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Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

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Original poster

Are Christmas trees compatible with lively toddlers

18 replies

Hikingmummy · 28/11/2014 23:45

Our 15 month old DS is an absolute delight in many ways. However, I would really like to have a Christmas tree this year and I am not sure of the wisdom of this as he runs, climbs pulls, investigates, puts things in his mouth... it often feels like nothing escapes his notice or attention. Suggestions welcome please as to how we can have a Christmas tree without it being dissected, pulled down, eaten etc. by DS!

OP posts:

curiousgeorgie · 28/11/2014 23:51

My 17 month old is the most disobedient, badly behaved, grumpy, throwy, screamy toddler there is! (I love her, but it's true!)

She hasn't touched the tree. I'm totally baffled.

AlpacaLypse · 28/11/2014 23:54

I had an old fashioned wooden playpen. I put the tree up inside it.

In fact I used it to protect stuff from the children far more than I used it to put the children in!

NorwaySpruce · 29/11/2014 06:15

We have always had 8ft + real trees, and quite a few children. None of them have ever had issues with the tree.

Once, a two year old knocked a glass bauble off a low branch, so we moved the fragile decorations to the inner branches. That was the sum total of our child proofing.

If your children are not climbing the book cases/ dining table/ shower-curtain, I doubt you'll turn around to find them perched at the top of the tree

We allowed our lot to spin the baubles and pull the tinsel around as they liked though, so the tree didn't have a 'forbidden' air. Spinning the babbles to catch the lights is lovely when you are nearly 40 2...

ChristmasJumperWearer · 29/11/2014 06:19

We did put the tree inside the playpen one year.

Breakable baubles go at the top.

Ladymoods · 29/11/2014 06:55

When mine were younger I used garden wire to anchor the tree to the curtain hook on the wall to make sure they didn't pull it over, but to be honest I needn't have bothered, they were absolutely fine with it. I think kids are too much in awe of Christmas trees to try and destroy them!

Poolomoomon · 29/11/2014 07:11

I remember the first Christmas Dc1 was a toddler and DC2 was a newly crawling baby. I panicked beforehand that the tree wouldn't last, that it would be pulled down or every single decorarion would be yanked off...

Nah. Neither of them were interested in it. Still interested in my phone, the remote, they keys, shoes, doors and all the rest of it but not in the tree. It was as if they knew it was beautiful and had taken a lot of effort so they shouldn't mess with it . Every Christmas since has been the same. The only incident we have had is them eating the tree chocolates last year, they're going at the top this year.

MyNameIsSuz · 29/11/2014 07:16

We had one last year when my boy was 15 months and he barely touched it! Things that put my mind at ease were a very sturdy stand (one of the big iron ones with legs) so there was no way it could tip, and replacing all the easily breakable or mouth-sized baubles with toddler-friendly ones (looked pretty good actually, big box of red and pink ones and some spangly pine cones, not at all obvious they were just supermarket cheapies!)

I'm planning to go all out this year and decorate all over (we usually just do the tree, it's not a very big flat) as he's really loving all the lights and twinkly shit in the shops and outside - as do I!

glorious · 29/11/2014 07:18

I don't know yet because my DD wasn't walking last Christmas. But just in case I've got her a felt tree which she can play with. Doubt it'll work but it looks fun! www.etsy.com/uk/market/felt_christmas_tree

youmakemydreams · 29/11/2014 07:47

None of my 3 have been bad with the tree. I do have a friend who stresses so much about the tree and spent the christmas he was that age constantly pulling him away from it to the point she considered not bothering the next year. The only difference between what she and I did was that I let mine touch it. There were no breakable baubles so they played with them while I was putting them on and for the first day they were ways at the tree touching the tinsel and baubles. I made sure they were careful but let them poke a bit. After that it wasn't a forbidden fruit and was also just a room fixture so they never bothered it.

Pollywallywinkles · 29/11/2014 08:00

I found saying no helped and never had an issue with DD and the tree. As an adult she is more likely to poke it now than she ever did as a little one.

Fresh01 · 29/11/2014 18:02

My eldest is nearly 9 and youngest is nearly 3 with 2 others in between so for the last 8 years always been a toddler at xmas time. Always had a tree. Any breakable decoration go at the top. They "help" decorate the tree. First 2 days after tree goes up a lot of "don't touch the tree" comments then they loose interest and it isn't an issue.

Original poster

Hikingmummy · 02/12/2014 11:12

Thank you all for your comments! Much appreciated, I feel much more confident about putting up a tree now (fingers crossed )

OP posts:

BiddyPop · 02/12/2014 11:34

When DD was 12 months, we put out the fake even though we were staying at home (mostly the rule is if we stay, we buy real - if we are travelling, the fake gets used). I did, for fear of her, only use my more robust baubles generally, and put all the nice ones at the top and only plastic ones and a couple of small felt stockings within her reach.

We did plenty of "ah ah ah"s in the first few days, and the "tree is to look at, not to touch", holding her on our knee or carrying her up high to look at the decorations and point them out - but not touching them ourselves either. She got the message.

At 24 months, we got a real one again, and she loved it. She went at some of the branches to feel the prickles and she was doing a lot of smelling them, but not the ornaments.

Dinnerfor1 · 02/12/2014 13:09

We put our tree up last night with dd who is two. It mostly seemed fine, but she did keep taking the baubles off so she could put them on again. She is so excited by the tree though so I'm really glad we decided to put one up this year.

RunningKatie · 02/12/2014 13:59

We had a fake one for the first couple of years but this year are going for a real one again.

I'm not putting out the really precious stuff, they are 3.8 and 2 so are bound to take things off and get giddy. I'd rather minimise my stressy shouting levels by having a child friendly tree

LikeASoulWithoutAMind · 02/12/2014 14:28

We've always had trees. When they were little it was always in a corner so partly protected by the furniture either side. Never had a problem. I did put the more precious ornaments higher up though

Do you have picture rails? Ordinary white sewing thread (double it up a bit) tied to the top of the tree and to a tack knocked into the picture rail is surprisingly robust (good idea if you have cats too )

Starlightbright1 · 02/12/2014 14:33

I am a CM and so we do have a tree each year. It varies from child to child. one a few years ago go put off when she chewed a glitter decoration ( at home thankfully) Others you think are going to be all over the tree sit and admire.

My own DS though did pull tree over when he was a toddler. He did learn through very quickly

ItsBeginingToLookAlotLikeChris · 02/12/2014 14:36

good idea to move more fragile decs up the tree.

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