Ultimate guide to your Baby’s first Thanksgiving
It's Thanksgiving and you have the most precious gift to be thankful for… this beautiful baby in your arms.
You and your baby will witness a lot of firsts, and Thanksgiving is on the top of the charts. Isn’t it? While I understand it is so much more stressful to plan a Thanksgiving meal or to visit family in the busiest season of the year, it is also very heart warming to be able to spend this day with the people you love as a new family.
Whether you are extremely excited or deep down in anxiety, this guide will help you plan your baby’s first Thanksgiving.
Plan outfit for Baby's First Thanksgiving
For my daughter we got this cutest little onesie with a turkey on top, it obviously read “My First Thanksgiving”. She wore it for Thanksgiving dinner and those are some of my most favorite pictures of her.
Whether you want to go all in and coordinate outfits for the entire family or it is just for the baby, get outfits to mark the occasion. And the fact the babies look so darn cute in their turkey outfits is definitely another reason to go for special outfits.
Get the nap in
If you are anything like me, you get crippling anxiety every time something is planned around the naptime. And given the number of times baby’s nap, there is practically no way you can plan a Thanksgiving outing without sacrificing a nap or two for your baby.
So this is what I did when I knew we would have a less than perfect nap later in the day. We double down on our efforts to give the baby a good solid nap in the morning.
If it means there will be no TV running in the morning and everybody else will have to tip-toe around the house, so be it. Getting that one good nap in the morning will help you throughout the day. Especially when you have a baby that is very sensitive to their environment.
Pack their Pack & Play
For the first three years of my baby’s life, wherever we went, our pack & play went with us.
Lunch at grandma’s house.. Get pack & play
Thanksgiving dinner with friends.. Get pack & play
A day at the beach… Get pack & play
A mini vacation… Get pack & play
An overseas vacation… Get pack & play
You get the point. This one thing ensured our baby had his exact same bed everywhere we went. And this one little thing gave us good naps and bedtimes everywhere we went.
If there is one thing we used to its limit, it was our pack & play.
It also comes in handy when you just want to relax and sip some wine and have your baby play close by.
Indulge in the Thanksgiving Meal
Obviously check with your doctor first, but if your baby is ready, I don’t see a reason why they can’t enjoy a Thanksgiving meal!
I know what you are thinking… but everything has so much salt or sugar or oil, that stuff is not healthy for the baby. I totally agree with you! However most of the Thanksgiving meal can be altered to be baby safe and healthy.
Also, please remember, food at this stage only means exploration and getting used to new flavors. All of the nutrition that a baby needs still comes from breast milk or formula.
Here are some Thanksgiving Staples that can be altered to be baby safe:
Mashed sweet potatoes
Glazed Carrots
Pumpkins
Turkey
Green Beans
Bread Rolls
Like I said, most of a baby's nutrition still comes from the milk. No need to keep them waiting for the Thanksgiving meal to be ready. Feed the baby on their schedule and when everyone sits down to eat, pull their high chair in and allow them to be a part of this lovely tradition.
Don’t forget to capture the moment
I know you are nervous about taking your baby out and about this Thanksgiving. You are worried about their nap schedule, their meal, taking them into a new environment... I was that nervous mom too. But when I look back at those pictures and see us all enjoying a day filled with so much love and gratitude, my heart feels so happy that my baby got to witness that.
So push your worries aside and just go for it!
Click lots of pictures. Make sure to get yourself in the frame too.
This is a start of a new tradition, make it a special one!
Here are some additional tips to Celebrate the Holiday Season with your baby.
