Have you heard that this year’s Malaysia Day will be held in Malacca? And they are expecting 20,000 visitors to attend the celebration too!
That sounds like a lot of fun, but since I have a baby who is just starting to crawl, I don’t think it’s a good idea to bring her to such a densely packed public event. Furthermore, bringing a baby out will be challenging as I will have to deal with nap time, hot or rainy weather, a cranky baby situation, and crowded space with so many people from all over.
However, the historic day should be celebrated, and I don’t want to miss that! I was looking for activities that I can do with my little sunshine whilst in the comforts of my own home because I still want to be able to enjoy myself while caring for the baby. And lucky for me, I discovered some creative and enjoyable ways to celebrate Malaysia Day in a baby-friendly manner. I am incredibly excited to plan and carry out these activities on that day!
After all, staying at home during the Malaysia Day holiday does not have to be boring. If you have a baby and want to plan an event at home, you’ve come to the right place!
Keep reading to discover the five ideas I’ve discovered for celebrating the national holiday with your cutie pie:
Prepare a Special Breakfast for Malaysia Day
You can make a variety of delicious Malaysian dishes at home to commemorate the joyous Malaysia Day. I already have the idea to prepare a Nasi Lemak dish with the colours of the Malaysian flag; I want to make blue and white coconut rice with red anchovy sambal and yellow omelette. Then, I’ll plate them on a banana leaf for the added scrumptious aroma! Oh my, I can’t wait to try and see how this dish turns out!
Of course, that meal is only for my spouse and me. Since my baby has started solids, I wanted to make her a special Malaysian-themed colour breakfast meal too. I plan to prepare plain barley or oat porridge for her and top it with bite-sized raspberries or strawberries, mangoes, and blueberries. I’m sure my baby will enjoy her meal because she adores fruits!
You can also experiment with different recipes to find that special dish to serve your small family on Malaysia Day. 😉
Plan an Indoor or Outdoor Picnic
Picnics are a great way to spend time with family while having fun and eating good food. I know I don’t want to bring my baby out in crowded places, but having a picnic at home can be just as enjoyable. It would also be my baby’s first picnic with us.
So, here is my plan:
If we were having an indoor picnic, I would simply set up the food at the dining table or under the porch as if we were having a picnic in the park. If the weather permits, it will be wonderful to enjoy some sunshine and have a picnic in the garden. It would also be fun to invite some close friends or family members over to enjoy the day together.
Get Messy and Crafty
Who says that a baby can’t create art? I’ve observed many people enjoying paint projects with their infants as a creative activity. They would create handprints or footprints of their babies. Parents would do so by dipping the baby’s hands or feet in paint and then stamping them on paper.
Touching and playing with the paints will be fun for the baby as well. Just remember to keep an eye out to ensure it won’t accidentally go into your little one’s mouth.
Once the artwork is finished, you may add your baby’s name, the date, and ‘Malaysia Day’ for rememberance, before framing the sweet memory.
Other than painting, you can engage your baby with DIY sensory play activities. Let the baby experiment with different textures, colours, homemade plasticine, squeezing DIY jellies, and even different sounds. There are all sorts of sensory activity ideas available for babies. I found hundreds just on Pinterest! So, go ahead and pick your favourites for your baby.
Play Cute Dress-Up
Babies are simply adorable when dressed up for any occasion—this is a fact. And you can surely do the same thing for Malaysia Day.
I always see baby dresses or rompers with Malaysian flag themes sold for National Day, and I believe they would be ideal for Malaysia Day as well. Maybe get a few outfits for your baby to wear like a real photoshoot!
Just thinking of the tiny ones all decked out in our Jalur Gemilang colours is making me squeal in excitement towards their adorableness!
It will add even more excitement if you can create a Malaysia Day-themed background while taking your baby’s photos as well. Don’t forget to get Malaysian flags to use as props in your baby’s dress-up photoshoot to commemorate the historic day, mummies!
Host a Kiddies’ Malaysia Day Parade
A parade is a lot of fun to watch. So, invite some friends and families with children to enjoy each other’s company and celebrate the day together.
You can organise a parade in which the children wear traditional attire and walk around the front porch or living area. Make sure to plan ahead of time and have the kids participate in some rehearsals so they can look forward to the big day.
This is also a good idea for a small community of neighbours who can plan a parade within their neighbourhood. They could arrange for the children to parade down the street in front of the houses or at the park, if one is available.
Following that, they can plan other Malaysia Day activities that they can do together. Malaysia Day is all about celebrating togetherness, so having the opportunity to do so as a close-knit community is fantastic.
Bonus point: You won’t be overly worried about bringing your baby either because it’s a small gathering. 😉
Capture and Treasure Baby’s First Malaysia Day
I’m overjoyed that this year will be my baby’s first Malaysia Day, and whatever activities I plan to do with her, I’ll make sure to take plenty of photos to document the occasion.
I’m thinking about making an album just for this event so that when my baby gets older, she can see what her first Malaysia Day was like. You can do the same to keep the memories alive.
To be honest, cherishing those memories and moments with your baby is something you should do on a daily, weekly or monthly basis, and not just on special occasions.
Above all, it is about the memories you will create with your child. So, relax; stop worrying and just enjoy all of your baby’s firsts without worrying about being perfect.
Remember to enjoy every milestone and first celebration your child has, mummies!
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