Christmas is sorted and so I’m now turning my attention to New Year celebrations. Pre-kids I’ve enjoyed New Year at various Hogmanay celebrations around Scotland, but since children we’ve only ever stayed at home. My kids don’t do well at staying up late, no matter what time they go to bed they’ll ALWAYS wake up at the same time (and that is EARLY!).
New Year with kids has been just another night for us, the kids go to bed at the usual time and we are lucky if we are up long enough to see the New Year in! But I would love to change this and make the New Year more of a family celebration. I’ve asked a few other bloggers about what they do on New Year’s to hopefully find a bit of inspiration.
Many people are the same as us and tend to stay home with the kids in bed. New year’s Eve is Becca’s wedding anniversary. and they haven’t been out to celebrate since having their twins. Instead they usually get a take away and watch the fireworks on BBC1 and pray the twins don’t wake up whilst they’re eating. Both Cat and Victoria from Theo Plus Grace and Travel Vixta will tuck the kids in bed and attempt to stay up to midnight, but usually they get too tired and go to bed before midnight. But some other bloggers do manage to celebrate with their family, maybe these ideas might help you too?
Laura and Jo both attend friends parties with the kids to ring in the New Year, whilst Emma attends a special children’s New Year’s party at a local hotel. The hotel party is held from 11am-2pm with kids buffet, disco, entertainer and a countdown to midday. Perfect for their three year old and it means they can be asleep at the real midnight (or soon after)!
For those staying in, but encouraging their children to stay awake until midnight, what about Kelly’s evening where they play hide and seek in the dark, then talk about their wishes for the following year? Or like Jess you could let the kids pick out party clothes, have a party buffet tea, watch films, play board games, have music on and let the kids have a fun late night. Even if they don’t stay up until midnight its a nice little family evening spent together that costs hardly anything but the kids always look forward to it! Louise has a similar tradition of a big buffet, watching films and letting the kids stay up as late as they can! If they’re still awake they watch the fireworks from her daughter’s room at the top of the house!
Clare from Freddies Mummy UK have friends and their kids round and every hour they pop a balloon with a different activity for the kids to do. Last year they did an escape room it was awesome, the children have asked to do it again this year.
A lot of places have fireworks for New Year, Raimonda lives near us and they used to watch the fireworks just outside Stirling Castle with her stepsons. She’s hoping to reintroduce this tradition with her young 3 year old and baby. We’ve been considering visiting Stirling Castle to see the fireworks too, so it may be something we do this year too!
If you want to celebrate, but don’t think your little one will make the whole night you could put your little one to bed as normal and then wake them up just before midnight to start the New Year together. Carolin from Mummy Alarm does this, then they go outside to ejoy the fireworks after a toast of Prosecco.
I love all the ideas above, if we were to stay at home then I think popping the balloons once an hour with a different activity inside would be a brilliant idea. If not we may just head out to see the fireworks at Stirling Castle in the car, if the kids can stay up long enough!
Leave a Reply