Expert tips to find your festive calm when the season feels like “too much.”
Let’s be honest: The holidays are magical, but they are also loud, busy, and messy. The image of the glowing Christmas tree in the background while you sit on the floor, surrounded by scattered toys, feeling the weight of the season? We see you.
At our center, we manage chaos for a living. We know that behind every picture-perfect holiday card is a family trying to juggle schedules, expectations, and safety. Here are four tips—inspired by professional childcare standards—to help you simplify the chaos and enjoy the season.
1. Stick to the Routine (Loosely)
In childcare, we thrive on schedules. While the holidays disrupt normal life, maintaining a baseline routine is crucial for a child’s emotional regulation (and your sanity).
Sleep matters: Try to keep nap times and bedtimes within a 30-minute window of their normal time.
Restful states: Even if they don’t sleep, ensure there is a “restful and nonactive state” built into the day, just as we are required to do during nap times at the center. A quiet 20 minutes can reset a child’s overstimulated brain.
2. Safety First: Declutter the Danger Zones
When new toys enter the house, the “chaos” on the floor can quickly become a safety hazard. We apply strict safety rules in the classroom that you can use at home to lower your anxiety:
Watch the small parts: Be vigilant with new gifts. Any object with a diameter of less than 1-1/4 inches is considered a choking hazard and must be inaccessible to children younger than three years old.
Clear the walkways: In the hustle of hosting, it’s easy to leave cords or piles of wrapping paper on the floor. In a daycare, we ensure any “tripping hazard,” such as a cord in a walkway, is inaccessible to children. Doing a quick “safety sweep” of your living room can prevent tears and accidents.
3. Lower the Volume (Literally and Figuratively)
A childcare environment is designed to support development, which includes managing noise levels and overstimulation.
Create a “Quiet Corner”: Just as we ensure children have a daily opportunity for rest in an environment with a low noise level, you can create a small, cozy fort or corner in your home where a child can retreat if the holiday party gets too loud.
Screen time balance: We know screens are helpful when you need to wrap gifts! Just remember that professional standards suggest limiting screen time for children 18 months to four years old to one hour a day. Use it strategically when you need a break.
4. You Don’t Have to Do It All
In a licensed center, we have strict ratios because we know that one person cannot safely manage too many children or tasks at once (for example, a single caregiver can only have 4 infants).
Respect your own “ratio”: You are only one person. If you are outnumbered by tasks, guests, and children, call for backup. Ask a partner, grandparent, or friend to step in so you can step away.
Find Your Calm
This season, give yourself permission to leave the toys on the floor for a moment, take a deep breath, and focus on connection rather than perfection