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Christmas

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Original poster

Ingenious ideas for Christmas trees and cruising babies

31 replies

BendingSpoons · 23/11/2019 08:52

DS is 9 months. He is cruising and quite likely to be walking by twelfth night. I don't wnt want to spend weeks guarding the Christmas tree from being used as a standing frame. Any ideas? I have thought of:

  • Standing the tree on something but I think it would only work if big and high e.g. dining table or it would be at risk of getting pulled off
  • Using a play pen/ball pool etc round it but we don't have one. Problem is this would also take up more space
  • Putting the tree up, making sure it can't topple over (tied to something? Weighted down?) and not decorating the bottom

What have others done?

OP posts:
LetMeLayAmongTheStars · 23/11/2019 08:57

Only decorated the top half, put random baubles at bottom for DC to pull off and re arrange
Tree that we had was artificial and quite bottom heavy so no worry about toppling as long as I kept an eye

Twolittlespeckledfrogs · 23/11/2019 08:59

Get a secondhand playpen and put the tree in the playpen. Nice wooden one rather than the travel cot style ones would probably look better.

Sgtmajormummy · 23/11/2019 09:04

When ours were small we put the tree in the bay window where the sofa stopped anyone getting to it.
A medium tree out of reach on a dining table is a good idea, and maybe battery powered lights to avoid trailing wires.

NannyR · 23/11/2019 09:10

I've seen parents use a playpen, however last year I was looking after a one year old and the family had a massive tree and she just wasn't interested in it, she would go look at the lights but made no effort to touch anything. So you might not have a problem (probably wishful thinking!!)

DreamingofSunshine · 23/11/2019 09:14

I did tree on the dining table, it was an 8 seater with highchair at the head of the table and the other end against the wall so quite hard to get to. I've also seen people tie the top of the tree with picture wire to a hook in the wall.

forkfun · 23/11/2019 09:17

I thought it would be a nightmare, but both my kids at that age were weirdly respectful of the tree. Just make sure any decorations at toddler height are not breakable.

666onmyhead · 23/11/2019 09:28

My daughter has specifically asked us not to go too mad making our house child friendly, we obviously move anything that could cause harm , but they do respond when she says no ( 2 and 1 year old) and as they sometimes turn up unannounced it's kind of important that they learn. Last year the bigger one was shown the tree whilst in mother's arms - its a 12' tree so big even from this height. He didn't go near it on his own ... this year he might be a bit more inquiring... will wait to see. ( We always put a support wire around the mid section of the tree to a hook on the wall - so in theory it shouldn't be pulled over)

elsielegallez · 23/11/2019 09:32

We used to use green garden wire to tie baubles on - can’t be seen but keeps everything secure.

Original poster
BendingSpoons · 23/11/2019 09:43

I think we might try putting the tree up with no low hanging baubles etc and see how it goes. We don't overly childproof but at the moment DS pulls everything and LOVES anything shiny. He is often in the living room with DD while I am in the kitchen and so I need to make sure it is safe. Once it is up I can work out how stable it is. We have an artificial one and he would only be able to reach the bottom third, so I guess it would slide rather than topple.

Thanks everyone, some good things to try if it's a problem!

OP posts:
Original poster
BendingSpoons · 23/11/2019 09:48

And note to self, buy some green garden wire in preparation!

OP posts:
ChaosMoon · 23/11/2019 12:36

I'm in the same situation with DD. Everything goes on her mouth, including plants, so I don't think the tree will be any different, even if I do leave the lower branches free of baubles. And our house is too small for a play pen. I'm thinking of making some huge swags with fake pine branches and all our usual decorations and hanging them from the ceiling, but I can't decide...

Findumdum1 · 23/11/2019 12:38

I used to get a smaller one and put it far back on a deep sideboard we had, presents around it on the sideboard, worked well. I tied it to the back of the sideboard through the the holes for wiring the first time. I think one present got unwrapped but the tree was fine.

Original poster
BendingSpoons · 23/11/2019 13:15

Findumdum1 we had a similar set up in our flat when DD was little but now the furniture is in the dining room. We don't use the room much so not keen to repeat it this time, but is an option if necessary!

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Justajot · 23/11/2019 13:50

We used a playpen, but just because we had one. I think my parents bought it for us. We never actually used it as a playpen, so a bit pointless otherwise.

Barbararara · 23/11/2019 13:59

More cat than cruiser problems these days but old habits die hard. I have an artificial tree with thin branches and I loop the ribbon twice and then fold the tip of the branch back on the heavier ones. Nothing can be shaken or brushed off. I also tie it to the radiator.
When the dc were small we used this. You can remove a section if it’s too big (or you could on the one we had). We tied it to either end of the radiator too.

CoolShoeshine · 23/11/2019 18:08

Some places sell a ‘half tree’ where the bottom half is just a stand and pole, with the tree branches starting half way up. I couldn’t work our what it was was for but the reviewers were all people with pets/toddlers.

Ohyesiam · 23/11/2019 18:12

We cut a branch from an ash tree( that needed trimming away from our drive, not just an act of Christmas vandalism!) and suspended it horizontally from the ceiling all decorated and lit up. It looked lovely.

According to a Canadian friend it’s a thing, and she called it a twig tree, not usually suspended from the ceiling though!

Flowerpower321 · 23/11/2019 18:15

When I had twin toddlers we had one of the babydan six sided playpens as a barrier around the tree and tv, worked brilliantly and meant they could roam at will without trashing anything!

Howmanysleepsnow · 23/11/2019 18:34

I used to make a barrier of fake presents (big boxes wrapped and taped together) to protect our tree. Bows/ ribbons provided extra distraction to protect baubles!

Hecateh · 23/11/2019 18:36

something like this
wall tree

or this

wall tree

TooExtraImmatureCheddar · 23/11/2019 18:37

I tied mine to the mantelpiece when DD was little. We have half-grown kittens this year and I think they will run up and down the tree like twits, so I’ll probably have to do that again.

EchoLimaYankee · 23/11/2019 18:44

I put mine in a corner and on a box to make it taller. Then I put the sofa in front of it. Sofa was at an angle so it went from wall to wall.

MoaningMinniee · 23/11/2019 18:48

The family playpen, a proper wooden one which currently doing its seventh family that we know about (no one can remember which grandparent it was first passed on to!). I virtually never used it as a playpen, and neither did any of my sisters when it was their turn. But as a device to protect things from fingerous destructive small people it was amazing.

Pilot12 · 23/11/2019 18:54

Stand it in a travel cot, cover the outsides in Christmas paper and put your presents inside under the tree.

BikeRunSki · 23/11/2019 19:00

Hang it upside down from the ceiling

Ingenious ideas for Christmas trees and cruising babies