Christmas Trees and Toddlers - how do they mix ??!!?

[Tillysmummy]

I am a bit concerned. We get our Christmas tree this weekend and Im worried about dd and her prying hands ! I am going to put all the breakable decs at the top and wooden / non breakable at the bottom and am going to do my best to discourage her from wrecking it each day but am also worried about her trying to eat the needles and stuff ! My dh says we shouldn't get one but I am in strong disagreement with that and feel she has to learn anyway I love Christmas trees !

Im sure you wise women (and men - SimonHoward are you still around ?) will have some advice for me .....I need to know how to handle the inquisitive 15 month old and the tree situation.

dd ( 2 1/2) likes looking at our lights too but it's the b**y cat that knocks all the decorations off it..

Our tree went up, beautifully decorated of course (Ha ha) and a week later it wasn't the toddler it ws the b***y dog that had knocked it over! She wanted the yummy ginger biscuits we put all over it, sohose came off and it's been restored to its glory. The toddler does suddenly appear with a couple of the balls occasionally, but otherwise seems fine about it.

She is so funny she was saying 'appy kismas and appy birday' yesterday as she saw some candles!!

All I need is a Christmas music CD for them to dance around to, for the festive season to be complete

My 19month old spent is bent of taking all the decorations off the tree - I have now given up and it is bald at the bottom and overloaded with decs at the top! His new word for this week was 'ball' and he now takes of the baubles (unbreakable) and throws them across the room shouting 'ball'. He has also managed to pull the bulbs out of one set of lights and I can't get any replacements - I started of being very stressed about the whole thing but now I am so stressed about life in general I really couldn't care less about the b....y tree!.

Saw on TV last night where a family had suspended their tree somehow from the ceiling! Out of reach, but still looked pretty! And plenty of room for presents underneath!

14 month dd is currently going through a phase I can only describe as extreme cruising. Can't walk but will happily push chairs, tables etc right across the floor and shake the life out of anything she can't move (last weekend she nearly gave my mum a heart attack as she shooook the gas fire and it started to topple from the wall....).

So we decided small tree on top of TV and very nice it looks too but is currently relying on a lot of bluetack to cope with the shaking... All other decorations are stapled to the ceiling, it's the only safe place...

Ps Bumblelion - can I swap with your dd, just for a few days!