12/18/2024
Santa is packing up his sleigh, and a lot of us are already heading to our destination for Christmas celebrations. And if you're breastfeeding a little one this holiday season, there may he some additional things to think about.
Here's some top tips.
-Feed frequently. Never stretch out the gaps between feeds because you're busy or because someone suggests they don't need feeding. It will just make your littley cranky and your b***s at risk of engorgement and mastitis.
-Ignore the haters. Seriously, this is your kid, your feeding journey. Friends and family can say and think what they want but ultimately none of it means jack.
-Take frequent quiet breaks. Christmas is sensory overload for babies and toddlers. They're gonna be pretty wired by the end of it potentially, and you can help this by taking breaks in a quiet room every couple of hours.
-Eyes down, look in. If you've got a distractible feeder you're going to need to plan ahead and make sure you've got time and space for quiet feed offerings.
-Don't stress about perfection. Seriously, all they want is to be with you, and to play, laugh and have fun. Cuddle and enjoy.
-Be sensible about solids. If they're under 6 months (26 weeks) and not yet showing signs of readiness for solids foods, then skip it until next year. They're not missing out, because they don't know what it is!
And if they are having solids, think twice about what you're offering. We all like treats, sure, but do they *actually* need that much chocolate? Up to you, your kidlet, but remember that brocoli isn't going to seem so appetising after a selection box.
-If you have alcohol, don't bed share.
-Use a sling. Slings are a gamechanger. You can keep your baby close, calm and quiet and avoid any unwanted passing around.
-Have some phrases ready.
'Aw, we're actually quite happy with how we're doing things, but thank you. What's your opinion on Christmas pudding?'
'Things have changed quite a lot over recent years, it must seem really strange to you how we're parenting. We're very confident about it though, thank you. So what do you think is the best part of a roast dinner?' (If they don't say roast potatoes they're wrong. )
'Actually I think it's probably best if we don't talk about it because we've got quite differing opinions. So which is the best Christmas movie, Die hard or Love Actually?'
-Expect sleep to go up the swanny. But it *will* calm down again
-Take deep breaths, relax your shoulders, open up your fists and wriggle your fingers, and have a drink of water.
Above all, remember you ROCK. You are doing an AWESOME job! What are your top tips?
