Share memories of your baby's first Christmas and tips for surviving the festive season with a newborn - £300 voucher prize draw! NOW CLOSED

[AngelieMumsnet]

As the festive season approaches and we all get a bit nostalgic about Christmases past, Nurofen for Children would love to know what you remember about your baby's first Christmas.

Did you do anything special to mark the occasion? Did having a baby change how you celebrated - or give you an excuse to rekindle some family traditions from your own childhood?

And if you were hosting visitors or travelling to see family and friends, how did you get organised with a newborn in tow? Was there mad mild panic as you tried to pull things together? Or did you hand over the festive stress to others so you could make the most of the special time?

However you spent it, we'd love you to share your fondest memory, and any advice you have for those looking forward to their baby's first Christmas this year.

Everyone who posts on this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one Mumsnetter will win a £300 Love2Shop voucher!

The new Mumsnet Baby Bundle app, sponsored by Nurofen for Children, provides parents with a handy toolkit for your child's first years. Information, advice, wisdom and wit are all close to hand - whenever and wherever you need it. Download the app now - tiny.mn/1kCoMoT

Thanks
MNHQ

My favourite part of dd1s first Christmas was both her and her friend (8 months old each) having a race down the living room.
I may have cheated slightly by moving her a foot forward

Made sure she was fed and wear ear plugs a lot

Dd1 was 9 months and on Christmas eve we flew to Australia to visit my sister. We sat on a plane with a lively 9 month old for 24 hours (with a 1 hr change in Singapore). Every time we got her to sleep in the flycot there was turbulance and we had to get her out and pack up the cot again.

We got Christmas dinner on the plane, but the 12 hr time difference meant we skipped Christmas day and arrived in Sydney in the evening (cheap flights on Christmas day).

Qantas had left all our baggage and buggy at Heathrow. We were covered in baby posset, milk and pureed fruit. We were so rancid that the sniffer dogs rounded us up and we were checked for illegal fruit smuggling. All we had to change into was matching his and hers emergency Qantas pyjama kits.

We didn't mind, we had a great reunion with my sister and they'd made us dinner etc.

I'm not sure it's the stuff that great family traditions are made of though.

I remember ds2's first Christmas as he didn't actually open a present. He loved playing with his brother's wrapping paper so much. So cute.

We opened some for him later. He was more interested in tinsel and shiny things!

My first one was three months old: it was a lovely Christmas full of noise and cuddles: my dad came over and cooked the turkey, my niece and nephew came to stay with their parents so there was giggling and playing with baby (novelty value) and of course she had no clue but we got a few comedy Christmas photos.... Was a really nice time (and no illness so no need for Neurofen that year, though it's been a staple in the medicine cabinet since!)

My husband and I brought our 21 month old son home on the 18th November 2013, only 6 weeks before Christmas. That Christmas was so memorable as finally we had our son and although we had a tree and presents, turkey etc,we were still getting used to being parents and It was all a blur. Cards were sent very late, presents were brought online and were brought quickly, our whole attention was on him. I don't think it really sunk it until after. Last year was much more relaxed, organised and fun

My LO was born in Jan so was nearly one when his first Christmas came around! We spent it at the in-law's which was lovely as all the cooking was done for us & all we had to do was turn up, smile & enjoy it! LO was pretty disinterested in the presents themselves, but enjoyed the tree, lights & baubles! He also liked eating the wrapping paper & playing with the bows! As for tips surviving Christmas with a newborn - make the most of all the family being around & let them all have lots of cuddles so you have a chance to relax a bit, catch 40 winks & tuck into some Quality Street :) x

DD was 7 months old for her first Christmas, just about crawling, and she spent most of the time reversing herself under the Christmas tree and getting stuck

My sister bought her a Christmas tree bib which she wore for her first Christmas dinner, too. She wasn't very impressed with the paper hat we gave her though!

Top tips for babies at Christmas: don't stress the presents, grandparents ime give lots, we put money in her savings instead. And spread the present opening out over a day or two if necessary, so they don't get too overwhelmed with stuff.

Didn't need to buy DSs a present on their first Christmas - there were so many from others. DS3 was born on 22nd Dec - I survived by staying with my mum and dad whilst DH stayed with in laws and older 2 boys. It was bliss!

Don't try to do too much is my advice about how to survive.

My eldest son was 10 months old and I had given birth to premature triplets at the end of November. Sadly we buried one of our triplets 2 weeks before Christmas so it was very hard trying to celebrate with our 10 month son and with two of our surviving triplets clinging on to life in the SCBU. We spent the day at my Mother in Laws and the hospital.

I didn't find it too much of a struggle the first Christmas with our new born. Mainly because we had so many people over, we could just palm the baby off on them and run to the kitchen and hide!

