Christmas and the preceding Advent time is one of the most stressful periods of the year. The days are greyish, the evenings arrive early, your baby may not sleep as well as before. She/he can be bothered by the tension you have been feeling since November, because of the social pressure which says: go, rush, purchase, prepare, figure it out!
It’s maybe even harder to live through this season with kids because of the physical and mental stress, days crowded with emotions and things to do. You are trying to arrange everything, but you know you and your baby won’t fit inside the tram/train carriage or the bus, you won’t even fit in the store – or you are not allowed to enter with a pram, or if you do, the security guard may follow you through the shop as if you were a criminal. Entering a shop, you need to take off clothes from your child, and put them on again when you are leaving. If she/he falls asleep in the pram, you are walking in circles trying not to wake her/him.
While you’re getting your apartment ready and preparing the food your baby can get grouchy, colicky, and she/he needs more attention, but you are trying to provide the best and the most beautiful Christmas, which is maybe the first one in her/his life.
Let’s see our child, not as a barrier, but as a blessing in this season as well. If you can slow down a bit in the chaos, you can realize that babywearing can help you survive December.
After my daughter was born I sat at home every day for weeks, waiting for someone to come home, and help me carry the pram down the stairs to have a walk, because I couldn’t lift it on my own. I had hard feelings about needing help to arrange anything. Then I found a wrap, and the world opened up for me. I didn’t have to organize and make extra plans for everything. I didn’t have to carry anything heavier than my baby. I could go everywhere. With a wrap you don’t have to wait for anyone to rescue you, you can go to the post office for your parcel, go to the groceries or the farmers market on you own.
On the Holiday Season we have to finish our everyday tasks just the same, whether it be getting from A to B, doing the groceries, fulfilling an appointment at the doctor’s, having a walk with a bigger sibling, or a quick vacuuming. Your baby can calm down in a wrap, because she/he can be with you continuously, can be a part of everything. She/he can have a rest while you check the boxes on your to-do list, because now you have two free hands to use! Not mentioning the fact that you are not just doing the everyday tasks now, but getting ready for the Holidays. Someone purchases the gifts, another one cleans the windows, and another meets with friends on the special days of December while wearing her/his baby. Don’t freak out, just prepare for the Holidays!
For caregivers in this stage of life a massage, a yoga class or jogging could be truly refreshing, but hands up who have the time for these more than once a week! But the good news is that babywearing itself is a great stress relief, too! Think about it: your baby’s tiny body rests close to yours, evenly breathing, while you can smell that inimitable baby-scent which makes your heart lighter than any Christmas spice mix can. You are calmer now, aren’t you?
Even in November all the shop windows and shelves are full, everything is shining, colourful and noisy. We are overloaded with information, and it can become stressful within half an hour, even for adults. For babies it’s as tiring as it is for you, spending hours in a shopping mall to get all the presents, or traveling several kilometers to get all the groceries. Fortunately, with a wrap you can ease this stress, since your baby can decide when she/he wants to hide in your embrace from the outer stimulations.
When you are preparing for a car ride, and start to heat the car, another layer of warm fabric can be useful to keep those tiny hands warm. When the car is warm enough, you can just take the wrap off your baby, and the journey can continue peacefully.
You can even cover older siblings with a long woven wrap, if their legs are freezing. Just because you don’t carry them in it, it doesn’t mean they can’t benefit from it!
The wrap is a gorgeous accessory as a scarf or stole if you feel cold. Did you know that you can make a skirt out of a ring sling? You don’t have to buy a new robe for the Christmas ceremony, dinner, or family events. The wrap can do well not just in your everyday life, but among festive accessories. Pretty, elegant, comfortable, and during wearing your baby you don’t have to give up being good-looking. Try new finishes to your habitual wrap-ways, or learn a new wrap-way! Believe me, lots of people will be surprised how pretty babywearing can be!
If you haven’t got your pre-baby figure back yet, a woven wrap can hide the extra kilos – in a nice black colour for example!
Whether it be the preparations or Christmas Eve, don’t forget the meaning of this festive occasion! Enjoy your time together! Bake together, have a nice walk in the decorated streets, enjoy each other!
Use your wrap, and show your relatives that wearing your baby is such a pleasure! Let the aunties, uncles, grandparents and cousins be part of this experience and believe that the biggest Christmas miracle is giving your love to somebody. They will be touched if you let them try this perfect experience!
Don’t forget to choose an easy-care wrap while cooking or cleaning to be sure that washing and drying it will not be a problem! (This is why we stick with 100% cotton fabric.)
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