The holiday season is drawing near! Many nursing families will be facing new experiences as these special days approach. Perhaps you’ll be visiting family, traveling, eating new foods, and seeing new things. It can all be exciting, but perhaps unnerving if this is the first holiday with a baby. In this article, we’ve compiled lots of tips and resources on ways to enjoy a peaceful winter celebration with your baby.
For support in coping with criticism, travel, stress, and all things holidays affecting your personal human milk feeding experience, please reach out to a volunteer La Leche League USA Leader near you. You can locate your local Leader or Group, as well as virtual meetings online, here.
Traveling for the Holidays
Looking for tips on soothing your baby during a train, plane, or automobile trip? Leslie’s story about nursing while traveling may be a great read ahead of time.
“Nursing is the ultimate secret weapon when traveling with little ones. Nursing has provided flexibility, comfort to my children, opportunities for meeting mothers around the world, and the simplicity of enjoying a beautiful place with my baby at my breast. The dyad and now triad relationship I have with my nurslings has empowered me to feel confident and comfortable taking my children to new places. It has also seemed to provide comfort to my children and supported their curiosity and independence in trying new things.” You can read more of her story here.
Another past article from New Beginnings offered a helpful list of DOs and DON’Ts for traveling with your nursling.
“DO allow plenty of time to get out the door (last minute emergency feedings and diaper changes). DO pack plenty of snacks and drinks for yourself and your toddler. DO pack new things for your baby to look at, or be creative with instant baby “toys” for amusement along the way. DO have a sense of humor. DO keep your routine somewhat intact and be flexible enough to have fun. DO remember your baby’s birth certificate if flying with a lap child under two years old. DO nurse your baby during takeoff and landing. It will help her ears adjust to the in-flight pressure changes (and will help baby nap, if you’re lucky). DON’T forget a sling or hands free baby carrier. DON’T panic! You comfort your baby better than anyone else. Even if it takes a few minutes, calmly keep trying. DON’T let the opinions of fellow travelers dilute the confidence that you know what is best for your baby. DON’T throw the routine out the window. Your young traveler will be happier if she knows what to expect, is rested, and is well fed.” More great travel tips for younger babies and beyond here.
Are you traveling with frozen milk? Wondering about milk storage guidelines and tips for TSA? This resource may help.
Continuing Nursing Through The Holidays
Sometimes having the normal routine disrupted can result in a missed nursing session. There are many reasons to prioritize continuing nursing through the holidays, like connection, keeping milk supply up, and fighting off potential germs.
“It is nice to have an excuse to step back from the busyness of gatherings and have a moment together to nurse – whether I’m the one who needs a moment of quiet, or the baby is. Nursing and cosleeping help mitigate the disruption to bedtime routines that comes with the season. When so much else is different, nursing provides some stability for our little ones and keeps all of us in a better mood. So I guess my tip is: if you’re thinking of weaning, consider doing it after the holidays!” Learn more about staying connected and the benefits of holiday nursing here.
Taking breaks to nurse can be helpful for both you and your baby. Missing nursing sessions can also lead to clogged ducts and potential breast infection (mastitis).
“Do what works for you and your baby! I needed to be more deliberate about making a quiet time and space for nursing since the baby would get more distracted, and mastitis was a real risk for me. If you have family that hasn’t been there or has forgotten, they may be a little flustered by how much time you and baby need for nursing. Parent confidently! You know what you and baby need.” More tips from that article here.
Holiday Foods
Depending on your child’s age, they may or may not be tasting some new holiday favorite foods. If they are, check out these recipe ideas.
On the other hand, perhaps your little one isn’t ready to start solids yet. Maybe you are wondering how to respond to family members who want to offer your baby some turkey or pumpkin pie. We’ve got tips for that, too! “Michelle spent much of that holiday calmly explaining several times that Beatrice was still receiving all of the nutrition she needed even without solid foods in her diet and that Michelle was watching for behavior that would indicate when Beatrice was ready to experiment with solids. Michelle is not the only parent to be questioned about her parenting decisions, and family gatherings over the holidays often seem a prime time to raise those questions by (usually) well-meaning family members.” You can learn more about signs of readiness for starting solids and handling criticism about when your baby will start solids here.
Whatever your holidays look like, we hope these tips are useful and you feel empowered to enjoy this season with your loved ones. You may even find new family traditions as you include your children in the festivities!
Editor’s note: Did you enjoy this article? We are hoping to include more Resource Roundup content to the blog in the future, compiling tips from our Facebook page, excerpts from LLL books, and connections to related stories from New Beginnings past. If you have a topic you’d like to see covered during this series, please let us know.
Share your stories with Kylie at [email protected]
Supporting Breastfeeding Families–Today, Tomorrow, Always
Please consider donating to La Leche League USA.
Your gift helps support this blog and the website!
Donations of any amount are gratefully accepted. Thank you!
