So, how do you stop your young kids pulling the Christmas tree over?

[KitKat1985]

Hi all,

Potentially a very silly question I know, but it's the first year we've had to work this out (DD was only 3 months old last Christmas so obviously not mobile) and we're a bit confused. We would like to put our lovely Christmas tree up this weekend, but how on earth do we stop DD pulling it over? It has to go downstairs in the lounge (no room anywhere else) which is also where DD spends most of her day and is where all of her toys are. She's walking etc now (15 months) and will be doubtlessly wanting to pull at the tree the moment it's up. How do I stop her from ending up with a 7-foot tree falling on her head without being on tree patrol all of her waking hours? How do other parents manage this?

P.S. Before anyone suggests just firmly telling her 'no' every time she goes near the tree, I suspect that given the lack of success of the word 'no' with every other thing I've tried to stop her doing I suspect I'm going to need an alternative plan.

When the boys were small, we kept the big tree in the loft and used a small one up on a table, in the corner of the room. It was a lot easier to police.

Could you put a large fire guard around it? Or one of those hexagonal play pens that opens out?

I would like advice on how to not kill my cat for destroying the tree every five minutes

My real trees are always placed in a really heavy base, and there is no way that my boys when younger would have pulled them over.

The fake trees are lighter, but actually often quite bristly - they are unpleasant to touch and in my experience the novelty wore off quite quickly after prickled fingers.

make sure there are a few baubles (non-breakable) that they can reach and spin at the bottom so there isn't an incentive to climb or reach up......

I actually never really found it a problem.

Children never caused our tree any problems in that respect. Cats however are a whole different thing.

I have borrowed a playpen which I am going to decorate with tinsel and put around the tree. DD is a climber, I'm not giving her the opportunity with the tree!

I put mine on a side table out of their reach. And only use plastic decorations just in case.

My daughter was fine with the tree, but I am also worried about my two 1 year old cats, who are, frankly, insane, and don't understand the word 'no'. Have ordered a 6ft real tree. Lots of my ornaments are glass. Is there any hope?

DD1 only did it once when she was 7 months - I think she learned her lesson . Other 2 didn't bother with it.

We had a small table top tree when ds was a toddler. We didnt bother when dd came along and she never tried to pull it over.

Small one came out again when we got a kitten

Oh well some of you have given my hope that she won't be that interested in it. [I'm in an optimistic mood caused by listening to Christmas music and present buying all morning].

Failing that it'll have to be some sort of fire guard around the tree I guess. Or I'm going to have to buy a smaller less impressive tree that I can hide out of her way [sobs bitterly at the thought of not using our 7-foot snow effect Christmas tree with complimenting baubles in a silver and ice-blue theme].

Oh and I have had pet cats in the past. I feel your pain cat owners. I could never stay cross with my cats though when they looked at me with big, 'forgive me' eyes afterwards after each misdemeanour.

My ds is the same age and I had the same concern! We put our tree up last night and it's still standing! Decided to go for a real tree so it would be jaggy, not too sore if he touches it but too jaggy to pull it over. Also I bought non breakable decorations to put at the bottom which he's enjoyed playing about with (and the occasional candy cane and hanging choc) so far so good