We had a quick catch-up with Jade Dharmana, Founder of The Sleeep Lab to get some tips on how to enjoy the festive period ahead but, stay sane at the same time! We hope you find these tips helpful Happy Holidays!
xxx
Anjali + Jade
HOW TO ENJOY THE FESTIVE PERIOD AHEAD
1. Adapt Nap Times to Suit the Occasion. Adapting the sleep schedule of your baby every now and again won't do any harm, however, if it goes off track for more than 4-5 days in a row, you may find that you could have some schedule repair work to do on the other side of this.
If there is an evening gathering that you would like to attend but you worry your baby will not cope - you can add in another nap later in the day, meaning that they can stay up later that night, or you can extend the length of their nap, or if they only nap once, make it later in the day or add another cat nap if willing.
This will allow you some extra time before they start to overtire.
2. Build in Down Time. You know the feeling of being run down when you have done too much. YES, we all know the feeling! The same applies to your baby if they go off routine too often.
This will most likely present itself in the form of more irritability and this is something we want to avoid come the 25th of December or on New Year's.
So, attend the parties, and have fun but if you see your baby is more overtired than usual, it’s ok to say no and schedule in some lazy home days to catch up. Also, they can catch up on some crib or co-sleeping naps which are of course the most restorative.
3. Strategic Gift Wrapping - Ahead of Time With a 7 and 5-year-old in tow, Jade has got Christmas morning down to a fine art. For those that celebrate, keep reading! Your child will open their gift and immediately want to play with it given that there is no such thing as deferred gratification in their little world.
The battle begins with a very excited child progressively getting impatient with their brand-new toy that isn’t usable straight away. You find yourself cutting through cable ties, wondering where on earth the screwdriver is in order to open the battery casing to put in batteries that you are also scrambling around for. Before you know it the tears have started (mostly yours!) and the stress begins to rise.
Before wrapping your gifts, I open the box, remove the cable ties, insert the right batteries, and then tape up the box as if it had never been opened. Voila – you have a more peaceful morning opening presents, fewer tears, less over-tiredness building up that comes with the tears, and you can enjoy the moment before the big task ahead of preparing Christmas dinner.
4. Gifts to Twin In! What are the holidays without matching PJs? If you don’t have them yet, Malabar Baby has just the right PJ's for the festive season but, we love that you can twin in them all year round!
5. Master the Art of Napping on the Go! Attend the gatherings and parties and don’t worry about it conflicting with your baby’s nap time. Nap on the go, aim for similar times but don’t worry if they sleep a little less (or more) that day. Time your car ride with their nap, use your carriers, and strollers, or even take your travel cot, sleeping bag, or sleepyhead if this is going to mean your festive season can be enjoyed more by everyone!
The holidays are very stimulating for children, and inevitably there will be moments when they will have their meltdowns, and display over - tiredness and crankiness.
December is jam-packed full of parties, gatherings, and lots of amazing treats for the kids. Whilst you don’t have to say yes to every single invite, give yourself permission to have fun and know that come January you can get all the rest you need and be as snoozy as you wish!
Happy Holidays!
xxx
Jade and Anjali
