Baby's First Holiday Season

If you come from differing faiths, the holidays may be extremely complicated; however, if you and your spouse were able to transcend your faiths and commit to spending your lives together, you can also find a way to compromise during the holidays. Consider celebrating both holidays—buy a Christmas tree and light a menorah, sing Christmas carols and play Dreidl. As your child grows, you can explain to him the differences between your faiths and how your family will handle the holidays—but for this first year, your baby will just be happy to share in the festivities and be close to you and your spouse. (Click here for more tips on balancing more than one holiday.)

There are many fun secular family traditions you can begin even now with your baby. Taking a yearly family photo, making annual footprints and handprints, or starting a holiday journal or scrapbook are all ways to introduce tradition and ritual to your baby. A record of your family's evolution—and her growth—will be a precious gift she'll enjoy for years to come.

If you are planning to share gifts with your older baby, consider wrapping her packages with extra paper and let her have fun ripping it off. The colorful paper is a wonderful tactile experience. Help her safely play with the wrapping and keep a careful watch in case she should try to eat the paper.