How To Navigate New Year’s Eve With Kids
Any parent knows that most holidays are completely transformed when you have children. Road trips have to be planned carefully, traditions may have to be altered, new activities will need to be created, etc. And New Year’s Eve with kids can be particularly tricky, because a large part of the holiday tends to revolve around staying up until midnight… A task that is difficult with kids!
And that raises the question, should kids even stay up until midnight? Sure, it’s a special occasion but some parents worry that the aftereffects aren’t worth it. Plus, it can be difficult to keep kids happy and entertained that far past their bedtime.
So, if you’re in doubt like many other parents around this time of year, don’t worry! This article is all about how to handle New Year’s Eve with kids.
Should you let your kids stay up until midnight on New Year’s Eve?
Let’s tackle the elephant in the room first… Is it ok to let your kids stay up until midnight for a special occasion like New Year’s Eve?
The answer is yes! Health-wise, it’s usually alright to allow your child to ring in the new year. The only exceptions to this would be if they have health conditions that make getting consistent sleep really important, if they’ve been sleep deprived recently for an unrelated reason, etc.
(As an example, some children who have epilepsy are triggered by a lack of sleep and could have an increased amount of seizures if they stay up past their bedtime.)
At the end of the day though, you know your child and their health/sleep needs. So if you think a night of interrupted sleep won’t be particularly harmful to them, then you shouldn’t be deterred by their age. Unless they’re extremely young (babies or toddlers).
What are some tips for celebrating New Year’s Eve with kids?
If you do decide that you want to let your kids stay up until midnight, here are some tips to make the process go as smoothly as possible…
Tip #1 – Try To Schedule Some Extra Sleep For The Kids Before The Festivities
The younger the child, the more sleep they’ll need before and after New Year’s Eve to cut down on side effects of staying up late. But the good news is, there’s plenty of ways to achieve this!
Firstly, you could get them to bed a little bit earlier the night prior. And secondly, you could schedule a nap for the afternoon or evening of New Year’s Eve to give them a nice energy boost for the night.
Even if the kids are too excited to sleep much, some down time could still help give them
(and you) a bit of a rest before the fun gets started.
Tip #2 – Plan The Activities Around Energy Levels
As the night progresses and the kiddos get sleepier, there’s a chance that they’ll get grumpier as well. Which means that certain activities could become more hectic than fun.
So it might be best to plan games and activities that require more energy for earlier in the night; board games, crafts, etc. And then plan more chill, laid back activities for closer to midnight. Watching movies or even watching the New Year’s Eve countdown are examples of that.
My kids and I tend to play games, then eat a snack, after that we write down our resolutions, and then we settle in to watch some movies until it’s time to watch the ball drop.
Tip #3 – Include Physical Activities Where You Can
Not only will physical activities keep everyone feeling awake and alert in the moment, but they’re also among some of the most fun things to do during your New Year’s Eve with kids.
Think dance parties, hide and seek, etc. Anything that gets the family moving, and the blood pumping will do the trick.
Some people even like to take a walk outside if they start to feel sleepy, although this is situational. For instance, my family lives in a rural area that has a lot of wild animals roaming at night. So that doesn’t always work out for us.
Tip #4 – Don’t Force It!
Kids have a way of letting you know what they need. So even if you’ve planned a night full of fun, there’s always the chance that your little one will nod off on their own! If this happens, it’s probably best to just let them rest.
When my kids were little, my youngest fell asleep around 10 PM on two New Year’s Eves in a row. And although I would wake her up just to see the ball drop, I let her nap while I watched movies with my oldest.
Eventually she, of course, stayed up the whole time! But that didn’t happen until she was around ten.
Tip #5 – Don’t Use Sugar As A Way To Help Your Kids Stay Up
This tip sort of goes along with the last one, but I think it’s worth mentioning on its own. Because giving your children too many sugary treats or drinks on New Year’s Eve could ruin things for everyone.
- It could cause your little one to have a sugar crash and become really cranky.
- If they consume the sugar too late in the evening then it could keep them awake until long past midnight!
- And it just isn’t very healthy.
So, although my kids and I do snack halfway through the night, we choose sugarless options. And it still give us a small boost of energy, just not too much of one.
What should you expect on New Year’s Day if you let your child stay up until midnight?
And now, it’s time to talk about the day after! Namely, what you can expect from your kiddos if they stayed up until midnight the night before.
- They might be cranky.
- They might be very sleepy.
- And they might not be able to focus on their daily tasks.
Which is pretty much what you probably expected to hear. But here are a few tips for how to navigate the next day as smoothly as possible…
#1 – Consider allowing your child to sleep in a bit on New Year’s Day. And/or, depending on the age, consider scheduling some nap time the next day as well. Especially if your child seems to need it.
Just try to keep them awake during the evening hours, so that their bedtime won’t be interrupted again. Because the goal should be to get them back to their regular sleep schedule as quickly as possible.
So, in other words, only schedule extra sleep for your child if it’s necessary. And make sure it isn’t so much that they won’t be able to fall asleep when bedtime rolls around.
#2 – Keep the day as relaxed as you can, and avoid activities that your sleepy kiddo might struggle with. This will cut down on crankiness and help you out as well.
If there are things you have to do, then that’s completely fine. But just be mindful of how your children might react to certain environments and activities after a lack of sleep.
#3 – Be patient with your kids and yourself! The day after spending New Year’s Eve with kids might come with a few additional challenges, but try to remember that it’s only temporary. Whereas the memories you made with your children the night before will last a lifetime.
So try to remind yourself of all the reasons why this temporary shift was worth it, and stay patient throughout the next day. Because chances are, most things will be back to normal come January 2.
Final Thoughts
I’d just like to say thank you for reading this article, and I hope that you found some value in it! New Year’s Eve is one of my favorite holidays to spend with my kids, and the days where they’re young just go by so fast…
So if you have young kiddos at home, I encourage you to cherish these special moments. Even if it results in some crankiness later!
