Making Sure Your Family Thrives at Christmas – Top Tips from WellChild Parent Carers

While the festive season is an exciting time, it can also lead to mounting pressure and stress. For families caring for children with complex medical needs, the holidays present all kinds of additional challenges. It can be difficult to fulfil expectations and make this time magical for the whole family while still managing all of your child’s medicine and personal care.

Members of the WellChild Family Tree have shared their insight about the challenges they face during the festive season. Take a look at some of their fabulous top tips for helping your family thrive in the run up to and on the big day!

Tip 1: Maintaining Routine

While for some all routine goes out of the window on Christmas Day, for others it remains vital for managing their child’s care. This may mean that a big Christmas dinner or people popping over at random times simply can’t work. Absence of structure may also be upsetting for children who rely on it for staying calm and regulated.

Rather than trying to change your routine to fit in with Christmas, it may be better to modify Christmas traditions to make them right for your family. Maybe this means opting for a smaller, more intimate Christmas day or having a relaxed, less traditional meal. It all depends on your family and needs.

Tip 2: Informing Relatives

Sending out Christmas cards can be an easy and private way to share your plans with relatives. This may involve informing them that you will not be able to attend their house on Christmas Day, and instead arranging a time for them to drop by yours or explaining the adjustments that your child needs while you are visiting.

Some relatives may find it difficult to accept that Christmas traditions will be different. But trust yourself! You know your children’s needs better than anyone else and your decision is the right one.

Tip 3: Limit Activities

It can be tempting and there may be pressure to say yes to everything around Christmas. Unfortunately, this isn’t always practical. You may need to pick and choose the Christmas events or activities that are most important to you and your child. This will enable your child to enjoy the Christmas festivities rather than feeling overwhelmed and exhausted.

If you aren’t sure about inclusive activities to do over the Christmas period, our In Your Area Hub can help you find accessible activities and services in your local area. Some activities that may be fun and accessible for your family include:

• Relaxed Pantomimes
• Sensory Friendly Santa’s Grottos
• Accessible Christmas Markets.

Tip 4: Helping Friends and Family Find An Appropriate Present For Your Child

Getting an appropriate present for your child can be a struggle. If you need some inspiration, this article, by a parent carer mum, contains a list of suggestions for presents for children with complex needs. These ideas may be ideal for your child or may spark some new ideas of ways you could adapt things that your child loves to make them appropriate.

You may also find it helpful to ask friends and relatives for experiences, such as a trip to the zoo. This is great for both making memories and steering people away from buying inappropriate gifts.

Tip 5: Getting Medication Early

GP practices and pharmacies will have different opening hours over Christmas and New Year, so it’s important to plan in advance. The NHS recommends ordering medication 14 days in advance over the Christmas period. If you are concerned about not having enough medication to cover Christmas, contact your GP surgery or local pharmacy to make arrangements.

Click here to order your medication from the NHS.

Looking After Your Wellbeing As A Parent

It’s all too easy to forget about yourself when you are focusing on balancing the all the holiday season pressures with meeting your child’s needs. Don’t forget to take care of your own wellbeing too! Here are a couple of top tips to make sure YOU thrive this winter:

Be Realistic

Know your limits and avoid perfection. At the end of the day, the most important thing is making sure your child is happy and their needs are met, even if the day goes a little differently to how you may have imagined.

Take Some Time For Yourself

As a parent carer, extra time can be rarer than gold dust. This makes it difficult to set aside time for yourself. However, if possible, try to create a little bit of ‘me’ time. This could mean taking a few moments to step away and breathe, making time for an activity you love, or stocking up on the snacks for some downtime at the end of the day. Take a look at our Wellbeing Activity Videos article to get some ideas of quick activities you can do to help replenish your mental health.

Most Importantly: Remember That You (And Your Christmas Efforts) Are Good Enough!

If you have any comments, ideas, or suggestions about this article don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at [email protected].

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