Celebrating Your New Year's Baby
With the timing of a New Year’s baby, be very intentional in how you balance your time between celebrating the holiday season and the birth of your baby.
by Jen Reyneri
Jan 01, 2019
Having a baby right after the new year can be an exhilarating yet challenging time. Most of us are still taking down our decorations from Christmas, and in our culture it can seem we need to have a list of resolutions a mile long. If we have other children, we are tending to their needs and our own new year’s goals.
How can we celebrate the new year and a new baby all at the same time?
Nine years ago this week, I was giving birth to our second son. We thought he was going to be a Christmas baby, but alas, January fourth brought him forth.
The timing of his birth meant overlapping schedules and plans for things like the traditional baby showers right in the middle of prepping for the holidays.
Welcoming a baby into the world whenever they arrive is a blessing. But with the timing of a New Year’s baby, be very intentional in how you balance your time between celebrating the holiday season and the birth of your baby.
Enjoying This New Year with your Newborn
If you just had (or are expecting) a New Year baby… YEAH! Congratulations! So many blessings are joining your family at a time when all things are new and conversations as fresh. What an exciting time! Remember, give yourself grace.
-Consider picking a one-word theme for the year instead of a mile-long list of resolutions.
-Ask for help in taking down those Christmas decorations and making the holiday returns.
-Relax and enjoy! Take a break from the internet and social media to immerse yourself in the beauty of your new baby!
These are some simple things we’ve put into practice to celebrate our son the first week of the year as he grows.
Simple Ways to Celebrate a New Year’s Baby Year after Year
1. Make a big deal about baby’s upcoming birthday, even through Christmas.
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This can be talking about it as you plan and attend regular activities and as they grow, even sharing how proud you are of your child as their special birthday approaches with store and postal clerks, baristas, and of course family and friends all through the season.
2. Plan a birthday party while you are planning holiday activities.
For us, this means we create and order our son’s personalized birthday party invitations at the same time we order and design our family Christmas cards. This year, he was old enough for me to give him a tutorial, and together, with him in charge, we designed his party invite on Canva and included a line that said “invitation designed by Luke.” We talk about the menu, cake design and party activities all through the week, and before Christmas, make sure we invite our friends to the festivities.
3. Set aside a special birthday budget.
This can be challenging since the birthday falls right after Christmas, but we make sure we honor our son with gifts and a celebration and save some things for his special time. Planning for a birthday at a time when budgets are already stretched requires intentionality ahead of time to stay on budget as a family, but your dollars can be stretched with after Christmas sales if you do some smart shopping research.
4. Celebrate birthday week, not just birth-day!
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Create simple but fun activities and memories through things like reminiscing through your year of digital photos on your big screen, making your little one’s favorite meals, filling your home with lots of mylar helium balloons, and even creating fun scavenger hunts throughout the week. If your child is old enough, listen to their ideas on how to make birthday week special.
5. Consider taking an annual “reset” birthday trip.
We try and set aside the week between Christmas and New Year’s as family time, and to honor each other as a family, whether at home or away. We’ve also made birthday day or weekend trips to beaches, Disney parks, LEGOLAND, and even just had “staycation” where we explored our area as if we were on vacation.
Whatever ways you choose to celebrate your baby from this New Year forward, remember, it’s a big deal. They are a big deal. You love them a great deal, so take advantage of those “big deals” on after Christmas sales and show your child celebrating their birth at any age is an important part of your family’s story.
Jen Reyneri
Renaissance Woman Jen Reyneri and her husband Luis often live life on the road with their two home-schooled sons. Popular author and speaker, Jen is founder of WordTraveling.com. Spirited and spirit filled, she savors life, poetic words, sabbaticals and strong coffee.
