Christmas newborn activities

[HEIHEI23]

We are due our first baby at the start of October and I’m so excited! I’m looking for what lovely Christmas activities people would recommend with a 2.5 month old. I’m reluctant to spend out on all the expensive light trails because they’ll only be very young and possibly be asleep 😂 however, if people have done them and can recommend them at that age then obviously we’d book them. We’re also happy with just staying in and doing Christmas things with them!

Dress them up in cute Christmas babygros
Buy a "my first Christmas bauble"
Realise that, during a growth spurt, you have sat on the sofa bf'ing the baby whilst watching three really cheesy Christmas movies back to back and eating an entire tub of celebrations. Spend more time staring into space whilst calculating how much you'd need to spend on a boob job and tummy tuck to get Jude Law ready
Get over excited hanging up their first stocking etc, realise making the carrot look authentically reindeer chewed involves eating it yourself which is something you don't really want to do at 11pm and discover a new found respect for your parents as you realise they must have done just that then drink the Baileys left out for Santa without thinking and then panic as you're ebf and not drinking and the baby is still waking every 2 hours during the night
Wake up to cuddles with the baby and DH and feel nauseatingly happy & smug
Be slightly surprised at quite how much chocolate DH has bought you for Xmas only to realise it will probably all be eaten by 1st Jan
Do a little jig of celebration when the baby randomly falls asleep just as lunch is ready

They're my main memories of October born DC1's first Christmas 15 years ago
Thanks to the MNers who replied to my middle of the night posts about whether it was safe to feed DC1 having drunk the Baileys for Santa

@sangriaandsunshineplease excellent summary!

Friends of ours had a Christmas themed photoshoot and used pictures to make Christmas cards for everybody.
We all loved receiving adorable cards, especially those of us who had perhaps only met baby once due to distance.

They also wrote little messages about how they were finding things so we knew what would make great gifts.

Lovely thought!

My DS is 9 . We have never done a light trail. I looked at the price and decided it was too much. We go for a Christmas drive and look at everyone's houses that are decorated . It's lovely.
We go to the crib service at church.
We also do the local carols around the tree. All are free.
Save your money.

We went into London and did a walk through carnbay Street and Covent Garden, he liked looking at the lights (it seemed) as lots of them were above the street. He had a good sleep and we went to a Christmassy pub for a drink, it was a really lovely evening 😊

Oh and I did a Christmas photo shoot qhne he was one and I SO wish I'd paid when he was a newborn.

I’m due end of September and DH and I have said no presents for baby this year. Relatives and friends can buy something small but baby will literally have no clue what’s going on 😂 Saying that, I will of course be buying cute outfits for photos.

I’ll probably take them to the local garden centres which have big Christmas sections but I’ll go with someone and will most likely end up in the cafe. Where I work they do a low key family Xmas event with a phenomenal Santa so I might pop there. Give my friends I work with a change to see baby and for me to catch up - but that would also be free

Ours was 5 weeks old at his first christmas. I literally have zero recollection of it.

We did buy him a money box though as a 1st Christmas gift

Haha DS was about 6 weeks old at his first Christmas, we took him on one of those light trail walks. He literally slept in the sling the entire time then woke up to gaze lovingly at the floodlight in the car park 😂
To be honest we just did the Christmassy things we wanted to do and just brought him along. Last year you’ll get to have free rein on your Christmas plans!
The garden centre suggestion is a very good one. Our local goes bonkers at Christmas so loads of twinkly lights to stare at then when baby’s asleep, off to the cafe for coffee and cake!

My dd was born mid October and she slept through the whole of Christmas and every moment of Christmas Day. The Christmas she had turned three was the beginning of the exciting Christmas' when she knew what was happening. It's a lovely time.

My eldest was 12 days old on his first Christmas, 23 years ago.

My fondest memory is my (now departed) Nana showing him the Christmas lights and tree. He was fast asleep but she took him around her living room showcasing all her Christmas ornaments. Wish I would have taken a photo.

It's still nice to involve them in Christmas even if they're oblivious

DC1 was 10 months at his first Christmas. We didn't do anything particular for it other than normal stuff we were doing anyway.

If I were you, I’d take them to the Range or your local garden center. Lots of them have their light displays in a darker section so you can see them all lit up. It’ll be warm and you won’t have spent £50 just for the baby to be completely uninterested.

What I would definitely do is go to one of those pottery painting places and use their foot and hand prints to do a plate for Santa, and/or a bauble. Something that you’ll be able to get out each year and think back to that first Christmas.

My DSiL has a bauble that opens up, she’s got 7ft of ribbon rolled up in it, and each year, she measures her DS’ height on it so she can see how much he’s grown since the last Christmas. She’s very sentimental but it makes her happy 😊

As others have said, your newborn will be entirely oblivious to the fact it's Christmas, but that's not to say that you can't find things they'll like. Sit them in the kitchen whilst you're baking so they can smell the Christmassy spices. Get out some tinsel and show them how it feels and how it sounds when you scrunch it, they might be able to grab on to it and wave it about a bit, or they might just be able to watch and feel it on their skin. Take them for walks to pretty lights and hold them up to see them. Make time to be romantic with your partner as it will be harder next year!

I had my first in November, I was still recovering from a complicated birth so my in-laws came and collected us and we were spoilt rotten. The only thing I can clearly recall about that Christmas was my FiL offering to change a nappy only for DS to pee in his face. He never touched a nappy again.