If you ask a child about his or her favorite month of the year? You almost invariably get the same answer: "December!" And then when you ask why? "Presents, St. Nicholas, Christmas, fireworks, coziness and good food. Lots and lots of good food: Peppernuts, speculaas, candies, chocolate letters and doughnuts!" So is carefree enjoyment still there, for you as a parent?

December is also a fun month, of course, but all those fun days full of sweets and treats also produce quite a bit of stress with accompanying angry moods, sleepless nights and kids flying around your house like bouncy balls, followed by a sugar dip. 

And if you have a child who is extra sensitive to all those stimuli, as a parent you have a tough job to keep everything on track. It requires flexibility, attention and a lot of patience. Do you want to enjoy the holidays carefree and give your kids the best? We share 5 tips with you in this blog!

5 tips for carefree enjoyment during the holidays 

1. Ensure a good balance between nutrition (80%) and filling (20%)

A few gingerbread cookies, piece of chocolate letter or doughnut on occasion really can't hurt as long as your child gets the proper nutrients he or she desperately needs to develop and maintain a clear and relaxed brain.

The more sweets you ingest, the more fluctuations in your blood sugar levels. The result? Even more cravings for treats and sweets. It is therefore better to alternate with healthy alternatives for both yourself and children, and continue to cook as much healthy food as possible and use your supplements, including those for your kids, on the days between the holidays!

Extra tip: Look to see if a meal or snack contains carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats. Among other things, this ensures you are satiated longer and helps counteract fluctuations in your blood sugar.

You can read more tips for keeping your blood sugar stable here.

2. Help your child relax

Is your child very tense? Then see if you can help your child by incorporating moments of rest, relaxation and exercise. Look together with your child what he or she likes and what helps him or her. What can also help tremendously is a countdown calendar, that way your child knows exactly what is happening when and what he/she is up to. 

3. Do not expect a child who has difficulty sitting still to sit at the table for long periods of time.

Give the child the space to do something else for a while, read a book, draw, retreat to his/her room, play a game, give your child a task that allows him/her to walk for a while, etc. Also for your child, the holidays should be about carefree enjoyment.

4. Stay in conversation with your child.

How is your child feeling? Happy, angry, scared or sad? See if you can figure out together what can help your child. Possibly use a traffic light or emotion thermometer for this in which your child can indicate how he or she is feeling. A journal for children can also help.

5. Don't forget yourself!

As a parent, it is so important that you continue to feel fine and energetic. So you can enjoy yourself carefree and be there for your child and his or her stimuli. After all, there is a reason why they say on airplanes that you have to put on your own oxygen mask before you help someone else. If you don't take good care of yourself, you can't take good care of others. So schedule time for yourself, do what makes you happy, what gives you energy and put a heart in your calendar in that spot.

Additional tips

Then finally, we share some additional tips that are fine for both you as a parent, and mildly overstimulated children: 

• Make use of a diffuser with soothing essential oil such as lavender.
• Does your child have trouble with (loud) noises? Purchase headphones possibly with noise cancellation.
• Take an (evening) walk together before bedtime.
• Do a (children's) meditation together.
• Replace the busy Christmas music occasionally for soothing binaural beats.