Survive Baby's First 4th of July
The 4th of July used to mean loud, late night parties, fireworks and strong drinks. This year I expect that July 4th will be a bit more subdued.
Last year my little patriot kicked me from the inside out everytime a firework went off--I'm hoping this year she'll enjoy it a bit more.
Here are my first-time-mom tips on how to survive Baby's First 4th of July. You still might need that strong drink!
NAPS! I know there's no way that Cadence will sleep through the celebration and fireworks so I'll be sure to nap her during the day more than usual. I'm sure some moms are shaking their heads right now going, yeah, right how do you force an unscheduled nap on a child? I have a secret weapon! It's the car. On this day it'll be well worth the price of gas to lull my girl to sleep for an extra 2 hours during the day so we can have a few hours of happy 4th baby instead of screaming maniac 4th baby.
Distractions: I've discovered that much of successful parenting includes the great art of distraction. Usually my distractions are something bright or noisy but on a day full of stimulation and noise having a quiet place to go to could be the best bet. We're having 4th of July at our house so likely we'll retreat to Cadence's bedroom for some quiet time--but even if you're out 20 minutes in the car with mellow music, or away from the crowd could be enough to decompress.
Go with the flow: From my last post Beach Baby, Beach Baby, Give my Your Plan
I learned from the wise moms on CafeMom to just relax and go with the flow. This is exactly what I intend to do next week. So she won't sleep at her regular time. So she'll likely be covered in dirt before the sun even goes down. So the neighbor's dog will lick her dirt-covered baby face. As long as I keep her from the fireworks, and she's not crying all day then this 4th will be counted as a success!
So wise mothers of CafeMom, what do you have planned for your kid-friendly 4th?
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- by Member on Jun. 27, 2012 at 8:53 AM
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This will be my baby's 1st 4th. We are going to my mom's house.
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- by Gold Member on Jun. 27, 2012 at 9:14 AM
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I didn't take the babies to fireworks- too noisy.
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- by on Jun. 27, 2012 at 9:31 AM
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great ideas. we still try to schedule naps and ways to distract from the festivities in our day because we always do a lot and dont want to run the kids - or us - down....
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- by Michelle on Jun. 27, 2012 at 9:47 AM
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If my dd is with us we are going to the cottage. She'll play in the river all day and we'll have a pit fire, do a few fireworks.
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- by Ticia on Jun. 27, 2012 at 9:48 AM
- We're having a cookout at our house and then watching the fireworks here. We live up on a hill and can see all the fireworks that the neighboring towns set off. It's great!
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- by Danya on Jun. 27, 2012 at 10:21 AM
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my son was terrified for several years of fireworks. Finally at age 4, he is super excited and the noises don't bother him.
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- by Sue on Jun. 27, 2012 at 11:35 AM
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For my youngest son's 1st fourth of July, he didn't like loud noises at all. Last year he was 4 and we decided to put ear protection on him so that he could go outside with us and enjoy the fireworks. He is still sensitive to loud noises. This year we will probably do the same.
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- by Bronze Member on Jun. 27, 2012 at 12:16 PM
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my son was only 9 months for his first fourth and he stayed awake up until 10 minutes before the fireworks then slept through all of them.
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