Christmas tree with an 18 month old - worth it or not?

[IntoP20]

I so so want a Christmas tree this year but is it going to be more hassle than it’s worth with a toddler? What are your experiences? Thanks!

I have a 17 month old here and will be putting the tree up.

Theres a couple of things in the house hes not allowed to touch (the stove, the freezer with a power button on the front) and he has listened and stayed away from them so I think we'll be ok.

I'll put it up and decorate it with older ds when 17month old isnt here, so he doesnt see us touching it. (If he saw us touching it I'd have no chance of stopping him)

We've just put ours up and so far (about 4/5 days) my 16 month old has paid no interest to it whatsoever

We’re planning on having one but we’ll push our two sofas together at the corners to make a little square between them and the wall, and we’ll put the tree there, so DD can’t get at it.

@museumum

I think we might have had a smaller potted tree up on a coffee table that year. Or barricaded in a corner by the sofa and armchair, I can’t quite remember. Definitely would never not have one though (and always real).

This is exactly what we did for the first couple of years. I don’t think it would have crossed my mind to not have one at all, kids love the lights and decorations

We've always had a tree - from before having dc right through to now when they've left home. It wouldn't seem right without one.

When they were toddling, I seem to remember we put it in the playpen.

Yes absolutely, do it as much for us as them! They love the lights and sparkle. Nothing breakable on bottom branches obviously 😂

Tree up but only non-breakable baubles on the tree this year!

Your DC will love the sparkle

Thanks for all the fab replies.

I’d considered putting a smaller tree on our breakfast bar as some have suggested, but it really did just feel so miserable.

I’m going to go for it and will be ordering a 7fter from our local farm shop this weekend.

Wish me luck

As a PP said, if you have tree chocolates, don’t put them too low down, learnt that the hard way

We still put a tree up when they were little, but I did switch from a real tree to an artificial one with built-in fairy lights after DD1 was born. I figured even if the ornaments & tinsel proved to be problem, we would still have a pretty tree with lights. As it happened, neither DC tried to constantly pull bits off so we had all the usual decorations bar any glass or sentimentally precious ones.
DCs are 4yo and 6yo now and I still keep the breakables up high. They wouldn't intentionally pull them off, but have been known to brush past it and knock a few things off.

We always put a tree up never considered not doing it. Just don’t put fragile baubles on it.

We have 15 month old twins and no way am I putting up a Christmas tree this year - it’s a recipe for disaster as they don’t understand “don’t touch” at this age as it is; a tree with lights and baubles is going to be way too much temptation even if we shut it away in the playpen!!

Yes!!
One of my most endearing memories of my first baby at 19 months. I was carrying him down the stairs the morning after I'd put up the Christmas tree. The lights were on.

He was in awe, then clapping, then a huge smile and asking about the tree. He said 'mummy, how did it get so beautiful?'

I've never forgotten it.

When DS was a toddler the fibre optic trees were fashionable. We bought one of these and just plugged it in for the lit up tree without putting any baubles on it .

You could maybe buy a smaller tree and put it on a table where your toddler couldn't reach it .

Why on earth would you not put a Christmas tree up? 😮

You have a little child, this is as magical as it gets. Just lovely 🎄

@MrsJBaptiste

Why on earth would you not put a Christmas tree up? 😮

You have a little child, this is as magical as it gets. Just lovely 🎄

Perhaps I’d rather not spend every day it’s up trying to stop it being destroyed and want to relax a little over Christmas!!

My dog is an arsehole so I'm making a flat tree to put on the wall 🎄

I don't have kids but we've stayed with my in-laws who have custody of our nephews for the past few years. At 18 months they were fine around the tree, it was when they were 3 and 4 that it became a problem.

Part of that was because they had 2 trees with different light setting and one of the trees spins around. All the features were so exciting that the kids constantly wanted to change the settings, creating a tree-centred tug of war game.

Perhaps I’d rather not spend every day it’s up trying to stop it being destroyed and want to relax a little over Christmas!

Maybe just keep saying 'NO' every time they try to mess with it?

Would your kids really try and destroy the Christmas tree? 😕

@MrsJBaptiste

Perhaps I’d rather not spend every day it’s up trying to stop it being destroyed and want to relax a little over Christmas!

Maybe just keep saying 'NO' every time they try to mess with it?

Would your kids really try and destroy the Christmas tree? 😕

They’re 15 month old boys, they try to destroy everything they get their hands on - books, toys, our clothes, their clothes, us, each other!! They are constantly being told “no/stop/get down/leave it alone” - in fact, that combination of phrases seem to be all I say at the moment!! I don’t want to spend the whole of Christmas trying to keep them away from something they will be fascinated with and so it’s simpler and less hassle not to put the temptation in their way!!

Get one of those terrible ones you hang from the ceiling.

My Ds second Christmas he was 13 months. We didn't bother (or the next year either). He was like a Tasmanian devil though and would destroy everything he could reach. We had to move so much stuff, people would comment like our house looked like we were packed up and ready to move out. We couldn't take him anywhere there was stuff.

Dd on the other hand was the opposite. Never touched a thing she shouldn't. I have a house full of antiques and everyone was always but not a thing was touched.

@WankPuffins

Get one of those terrible ones you hang from the ceiling.

My Ds second Christmas he was 13 months. We didn't bother (or the next year either). He was like a Tasmanian devil though and would destroy everything he could reach. We had to move so much stuff, people would comment like our house looked like we were packed up and ready to move out. We couldn't take him anywhere there was stuff.

Dd on the other hand was the opposite. Never touched a thing she shouldn't. I have a house full of antiques and everyone was always but not a thing was touched.

Thanks for the suggestion but I’m happy not to bother with one this year - after all everything else has had to be done differently so far so a decoration free Christmas is no shakes!!

We've always had one. Just nothing I mind breaking at height they can reach. We also tie it to the wall so it can't be pulled over (but we have very large real ones).

We've always put trees up, none of our four were really bothered.

BIL and SIL didn't put one up when DN was a toddler as 'it wasn't fair to tell her no' so the pair of twits sat simpering as she pulled ours apart while I was making them tea and sandwiches

Never been an issue here at all. Big real tree.

Never cornered it off. Don’t own any play pen things. Children have always been vaguely interested in the tree but not as much as you’d think.