Happy Holiday Tots:Keeping Your Holidays Anxiety Free With A Toddler

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By Rachel Derry
Staff Writer LIFamilies

There is no better gratification for parents than getting to watch the wonder and excitement in their children’s eyes as they anticipate and celebrate holidays. The same can be said for parents with toddlers, except it maybe twofold. For toddlers, they do not remember many of their prior holidays that they have celebrated, so every celebration is new and exciting!

With that said, it is easy for parents to overdo their preparation and celebration in all the new joy and excitement. With toddlers, a little bit of everything goes a long way. Too many decorations, too much anticipation, and too many presents can quickly turn from a time joy to a time of tantrums and frenzies, if you aren’t careful.

When it comes to decorating for holidays with toddlers, it is very important to do so. Toddlers do not have a sense of lapsing months and seasons yet. When you decorate for each coming holiday, toddlers are able to anticipate their arrival with the rest of their family. Toddlers can even be included in decorating for each holiday, starting new family traditions.

Toddlers enjoy participating and spending quality time more than anything else. Spend a little down time with your family participating in simple holiday activities. Create turkey hand wall hangings or holiday ornaments out of clay/play dough. The trick is to relax and anticipate together.

On the subject of relaxation, it’s also easy to forget how sensitive toddlers are to stress and anxiety. The holidays are stressful for parents as they try to make them perfect and memorable. Instead of stressing over the details, relax and take your time. When you are relaxed and enjoying yourself, so is your toddler.

Another tip for bringing your stress level down, and your toddler’s, is to remember that less is more when it comes to toddlers. You want to make their holidays perfect, but when it comes to presents, more than just a few can become overwhelming. Toddlers love gifts; opening them and playing with them instantly. If a toddler has too many presents to focus on they can cause anxiety for your little one; not sure where to start, not wanting to move on to the next present, and not knowing what to do next. A select few new presents allows a toddler to open and play, and for you to save some money.

Too much of a good thing also goes for decorations. If you are an early decorator it can become an anxious time for toddlers. Once toddlers associate decorations with an exciting day, they want the day to appear. When decorations are put up too early toddlers become over anxious waiting for the holiday to arrive (again, lacking a proper sense of passing time). Decorate for holidays just a couple weeks ahead of time, if possible, to keep everyone’s anticipation level anxiety free.

Long Island Family Life & Parenting Articles > Happy Holiday Tots:Keeping Your Holidays Anxiety Free With A Toddler