Parenting

Holiday dinners can be extremely stressful for parents. Parents of toddlers struggle even more with this. With a few survival tips for holiday dinners by this mom of many, you can come out the other side ready for another round rather than being stressed and overwhelmed. These simple tips will help keep things under control, keep your toddler calm, and allows you to walk out of your holiday dinner feeling like you conquered the world. Bring snacks of your own Young kids are known for being picky eaters and struggling with waiting for food to be ready. Packing your own snacks just in case can be a great way to prevent a toddler tantrum. Pack snacks that do not require cooking and tend to be on the healthier side to avoid sending your toddler into a sugar crash that could lead to a lot of fussing. by packing snacks of your own you can feed them when they are ready to eat even if that is before everyone else and you can trust that you have at least something your child will be willing to eat. After all, toddlers tend to only eat a bite or two of only one or two things that are offered at large holiday meals before they get bored from overstimulation. Plan your visit around nap time If you have been invited to a holiday dinner that takes place during or right before your toddler's nap time let the hosts know that you will be late and not to wait for you to start dinner because you want to make sure your toddler is not cranky. yes, you may miss out on some of the fun but you can have a lot more fun when your toddler is willing to hang out with other people rather than clinging to you because they are tired and overstimulated. Keeping to a routine can really help with toddler tantrums so everyone can enjoy the holiday more. Protect their holiday outfits When we take out little ones to big family dinners we often dress them up in the best outfits we can find including expensive holiday dresses that we hope to get a few uses out of during the season. One great thing you can do to help make sure you get as much use out of these adorable outfits is to use a protective bib that can cover the complete outfit. These Bibbrella bibs are great because they will fully cover your little ones' Christmas dresses to protect them from food spills and general messes when everyone is eating. This makes cleanup a breeze so your little one can get right back to running. You can get these on Amazon Prime just in time for that family dinner. The elastic-ended leaves will keep your little ones' clothes clean even when they are smashing their hands in their food. Pack a clean-up kit When packing your bag you want to add things like diapers and wipes for your toddler but one thing many parents do not consider is if they need to clean up bigger messes. When packing your bag some wash clothes that can be wet down to use for bigger clean-ups. Add in some disinfectant wipes for cleaning up surfaces your child will be coming into contact with like tables and high chairs, This can be great for helping prevent your little one from getting sick at your holiday dinner. Bring toys to entertain your child Just like packing snacks for your little one you can help to prevent tantrums by packing toys that your child likes for your outing. This will allow you to easily entertain your child without worrying about what they will get into. A bored toddler tends to be the most likely to get into trouble and may end up breaking something that belongs to the host. Packing your own toys can help prevent this. Give yourself some grace many moms tend to feel judged at holiday dinners when the whole family is watching and their child is anything less than the perfect angel or says something less than flattering. Remember to give yourself some grace. No one is perfect and anyone that is judging you has flaws of your own and you are doing an amazing job.