With young children, you’ll want to find as many ways to include the entire family in preparing for and celebrating Christmas. The trick can be finding ways to include young ones in a safe and non-exasperating way!

Decorate the Tree Together
Give up your particular ways and leave the glass ornaments in storage. Buy bright, plastic or fabric ornaments and let your children help decorate the tree. You can always move the large number of low hanging ornaments up higher after little ones have gone to bed, and your tree might not win any decorating contests, but it will be the source of many memories – be sure to take pictures.

Decorate Christmas Cookies
Children closer to their preschool years can help roll and cut cookies out, but older babies and young toddlers can help decorate the cookies as well. Make a batch of Christmas sugar cookies. When they are cool, spread a thin layer of icing on the cookies and let your little ones enjoy playing with sprinkles, chocolate candies and other goodies as they make the cookies look creative and lovely in their own way.

Buy Gifts
Children are easily taken in by the thought of receiving gifts at Christmas time, so you should make a conscious effort from very early on to show your child how much fun it is to buy gifts for others. Young children do have trouble keeping a secret, however, so you would do well to buy the gifts immediately before the big event.

The Festival of Lights might technically be a relatively minor holiday for the Jewish faith, but it is certainly fun to celebrate as a family during the holiday season. If part of your Hanukkah tradition is giving gifts to your young children, finding eight gifts for eights days of celebration might be tricky, but then again, with a bit of help, this Hanukkah gift giving year might be easier than ever.

Day One
Wooden Toys and Puzzles – Wooden toys and particularly puzzles are a wonderful way to engage your child’s mind and have a good time simultaneously.

Day Two
A New Book – A special hard cover book or a few paperbacks to enjoy together will be a fun way to enjoy the cold weather and fireplace.

Day Three
New Clothes – Everyone gets some new clothes for holiday gifts, it’s just part of being a kid.

Day Four
Blocks – Stacking, building and playing pretend start young and as your child grows, you can add to her block collection by buying new sizes and different styles.

Day Five
Dolls and Action Figures – Again, allowing your child to use her imagination is critical to her development. Dolls, cars, trains and action figures are a great way to do just that.

Day Six
New Outdoor Items – The snow or cold weather is the perfect time for new snow boots, rain slickers, fun umbrellas, jackets, and rain boots.

Day Seven
New Movies – A few new DVDs to watch as a family make a nice, warm gift for any child.

Day Eight
The Big Present – Every child deserves something big and fun, and price isn’t necessary an issue as you can find many things on sale or buy second-hand. From swing sets to tricycles, the last night of Hanukkah is a great time to unveil your little one’s best gift.

Thanksgiving is a time for families to come together and that shouldn’t exclude your baby. Whether he is just sampling table foods or is a full-fledged finger-food eater, your child can be very much a part of the family Thanksgiving dinner if you plan ahead:

Plain Mashed Potatoes – Regular or sweet potatoes are naturals for babies eating finger foods or being spoon fed. Lumpy mashed potatoes are great for little fingers and if you mash the potatoes to a lumpy state, you can scoop some out and mash the rest to a finer quality if you like. Spoon fed babies probably prefer the finer mashed varieties. Avoid gravies for your little one as they are heavy and often contain a great deal of fat and other items your child doesn’t need.

Macaroni and Cheese – It might not be a Thanksgiving tradition (yet) around your house, but if you prepare macaroni and cheese from scratch for the table, your toddler will likely be very grateful. You would be hard-pressed to find a child or adult who didn’t love mac and cheese, even if it’s served on china plates.

Beans – When preparing your green bean casserole or a pot of lima beans, put some aside to keep them clean and unseasoned. Most children can handle and enjoy sauces and seasonings as they get older, but young toddlers and picky preschoolers would probably enjoy a variety that was closer to what they enjoy every day.

When summer heats up, the temperatures can become unbearable to both mothers and babies. Young babies are too fragile to go traipsing through triple digit temperatures and older babies would love to play outside all day, but the heat is dangerous for these little ones as well – not to mention Mom would much rather stay inside. When it gets too hot outside, it’s time to arrange fun inside.

Head to the AC
If your home is getting a bit confining, head to a place that is interesting for baby that has plenty of cool air conditioning. The mall is an excellent choice as it presents so many air conditioned options. Put baby in the stroller and walk the mall with the other mall walkers in the morning to get a bit of exercise. Or bring baby out in the afternoon to marvel at the fountain, shops and all the interesting people who walk by.

