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Christmas

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

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Original poster

Anyone else with a toddler christmas tree again? Totally nude for the first 4 feet above ground, then madly crammed with stuff? It drives me crazy.

39 replies

welliemum · 06/12/2007 21:47

Please, when will we be able to have a normal Christmas tree? dd2 is 18 months.

Also, how long until we can get through the christmas period without being permanently coated in glitter? Even the dog is covered in glitter ffs.

And breathe......

OP posts:

worriedmum34 · 06/12/2007 21:49

Last year when ds was 1.4 he touched a branch and hated the feel of it so gave it a wide birth, this year he looked at it and said ouch tree (he's obviously remembered it from last year) and won't touch it at all!

Sorry, no help I know!

mmmmchocolate · 06/12/2007 21:51

DS 13 Months hasn't touched it yet. but i can see him getting nearer and nearer its only a matter of time and he will pull it over!

sweetkitty · 06/12/2007 21:55

DD2 (22 months) pulls the baubles off the tree and then freaks she has glitter on her hands, goes and gets a wipe and wipes them. It hasn't been that bad though.

Original poster

welliemum · 06/12/2007 22:00

[wails] We used to have such tasteful Christmases...

Never again, I fear....

OP posts:

Flibbertinseljinglebells · 06/12/2007 22:01

This has worked for ds1 for 2 years and hopefully will be working for ds2 when I put the tree up. Switch the lights on when they are in the room and instruct them that 'this tree is HOT'. Same as you do for a cuppa or oven.
Ds1 last year kept going over to it, as if he was tempted to touch it then remembered and announced to every one that its 'HOT, mummy, HOT'.

Worth a try?

ChasingSquirrelsUpTheXmasTree · 06/12/2007 22:03

ds1 (3m, 15m, 2y3m etc at xmas) was just told not to touch it - and never did.
ds2 (nearly 23m) is going to be a nightmare with it this year - arggg. But it won't be up for a couple of weeks yet so I'm not worrying about it

Original poster

welliemum · 06/12/2007 22:15

ftjb, that is genius!

Chasingsqirrels, I'm in awe of your children. If I say to mine, "don't touch that thing", it gets somehow processed in their minds to "the moment my back is turned, you must immediately touch (and break) that thing".....

OP posts:

NineUnlovelyTinselDecorations · 06/12/2007 22:19

Can you believe that I spent this afternoon at a friend's house, a friend who has a massive real Christmas tree in her sitting room, decorated from top to bottom in stylish decorations. Said friend also has a 16m DD who never once touched the tree. I had to station myself in front of the tree as a human shield to deflect DS.

Our tree will be quite small and will go on a cupboard well out of DS reach. That way I think I can get away with using the tasteful and - shock - GLASS decorations from pre-baby days. It'll be the last year though.

ChasingSquirrelsUpTheXmasTree · 06/12/2007 22:19

no no no - I said ds1 did that, but ds2 is going to be a nightmare, he is going to be climbing the bloody thing.

stealthsquiggle · 06/12/2007 22:25

So you have a playpen? We put our Christmas tree inside the BabyDan playpen when DS was little.

Trouble is, said playpen has now been converted to stairgate and fireguard and DD (13mths) is far worse than DS ever was - she can and does fetch a chair and climb on the kitchen worktop already . I need a plan B - 9Unlovelyetc can you ask your friend what she did/said to her DD, please?

stealthsquiggle · 06/12/2007 22:26

Sorry that was meant to be "Do you have..."

NineUnlovelyTinselDecorations · 06/12/2007 22:27

I can only assume she did a pavlov's dog style aversion therapy involving electrocution with the Christmas lights.

Actually the child is just freakishly well behaved. I predict a difficult teenagedom (well, hope would be more truthful/ungenerous)

ChasingSquirrelsUpTheXmasTree · 06/12/2007 22:30

oh god don't predict that, freakishly well behaved sounds like my ds1 (totally unlike my ds2....) and I am already dreading a transformation into teenager from hell (and he is only 5).

feetheart · 06/12/2007 22:35

We have a toddler/kitten mix this year - am taking bets as to:

Who is first to get at the decorations
Who is first to the top

Nasty feeling it will be a deadheat about 4 minutes after the tree is up

beautifulsnowydays · 06/12/2007 22:35

how on earth do i keep my crawling/cruising nearly walking ten month old away from the christmas tree?? she is too young to understand "the tree is hot" etc, i am dreading it, she just demolishes everything in her path.........

EmsMum · 06/12/2007 22:38

We didn't bother with a tree when DD was 1. When she was 2 we went out to get one but somehow - don't ask, blame my DH - we ended up with 2 goldfish instead.

At 3 - DD was perfect age to help choose a whole treeful of decorations - shatterproof baubles and tinsel, no chocolate cos we didnt trust the dog. And we've never bothered with lights... it looks very nice without!

Original poster

welliemum · 06/12/2007 22:40

Mmmmm..... we do have a playpen somewhere - I used to put dd2 in it when she was getting tired of being mauled cuddled by dd1.

Not sure it would work though - dd2 is a climber and has now learned to drag chairs around to increase her range... so I can easily picture her jumping off the chair and into the playpen to cause havoc.

OP posts:

beautifulsnowydays · 06/12/2007 22:41

thing is i also have a ds who is 3 and desperate to have a christmas tree as he has made lots of decorations at nursery, so i have got to have one, just not sure how on earth to keep dd from destroying it

stealthsquiggle · 06/12/2007 22:42

We have never not had a tree. I couldn't do it. It was fenced off when DS was 1 and 2 but TBH he wasn't that interested.

DD on the other hand is a magpie and magnetically attracted to all shiny things. She also interprets "no" as "not until Mummy turns her back" and has a good line in indignant squeals if poor DS tries to stop her doing anything. [sigh]. Lots of re-decorating of tree this year, I think.

iCodMummyKissingSantaClaus · 06/12/2007 22:43

NEVER had vandalsim by boys tbh

Original poster

welliemum · 06/12/2007 22:43

LOL at going out to get a tree and getting goldfish instead. How do you get the tinsel to stay on??

OP posts:

sarahtwoturtledoves · 06/12/2007 22:45

I have decided, with a 2yo monster, that tree will go up after DD2 has gone to bed christmas eve, and come down before she gets up christmas morning. AIBU??? This will mean that DD1, DH & I stay up all night to wait for santa and enjoy the tree.

serinsingingcarols · 06/12/2007 22:47

Two of our kids were angels and never touched the tree, the middle one was sooooo bad that we resorted to BUILDING a picket fence around the tree in the middle of the living room.

It looked okay painted white with a few penquins and a polar bear perched atop, sort of like in a garden centre grotto.

Yes we miss that fence..................

stealthsquiggle · 06/12/2007 22:50

I am amazed no-one is marketing special fencing for keeping your tree and your toddler apart

EmsMum · 06/12/2007 22:51

Goldfish glitter without tinsel! No, I could never understand how that happened either. I don't think its a generic solution to the toddler/tree conundrum but an extreme version of lateral thinking.

Um..maybe some of you could have a tree outside instead of inside? Small one up on a table (same effect as the title but avoiding the nude lower branches).

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