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Posted: December 17, 2024 by Yael Breimer
Holiday Nursing Tips: Resource Roundup
The holiday season is drawing near! Many nursing families will be facing new experiences as these special days approach. Perhaps you’ll be visiting family, traveling, eating new foods, and seeing new things. It can all be exciting, but perhaps unnerving if this is the first holiday with a baby. In this article, we’ve compiled lots of tips and resources on ways to enjoy a peaceful winter celebration with your baby.
For support in coping with criticism, travel, stress, and all things holidays affecting your personal human milk feeding experience, please reach out to a volunteer La Leche League USA Leader near you. You can locate your local Leader or Group, as well as virtual meetings online, here.
Looking for tips on soothing your baby during a train, plane, or automobile trip? Leslie’s story about nursing while traveling may be a great read ahead of time.
“Nursing is the ultimate secret weapon when traveling with little ones. Nursing has provided flexibility, comfort to my children, opportunities for meeting mothers around the world, and the simplicity of enjoying a beautiful place with my baby at my breast. The dyad and now triad relationship I have with my nurslings has empowered me to feel confident and comfortable taking my children to new places. It has also seemed to provide comfort to my children and supported their curiosity and independence in trying new things.” You can read more of her story here.
Another past article from New Beginnings offered a helpful list of DOs and DON’Ts for traveling with your nursling.
“DO allow plenty of time to get out the door (last minute emergency feedings and diaper changes). DO pack plenty of snacks and drinks for yourself and your toddler. DO pack new things for your baby to look at, or be creative with instant baby “toys” for amusement along the way. DO have a sense of humor. DO keep your routine somewhat intact and be flexible enough to have fun. DO remember your baby’s birth certificate if flying with a lap child under two years old. DO nurse your baby during takeoff and landing. It will help her ears adjust to the in-flight pressure changes (and will help baby nap, if you’re lucky). DON’T forget a sling or hands free baby carrier. DON’T panic! You comfort your baby better than anyone else. Even if it takes a few minutes, calmly keep trying. DON’T let the opinions of fellow travelers dilute the confidence that you know what is best for your baby. DON’T throw the routine out the window. Your young traveler will be happier if she knows what to expect, is rested, and is well fed.” More great travel tips for younger babies and beyond here.
Are you traveling with frozen milk? Wondering about milk storage guidelines and tips for TSA? This resource may help.
Continuing Nursing Through The Holidays
Sometimes having the normal routine disrupted can result in a missed nursing session. There are many reasons to prioritize continuing nursing through the holidays, like connection, keeping milk supply up, and fighting off potential germs.
“It is nice to have an excuse to step back from the busyness of gatherings and have a moment together to nurse – whether I’m the one who needs a moment of quiet, or the baby is. Nursing and cosleeping help mitigate the disruption to bedtime routines that comes with the season. When so much else is different, nursing provides some stability for our little ones and keeps all of us in a better mood. So I guess my tip is: if you’re thinking of weaning, consider doing it after the holidays!” Learn more about staying connected and the benefits of holiday nursing here.
Taking breaks to nurse can be helpful for both you and your baby. Missing nursing sessions can also lead to clogged ducts and potential breast infection (mastitis).
“Do what works for you and your baby! I needed to be more deliberate about making a quiet time and space for nursing since the baby would get more distracted, and mastitis was a real risk for me. If you have family that hasn’t been there or has forgotten, they may be a little flustered by how much time you and baby need for nursing. Parent confidently! You know what you and baby need.” More tips from that article here.
Depending on your child’s age, they may or may not be tasting some new holiday favorite foods. If they are, check out these recipe ideas.
On the other hand, perhaps your little one isn’t ready to start solids yet. Maybe you are wondering how to respond to family members who want to offer your baby some turkey or pumpkin pie. We’ve got tips for that, too! “Michelle spent much of that holiday calmly explaining several times that Beatrice was still receiving all of the nutrition she needed even without solid foods in her diet and that Michelle was watching for behavior that would indicate when Beatrice was ready to experiment with solids. Michelle is not the only parent to be questioned about her parenting decisions, and family gatherings over the holidays often seem a prime time to raise those questions by (usually) well-meaning family members.” You can learn more about signs of readiness for starting solids and handling criticism about when your baby will start solids here.
Whatever your holidays look like, we hope these tips are useful and you feel empowered to enjoy this season with your loved ones. You may even find new family traditions as you include your children in the festivities!
Editor’s note: Did you enjoy this article? We are hoping to include more Resource Roundup content to the blog in the future, compiling tips from our Facebook page, excerpts from LLL books, and connections to related stories from New Beginnings past. If you have a topic you’d like to see covered during this series, please let us know.
Share your stories with Kylie at [email protected]
Supporting Breastfeeding Families–Today, Tomorrow, Always
Please consider donating to La Leche League USA.
Your gift helps support this blog and the website!
Donations of any amount are gratefully accepted. Thank you!
Follow us on:
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