Baby’s First Family Gathering: 5 Tips for a Smooth Transition

Guest BloggerJanuary 8, 20142 Mins read1.1k Views

It can be very exciting to take your baby with you for their first family gathering, but it is also essential to take steps to ensure that they will remain comfortable throughout the experience and on their trip.

After all, you do not want to end up dealing with an extremely fussy baby while traveling and when you are trying to socialize with family or friends. So here are several tips that you can utilize to help keep your baby happy while they are visiting people during their first family event. 1) Bring their Favorite Toys – Although your infant is likely to receive several gifts from loved ones meeting him for the first time, you should still bring their favorite toy with them to help make them feel more comfortable. Keep in mind that a toy or blanket from home can make the experience of being in a new place feel less intimidating for your baby.

2) Bring a Mobile Playard – Giving your infant a secure environment to spend time in will make the visit go much more smoothly for everyone involved. After all, the odds are high that your baby will end up getting tired or make the decision to attempt to get into everything around them. By placing them into a mobile baby playard, you can keep them safe and happy, and this will ensure that they do not end up becoming problematic during the gathering.

3) Adjust their Nap Time – One of the biggest issues that can occur during a family party with a baby is the fact that the timing of the event is not likely to coincide with their typical nap schedule. Because of this, you should either adjust their nap time for the day or keep your visit brief so that your child is not denied the opportunity to take a nap when they become tired.

4) Be Patient with Your Infant – It is easy to feel stressed out if your baby begins crying during a family event. However, you need to remember that this is a new situation for them, and it is highly unlikely that they will experience some feelings of stress themselves. By remembering this, it will be much easier for you to remain patient, and this will help relax your child.

5) Keep them from Becoming Overstimulated – If your infant becomes overstimulated, they are likely to exhibit cranky behavior, and they may also have difficulty sleeping. To help avoid this issue, you should ask the other party guests to refrain from providing your infant a large quantity of gifts. Alternatively, you can ask everyone to help you avoid over stimulating your child by spacing out their gifts. Utilizing these tips will make your baby’s first family visits go much more smoothly. As an added bonus, going to a gathering will also give your infant an important early socialization opportunity. Keep in mind that exposing your baby to a large group of people at a young age can help them deal with feelings of shyness.

Jamica Bell is a blogger and proud parent of 7. She has had to make the transition of baby’s first family soiree more than a few times. Fortunately, bringing her baby playard and adjusting nap times made all the difference between a pleasant visit and a holiday nightmare.