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New Year's Eve
Ask any mom and she'll tell you: New Year’s Eve isn’t quite the same once you’ve given birth. Whether it’s finding family-friendly ways to celebrate that will also work around your kids’ sleep schedules or finding someone (anyone!) to babysit on this highly celebrated night, it takes planning and forethought -- not to mention a lot less Champagne. We asked parents how they handle New Year’s Eve post-baby, and here's what they said:
"Fondue dinner and a movie followed by a concerted effort to stay up until midnight!" -- Claire
"Every year we get together with our friends who also have kids and prepare a messy but yummy potluck dinner -- everyone prepares a dish. Afterwards we play board games and then are in bed by 12:05!" -- Kelly
"Our town has a kids-oriented First Night, complete with a circus, face painting and lots of fun activities. It's a blast and we feel like we can still partake in a celebration even if our hard partying days are over." -- Mark
"As far as I'm concerned, our twins give us a great excuse to stay in and be cozy away from all the chaos and hubbub." -- Brenda
“We just made a point to have the party at our house each year so we can put our kids to bed and save on babysitters. Ends up being families with kids, and we all have a blast paying Guitar Hero and karaoke.” -- Jeffrey
“For the first few years (as in, five), it became just another night and I went to bed like normal because when he was a baby, he didn't understand midnight celebrations. Until a couple of years ago, he insisted on ...waking up at 6:00 a.m. Now that he's older, he stays up for it, and we play games and watch movies.” -- Allyson
“I throw my kids a pj party with a junk food dinner. They love it.” -- FantasticMomma
“We would stay home and watch the ball drop instead of going out. Now that the kids are a little older, we go to a family party every year.” -- Michele
“We celebrate with the kids, but the truth is, since having them we can barely make it until midnight anyway.” -- Amy
“New Year's with the kids is double the fun. Bang some pots and pans and they call it a blast -- it's so easy!” -- Bari
