into labour

DD was born mid December 2020; it was fab! My parents are only ten mins away so my mum cooked lunch for us (me, DH and ds) and delivered it in hot serving dishes and everything else we ordered from M&S! I love Christmas so we had the tree up, gifts wrapped etc and I had written the cards to post once dd had arrived so they could be from mother's four of us.
We managed a visit to a garden centre Father Christmas on Christmas Eve morning but otherwise it was just us, new toys, lots of food and Christmas tv.
I hope you have a magical time!

How do you know you will have a one week old? You might be spending Christmas heavily pregnant. Or in hospital. Either way it's good to be prepared. My friend was due a week before Christmas last year but baby didn't arrive until New Year's. She did have all her shopping etc. done long before Christmas though.

My youngest was born 19th Dec, got home on Christmas Eve. she wasn’t due until The 25th. I went into labour whilst decorating the tree.
Keep your options open, don’t make hard and fast plans.
Keep a bag packed, if you go visiting take it with you.
Dont agree to big get togethers or parties, you don’t know how you’ll feel nearer the time.
Food, easy cook, easy to prepare meals.
We stayed home on Christmas Day, I only got home the day before and wasn’t ready for visiting. My parents came over for the day, they were lovely, looked after us all.

when we will be parents of a 1 week old baby!

Or in labour, or still pregnant or with a 4 week old!

Embrace the chaos and play it by ear!

Oh wow I hadn't checked this thread because I didn't think I'd have any replies yet. Thanks everyone. Let's see if I can do a big reply to everyone.

@MrsTerryPratchett @JanglyBeads @diamondpony80 @Divebar2021 haha yes, I picked one week as a general idea rather than set age 😂 I'm due on the 12th so he could come early or he could want some Christmas Hollywood drama and appear on Christmas day!

@Thinkingblonde wow into labour while decorating the tree, that sounds like it will be one for the family history books! Thanks, the need to be flexible is definitely one to keep in mind, I am so bad for agreeing to all random events near Christmas. I need to say hohono more often this year.

Thank you @NoNameIdeas, I can't wait for their first trip to garden centre Santa and do all the fun things! Love the hot plates of food being delivered to you, can't ask for anything better than that! Also eek having your daughter's name on the Christmas cards is so adorable.

@bravotango ooh a posh breakfast, tell me more!

@NewDiary honestly this is definitely pregnancy hormones but your description made me a bit emotional, I am hopeful we can recreate that special moment for our family!

@Namechanger355 cosy Christmas nesting, sign me up!

@satelliteheart oh that's really interesting, thanks for this! I just had visions of being royally knackered and wanting to hunker down but your right, it might be fun to keep things as they always are!

@NewYorkLassie what I'm really taking from this thread is you are all giving me permission to go full Christmas as early as possible. I'll alert my husband to get in the loft for decorations as soon as bonfire night is over 🥳

@Cornettoninja the idea of all the babies on the ward with Santa hats on just fills me with such Christmas joy! So cute.

@stuntbubbles yes I recognise your name from other threads! Need to remember to buy a chocolate log, ideal dessert.

Filling the freezer and batch cooking sound exactly the things I should be starting on soon @BeastOfBODMAS @Badger1970

With the detail and precision of your reply, I sense a general feel for organisation! Use those skills, prep as much as you can to be as easy as you can.

DD was born on the 16th. It will remain the happiest day of my life. We were in hospital for 5 days. I think we had 1 day at home and then went to my parents for Christmas. It was the best Christmas ever. My mum did everything while reveling in being a new granny- she and dd have a really special bond. It was just the best.

My 1st baby was due the 14th of December... She didn't arrive till the 23rd. We left hospital on the evening of the 24th, I was bloody exhausted. And then Christmas day me and the newborn got dragged to my ex partners family's house so his entire family (around 20 people) could meet the baby. And then over to my family's house for dinner. Honestly I wish I'd just told him and everyone else to fuck off and stayed at home 😅

My 3rd baby is due 4th of January so I feel she could make an early appearance. We have DD1 who's going to be 5 this year, and DD2 is going to be 1, so it's going to be a very chilled out Christmas at home doing the bare minimum as I'll be almost 39 weeks 😅

@Trainfromredhill that sounds great if they took care of everything and probably took the baby for cuddles and gave you a break too.

@EllieRosesMammy ooft that sounds like a hectic day, can totally see why you'd have told them to fuck off. 20 people crowding round while you were knackered and recovering from birth? Impossible! Enjoy your chilled time this year though, cosy chilled Christmas vibes all the way