Make use of those long lost relatives ladies :)

DD was born on 23 December. Although it was a terrible birth and she had to be resuscitated she seemed to be well and we were going to be discharged on Christmas morning. Unfortunately early on Christmas Eve she took a turn for the worse and was rushed to NICU. She was being fed through a tube in her nose as they were worried about fluid on her brain and wanted to monitor her fluid intake. I was devastated as I wanted to breastfeed and we'd had a good start.
4am on Christmas morning, a midwife gently woke me up and said NICU had called to say DD was awake and would I like to go and try and feed her? Despite having just had a CS and being attached to a drip I pretty much ran there! She'd fallen back asleep - but in her little incubator was a Christmas card the staff had made for me and DH with a photo of her and her hand and foot print, plus a little Christmas stocking with presents in it for her. It was really dim in the room apart from twinkling lights from the corridor and very quiet except for the beeping of all the machines and the soft sound of Christmas songs from the radio at the nurses station. I sat and watched her for an hour - then she woke up and the nurses helped me give her a cuddle and breastfeed her. It was amazing.
In the morning, Santa came! He came round and delivered presents to the children's ward and all the babies in SCBU - he was such a kind man (as you'd hope...) and DD got all these lovely little presents that had been donated by people - a hand knitted Santa hat, a teddy bear, a really handy folding change mat, bath toys - it was so kind and lovely.

DH and I were given Christmas dinner - it was really quite nice for hospital food - with crackers and mince pies.

It was such a terribly traumatic time but I will never forget how hard everyone tried to make it special for us.

Now DD is 4 - almost 5! - and full of health and joy. Every Christmas since has been about not sweating the small stuff and being grateful for having time together.

Get cute Christmas outfits and take lots of pics. I love a variety of Christmas hats too! Don't go overboard on gifts, they don't need it. Find time to snuggle up as a family and don't worry about everything being perfect

I was just thinking about this tonight as I was browsing online choosing the children's Christmas present.
And it struck me that six years ago I was madly excited about buying a then 4mo ds his first Xmas present. We got him a fisher price jungle animal train and he loved it.
On the day we invited my parents to come to us and they helped cooked lunch. Ds joined us at the table in his bouncy chair and we had a really laid back day. He slept a lot in our arms, we took lots of pictures of him with his new toy and that was about it.
Really relaxed and happy day.
Bliss!

DD1 was 3 months on her first Christmas and I remember waking up and looking out of the window with her to a little sprinkling of snow on the ground, this is a very magical memory for me as we rarely have a 'white' Christmas.

DS was 7 months at his first Christmas and we bought him an Animal train and encouraged Grandparents to add additional animals - we stored it away after he grew out of it and DD2, who will be 11 months this Christmas, will be inheriting it. My main memory of DSs first Christmas was putting the tree in the playpen to stop him pulling it over (again!)

This will be our first Christmas in our new home so we will have lots of fun creating new decorations and finding ways to decorate the mantle piece as we haven't had a fire before / going to try and persuade the DCs that as their is a chimney Santa will like the stockings left there and avoid trying not to wake them up as we sneak in and out of their bedrooms

Both my DDs were summer babies so thankfully when both experienced their 1st Christmas they were over 6 months old! Still, I have avoided real Christmas trees as newborns and needles don't mix! Plus I was very careful about decorations - no baubles, even shatter-proof ones, just things that couldn't cause any injury because you never know what a crawling baby might pick up!

This will be my first xmas and my tips for surviving are plan to the extreme, keep lists, even if you don't stick to them they do help you work out what you need!

My ds began suffering seizures three days before Christmas last year, at age 3 months. The next few days were a horrifying blur of blood tests, drips and a lumbar puncture on our beautiful daughter. It was harrowing to watch her suffer and feel so helpless. She was stabilised eventually (on an IV drip of anti-convulsants) and has since been diagnosed with epilepsy.
Ds was discharged from hospital about midday on Christmas Day. We had been due to host dinner for 10 and when we got home, everyone had pitched in to provide starters and dinner so we could still have a Christmas. We were just grateful ds was alive and on the mend. This year will see us counting our blessings that ds is generally very healthy and her epilepsy is controlled. And I will make a point of taking a hamper in to the children's ward at our local hospital, as thanks for the care of the brilliant staff.

Doh! DS? Meant DD! (It's been a long day!!)

my daughter was born at home 8 days before christmas so magical anyway on christmas eve we went out with her and her older brother to go shopping and as we got out of the car it started snowing, so before we got into the shop we went into mothercare to buy her a baby nest, it then took me 2 hours to get round tescos because so many people stopped us to have a look at her was happy to show her off and somehow remembered to buy enough food to eat , christmas day put dad on childcare duty and managed to produce a nice meal somehow a shame i was too tired to eat most of it but will never forget her first christmas

Because my daughter was born in Febuary she was aware enough at Christmas to at least take in all the decorations and was fascinated by the ones hanging from the ceiling!

I always spend Christmas with my Mum and Dad - even though I'm nearly 40 years old! My parents were thrilled to bits to share my daughter's first Christmas to the point that I was worried I wouldn't get her back!

Dress them up really cute and use tissue paper to wrap presents up so babies with a decent grip can unwrap their own presents.

On my first Christmas as a Mum my DD was ony two and a half months old so it was mainly about taking photos of her first Christmas posing as you do with a christmas stocking and next to the tree and of course with a colourful paper hat on at the dinner table, but Christmas definately became more magical once again after becoming a Mummy.

Ds1 was 12 weeks for his first Christmas. We invited the whole family for Christmas dinner, did the dressing up as Santa to deliver his presents and "helped" him unwrap them all. I don't have the energy for it now that they might appreciate it.

DH and I never used to do christmas. We aren't very big on festivals at all. But when we had DD1 we decided we should start some family traditions of our own. We got a christmas out fit for her. I still have photos of it. And DD2 will be wearing it this year!