How Can You Make Your Baby’s First Christmas Special?
Want some easy, fun (and cheap!) ideas for days out with your baby this Christmas?
Christmas is expensive enough without feeling you’re forking out extra money for festivities that your baby won’t remember anyway. At this stage, it’s more for you than for your baby!
As a baby’s first Christmas is still a special time, it’s lovely to start a few Christmas traditions that you can continue as they get older. So check our list for Christmassy ideas that are free or that you can enjoy for a fiver or less.
Looking for festive fun to feel the Christmas Spirit with your baby or toddler?
It’s never to early to book a Christmas class on Happity. Find one you’ll love here.
1. Check Out Christmas Lights
Have a wander down a Christmas shopping street decorated with lights.
Babies find lights stimulating, so if they are awake, they’ll love the feast of lights and colours. Local social media groups may have maps of house lights so you can plan a route, or just head out with the pram and see what you can find in your neighbourhood.
2. Hang A Bauble On A Tree
Some parents like making or buying a bauble each Christmas for their children. If you get a little decoration for your baby’s first Christmas, you can enjoy it each year. Head to your local craft shop or garden centre and find something cute for your tree.
3. Visit Christmas Decorations In A Stately Home
If you’re a National Trust member, you can visit the Christmas decorations inside their properties for free. Some NT properties have childhood toys that even one-year-olds can sit and play with. So rather than paying for a separate light show in the grounds, have a relaxed wander round a property in daylight hours. Or alternatively, you can look on the English Heritage site to see if there are any events happening near you on there.
4. Amble Round A Garden Centre At Christmas time
A firm favourite for toddlers and children of all ages, a trip to the local garden centre can be surprisingly festive. Many garden centres go all-out with their Christmas displays and decorations, so you can feel like you’re in a winter wonderland with your baby.
5. Wander Into (An Illuminated) Town
The Christmas lights will be on, the Christmas tree will be up, and many shops and businesses will have festive decorations in their windows. Even if your baby naps in the pram, it will be a Christmassy walk for the whole family.
6. Book A Festive Baby Class
Perfect for your baby (and you!), you can enjoy all the fun of Christmas days out with your baby in a safe, familiar and welcoming environment. Many class providers offer regular classes with a festive twist in December. Others will plan bookable Christmas baby and toddler parties or sessions you can opt in to.
7. Find A Christmas Tree Festival
In exchange for a small entrance fee or charity, many churches and community centres open up their spaces to display fantastically decorated Christmas trees. Local nurseries and children’s groups often decorate a tree. So you can do research into fun local places for your baby while admiring the decor!
8. Follow An Advent or Christmas Trail
Local buildings and businesses will often have a trail in the windows for children to follow, or perhaps some Christmas-themed figures (like a snowman trail) dotted around town. Get a brisk Christmas walk by completing the trail with your baby in their carrier or pram.
9. Visit A Bookshop Or Local Library At Christmas Time
Bookshops will have all the Christmassy books on display this time of year – and some have festive readings from authors too. Books like Stick Man or The Night Before Christmas are lovely to read and snuggle up to with your baby. Rhyme times and storytimes at your local library will often be Christmas-themed too. It’s the perfect choice for a cheap Christmas days out with your baby that will keep all things calm and bright.
How Can I Make My Baby’s First Christmas Special?
Your baby won’t remember their first Christmas, but you definitely will! So focus on doing things that suit you and your baby’s routine. There is so much Christmassy stuff around in November and December. Even if you just have a wander into town or go to a regular baby class, it will feel special enough that you’re spending this time with your baby (also don’t worry if they need to feed or nap).
When it comes to Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, try to take the pressure off making it ‘perfect’. Sometimes simple things like hanging a Christmas bauble for baby, or wrapping up a few Christmas gifts for a stocking are all you need to feel the magic of this very first Christmas.
Here are more ideas from our festive blog of Christmas traditions.
What Festive Things Can I Do While Baby Naps?
If your baby is regularly napping in the day, you can still do all of the festive activities in our list above. Make the most of your baby napping to squeeze in a few more festive treats like:
- Grabbing a festive themed latte at your favourite cafe.
- Tag teaming with a partner or friend, so you can both go ice skating (one of you can watch the baby then swap over).
- Meeting up with a group of friends with babies of a similar age and heading for a Christmassy walk or to a cafe.
- Watching a festive film at your local cinema. Check out baby-friendly screenings here.
- Hosting a parents crafting or wreath-making session. Bring your own baby and crafting materials!
Want to get out and about, have fun with your baby or toddler, and meet other parents?
Search Happity to find everything that’s happening for the under-5’s in your local area – from music and singing classes, to messy play, arts and crafts, baby massage, gymnastics and more. Simply enter your postcode and child’s age to search, and then book your spot in a few taps. Enjoy dedicated fun time with your little one, watch their skills develop, and make friends at the same time. Mums, dads, grandparents and carers will all find something to love!
If You Found This Post Useful, You May Also Like:
18 Fun Christmas Days Out With A Toddler (That Won’t Break The Bank)
The 15 Most Magical Places To Celebrate Christmas With Your Toddler (UK)
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