Making Memories - Baby's First Christmas

Your baby has just arrived and they're quite obviously THE BEST Christmas present ever, or your little one might be nearing their first birthday and are already on the move.  Wherever they're up to in their development, we know that your baby's first Christmas is a moment to be well and truly celebrated and savoured!

Here, we're going to take you through our tips for making those memories as special as possible.

1. Making Memories

Their First Christmas is one to enjoy making lots of lovely crafts with their adorable hands and feet.  Ornaments, decorations or Christmas cards will be treasured by grandparents and other family members. Don't forget to create some for your tree!  You'll find that unpacking them every year to decorate your home will fill you with memories and happiness of when they were so tiny, because they don't stay so little for very long.

Check out our pinterest page for some great crafty ideas!

What did you used to enjoy as a child in the run up to Christmas?  You'll find that you'll probably have lots of your own traditions that you'd like to keep going to bring the Christmas magic alive for your little one.  Do you remember a milk and cookies for FatherChristmas, a carrot for the reindeer, putting out your Christmas stocking?

There are lots of new ones around that you might not quite be fully aware of yet, such as a Christmas Eve box loaded up with a story, pyjamas, a film and some sweet treats.  The super popular Elf on the Shelf - this cheeky little Elf arrives in your home on the 1st December and gets up to all kinds of mischief! There are lots of Elf on the Shelf ideas here.  Some parents forget to move him and it turns into a nightmare but the fun it creates in those younger years will create lasting memories for them as they grow up.

Let's not underestimate that life with a newborn/toddler is hard, and you might have bags the size of baubles under your eyes.  Never the less, try and get some festive photos of your new family on Christmas day beside the Christmas tree.  You'll look back in a few years and realise that it was all worth and you weren't doing badly at all!

Keep things simpe and enjoy Christmas day, don't put too much pressure on yourself to have the 'perfect' day and compare yourself to other parents/families.  It's a new and lovely experience with your new family albeit with a little bit of tiredness and more than likely baby food/sick down your Christmas outfit!

Ask friends and family for useful items. They would probably appreciate some hints about something your baby might need, so why not be proactive and suggest things?  Create a Wishlist and send to your loved ones: even the simple things like sheets & blankets or useful winter outfits. Or think ahead and ask for clothes for next summer in a couple of sizes up?  It's best for you if the gifts your little one receives have some direction from you as you'll be the one tidying them up or washing them up!

The old cliche "time flies" makes sense once you have a child. To chart their growth, take an annual Christmas photo next to your object of choice—the Christmas tree, a teddy bear, the fireplace etc. Add them to an album year-on-year.

Baby's are all about those sensory experiences, a great idea would be to dazzle them with some Christmas lights, not just on the tree, but you could hang some in their room too (where they can't reach them!)

Jingle some bells and listen to Christmas carols. And, if your baby's old enough, give them a taste of some special holiday foods like gingerbread men or mince pies. They'll love the newness of it all, and you'll love watching Baby's first Christmas come to life!

At the newborn stage, your baby won't know (or care) about presents.  They'll be far more enthralled with the paper that they come in... that is unless they're really little, in which case they'll probably be asleep for most of the festivities.

Your baby will receive lots of presents from family, so rather than spending a fortune on expensive gifts and toys, set yourself a budget so you can get lots of lovely gifts for your baby that you can afford.  We have a lovely range of gifts for under £20 that you can check out.

We know that your baby is too young to know who Father Christmas is BUT why not book to visit a grotto or an outdoor winter walk and see the lights?

Or even the Christmas market if that was something you and your partner enjoyed doing together. The sights, sounds and smells will intrigue your baby's senses. You, and they, will love looking back on the photos in years to come!