Invite Entertainment
Your home can become more exciting if there is something exciting there. Babies love other babies, so invite a friend and her child over for a playdate. It doesn’t matter if the children aren’t that close in age. Toddlers will entertain baby while playing with his toys and you can catch up with a friend.

Stick to the Water
Water is a great way to cool off, and if your baby enjoys the water, you should let him experience it as much as possible. Set up a low sprinkler or wading pool for older babies. Younger babies can play on special water mats or float with you in the pool while you swim around. Just remember sunscreen and a hat to protect that ultra-sensitive skin!

The Fourth of July is such a fun holiday for families and children, but it can also be one of the most dangerous. The many hazards of the day including open bodies of water, firecrackers, cooking grills, strangers and parents distracted by friends, neighbors and alcohol contribute to the potential hazards. That being said, this Fourth of July might very well be your most enjoyable one yet – if you play it safe.

Fireworks
Toddlers love everything about fireworks, except maybe the noise and the late hour. It’s probably worth it to keep your young one up past her normal bedtime to enjoy the big fireworks, but be very careful with fireworks at your home. Not only are firecrackers and sparklers illegal in many areas, they are unsafe for almost everyone who uses them.

Sparklers are a childhood favorite, as are bottle rockets, but toddlers are too young for either. If older children are using any sort of firecracker in your area, keep your child well away from the action and be sure the other child’s parent is actively supervising. The biggest danger of fireworks is how unpredictable they can be. Stick to the large fireworks which are much too far away to be anything but loud and beautiful.

Other Dangers
Most other Fourth of July dangers are areas you are normally vigilant in. You don’t normally let your toddler run by the swimming pool and playing by a smoking grill is a bad idea any day of the year. Don’t let down your guard at any time and help keep other children who might be influencing your child in line.

You might also consider limiting or eliminating your use of alcohol this year as you’ll need your full wits about you with so much going on. Alcohol can make a party more fun, but it can also make the situation more dangerous. Be safe and have fun!

Dressing up your baby for Halloween is a great deal of fun for parents and most babies are mostly tolerant of their parents’ glee. After all, it’s unlikely someone who can’t yet walk will have a strong opinion about being a ladybug versus a monkey. So enjoy Halloween and find exactly the costume you want – this may be the only year you get your way.

Safety

The most important consideration when finding a Halloween costume for your baby is to find one that is safe. Masks, capes, and even face paints might not be the best choice for little ones who can’t keep their hands away from their mouths. They might knock the mask askew blocking their airway or smear paint into their eyes or mouths. If your baby is closer to a toddler, be sure you keep the costume streamlined. Bulky fabrics and trailing material can trip up even the most surefooted little one.

Holidays present a unique challenge for most sets of new parents. The new baby is greatly admired by both sides of the family, and their vying for your time and attention that began as a married couple accelerates into overdrive as everyone tries to make you commit to their house for each respective holiday. If this is your first set of holidays as new parents, set the standard right away to save you headaches for years to come.

Alternating Houses

A popular method of celebrating to get all of the mandatory visits in is to alternate houses. You attend one side of the family’s celebration for Thanksgiving and the other side for Christmas. Every year you switch off, and this is as fair as possible. It does involve a lot of travel and planning in advance, but not as much as trying to hit both places both times.

Dual Houses

Another popular method of celebrating is to cram two of each holiday into the time frame. You eat Thanksgiving lunch at one house and truck over to another for Thanksgiving dinner. You spend Christmas Eve at one house and Christmas day at another. Some very brave souls hit both houses on both days.

While this might appease everyone for a little while, eventually squabbles will begin and feelings will get hurt if you don’t manage to share Christmas day with both sides or make a benign comment about too much turkey on Thanksgiving. The other downside is dragging your kids all over town on two of the most fun-filled holidays of the year. As your children get older, they will begin to enjoy Santa’s visit and Santa’s toys more. They will be hard-pressed to leave the goodies after only an hour or two. This leaves you with only one option.

Your House

You can celebrate holidays at your house. It is up for debate as to which is easier – dragging your family (and their mess) to your parent’s home or having everyone (and their mess) come to yours. Most parents eventually realize that certain parts of the holiday, such as present opening and Santa Clause should be done at home. Other family members are welcome to come over bright and early, but you are not leaving until close to lunchtime – if then.

Thanksgiving is easier to handle – perhaps alternate the holiday every year. Christmas, on the other hand, is most fun with children. And you’ve got the kids. If everyone wants to share in their joy and enthusiasm, they can simply come over to your house and revel in it.