This is our favorite time of the year. Spending time with family, traveling, and making memories. We cannot forget all the food we can enjoy! We all know how important it is to take care of ourselves but how do we take care of our children?
Today, I am sharing tips on how to survive (and enjoy!) during the holiday season!
TIME FOR FOOD
This can be very hard for parents. They don’t want their child to go hungry so they become anxious about their fussy toddler. We recommend thinking about your toddler’s food intake over the week rather than day to day, since their appetite will vary. Rest assured, no toddler will refuse food if they are really hungry. The trick is to present the food you would like your child to eat, leave it with the child for 20 minutes, and then remove the food. You can cover the food and put it in the fridge to be offered again later. Resist the urge to cajole your child into eating because this sets up meal time as a battleground. It is very important to be calm and consistent with this.
As for your relatives, listen politely, then simply and firmly state that your child is learning good food habits and you will decide what they will be offered to eat; and also, monitor what they eat to avoid food poisoning.
DURING TRIPS
It is important to keep your baby well hydrated during long trips. At 6 months, your baby can have water from a sippy cup, so keep one handy. Also, a wet flannel in a zip lock bag is useful for wiping your baby’s face and arms to keep them cool. A shade on the window next to your baby is a good idea to prevent the sun from streaming in. You will need to stop for a break at least every 2 hours during your trip. Take this opportunity to give your baby a milk feed or water and to change a nappy if needed. A little bit of time out of the baby capsule every couple of hours is advisable as they are very cramped and close. When you are getting ready to resume your trip, you may need to run the air-conditioning for a couple of minutes before you put your baby back in the car since cars very quickly become very hot when you stop.
GET VACCINATED
Children who are younger than six months are too young to get some vaccinations, yet they are the most at risk for having serious complications from illness. Parents, family, friends and caretakers should all get vaccinated against the flu and whooping cough during this period to create a barrier of protection around new babies.
USE EXTRA PRECAUTION IN PUBLIC PLACES
People will offer differing advice about taking your newborn baby out in public especially in the first week. I was happy when our pediatrician encouraged us to get out and about, even prescribing a daily dose of sunshine for vitamin D. Use good judgment and limit public outings when possible, especially places that will be overly crowded.
I quickly found out that people, including strangers, could not help themselves from getting a close look or even touching my new baby. If you want to avoid strangers getting too close for comfort when you go out in public, you can cover your infant carrier with a blanket. This will help discourage well-meaning strangers from touching newborns and unknowingly spread germs.
In addition everyone should be encouraged to wash hands well when returning from a public place to avoid spreading illness and bringing germs into the home.
You’re a new mom, which is a lot like being Superwoman, but I don’t think Superwoman catches colds. That goes for dads, too.