Toddler-proof holiday tree...is there such a thing?????

[SASM]

In the last week, as I drive through my new neighborhood, I have been noticing Christmas trees in the front windows already!! YIKES!! I LOVE my cute little "Charlie Brown" tree (that is all our past apartments could handle)...all sparkly and pretty with red, ivory, gold, and silver ~ fragile ornaments, clear lights, red beaded garland. Last year, for some reason, it wasn't such a problem (Ian was a non-walking 10-11 month old). This year is a whole different story!! :( How can you have a pretty, sparkly holiday tree suitable for a destructo-toddler??????? HELP!!! Is it possible? What have you done in the past? I have visions of a PBK tree with little knit stuffed toys all over it ~ cute but not pretty :(

TIA!! Happy holidays :)

[toomanystrollers]

3 kids over the span of 6 years and each tree has survived :) Be sure to put all the fragile ornaments up high and leave plenty of soft/wood ornaments near the bottom for continual rearrangement. Our tree is always in a location where the room could be gated off if Santa's elves are misbehaving!!

[Marisa6826]

Not the prettiest solution but a Super Yard fence would work perfectly. We use two connected together (but not enclosed - it's wedged on either side of the couch) everyday as Sophie's "corral".

http://www.safebeginnings.com/Webcomponents/Catalog/Images/8634-d.jpg

-m

[fauve01]

do you put the tree or Sophie inside the gate??

Anne + DD 10-03

[Marisa6826]

LOL!!!!

Well, in your case, I would put the tree in. But here, Sophie is in the corral. Her corral is actually quite huge. It's about 20' x 8', it also includes a couch and chair and is over an oriental rug. Pretty nice digs for a 2yo. :P

We're not doing a tree this year because it's just too much and honestly, I don't think that I could even get close enough to the tree to decorate it ;).

We'd probably put the tree in the corral next year since Sophie is already protesting her corral on a daily basis and Amelia will be crawling, if not cruising, by then.

-m

[Momof3Labs]

Last year, we put non-breakable ornaments (you can use small toys of Ian's, if you don't have non-breakable ornaments) on the lower half of the tree. Nothing up top that would shatter if the tree went over, which it did not. Colin looooved rearranging the ornaments and carrying them around the house, and we enjoyed the tree more by giving him access to it rather than putting it behind a gate where he couldn't enjoy it.

[starrynight]

Either skip the breakables or put them up higher and try not to expect much LOL. I found if I didn't mind so much the tree not looking HGTV worthy the kids laid off it a little. But if I was on the all day about "my tree" they touched it more. I'm a bit afraid to put it up this year though because I will have a toddler and a cruiser bugging it!! Last year E was only 3 months so it was just D attacking it. Alex is old enough not to bug it much, he still likes to rearrange a few ornaments until they look right to him but he mostly doesn't bug it.

[Melanie]

We put ours in our dining room, which since adjacent to our kitchen, was always kept gated off (except when we were in there with him).

Another thing I've seen is to gate around the tree (also not pretty, but safe!)

A couple other suggestions I have read are to put a few jingle bells on the tree so when he is touching it, you will know!
and
Tie it to the wall in two or three directions so if he yanks on it, it won't fall on him.

You also might want to save the family heirloom ornaments for another year, just in case.

[ellies mom]

I'm in the same boat. I'm thinking small tabletop tree on top of our audio cabinet. Target had these great silver trees last year. I got the bitty one, hoping to get the larger one this year. They don't seem to be selling them again, so I'll just live with the little one. Maybe next year I can have a "real" tree again.

[ginalc]

Your "Charlie Brown" tree sounds nice, but may have to wait until Ian is older.

We put our tree in the family room and let the children have full access. Even with my active little ones, we haven't had problems. I leave most of the "better" ornaments in their boxes and opt for ornaments that aren't as fragile on the upper 3rd of the tree.

I find small balls, small stuffed animals, and back-pack toys (small plastic figures that come with plastic loops) work well for the lower 3rd. Kind of compromise on the middle. We place hallmark ornaments there. They're sturdy and generally aren't a choking hazard.

I view the Christmas tree for toddlers as magical. They need to be able to touch and feel the pretty lights and ornaments. From day one I teach them how to respect the tree and lights. I know that keeping them away would be a losing battle (my little ones can climb over ANYTHING!) so I never even considered enclosing the tree and not letting them have access.

What's the point of putting up a Christmas tree if the little ones can't enjoy it? I enjoy our tree the most through the eyes of my soon-to-be 2 yo and my 4 yo! :) :)

gina, mom to 3
new baby due 5/05

btw: we DON'T put gifts under the tree until the day we open them! :)
new baby due 5/05

[HGraceMom]

Maybe I was lucky, but DD was one of those young toddlers who wouldn't go near something if we told her not to - I remember telling her "No touching" and "DD, No." It worked well - our trees are filled with "heirloom" ornaments and we haven't yet had an incident. My parents did the same with me and my sibs, and those same ornaments are now on our trees.

[MelissaTC]

My friend just went to a class the other night on how to decorate a Christmas tree like a designer. The instructor suggested floral wire and using it to wrap every ornament to the tree, minus the fragile glass ball type ornaments. She also suggested wiring the tree to the wall by placing some sort of hook, etc.. into the stud behind the wall and then tying the wire to the center of the tree and connecting the two.

I did not change anything last year and Matthew was walking and quite interested in the tree. One ornament did break (a glass heart) but the tree was knocked into by someone and the tree was in a room with pergo flooring as opposed to carpeting. So it wasn't Matthew's fault...

Good luck!

[SASM]

Girls,

Thank you so much for the advice!! I THINK that I am going to have to get a bigger tree. Doesn't sound like 3.5' Charlie Brown is not going to survive :( I really like the idea of tying the tree to the wall and floral wiring the ornaments. Ian is still quite the PICA baby so my green plastic ornament hooks are not an option this year. The corral idea sounds intriguing but I am afraid that it would just make Ian more determined :(

Where have you found pretty non-breakable ornaments?

THANK YOU...THANK YOU!!!

~ Happy holidays ~ :)

[August Mom]

If you have a 3.5' tree, why not put it on a table out of reach?

Last year, I put breakable ornaments out of reach. My nonbreakable ornaments are mostly metal (gold snowflakes, instruments, etc.) with some plastic ones and some made of cloth. I got most of them at department stores after Christmas sales, some at Kirklands and some at World Market. They are still sparkly, just not breakable.

[starrynight]

I bought some unbreakable plastic ornaments at Kmart a few years ago, they look just like glass ball ornaments but are some kind of plastic. I have seen them at target this year, and I'm sure kmart still sells them but I don't go there much anymore.

[SASM]

Thank you for the non-breakable ornament suggestions :) Ya know...I didn't even think about my metal ornaments!!! Thank you for telling me about the Target ornaments!! I will check them out during my next trip (I am there at least every other day!).

I have been trying to find a place to put my little tree. I do not have extra table space but I might be able to put it on my lower entry level ~ Ian's "No Man Land"!! YEAH!!! I LOVE that little tree :)

[cchavez]

We plan on putting the breakable ornaments on top and getting unbreakable ones for the lower part. Will you use floral wire to hang the ornaments....would that still be dangerous. I know the metal ornament hangers....can't think of the name right now....would be dangerous!

Oh, love the jingle belll idea!!!

[new_mommy25]

Do you just use the little loops to hang the ornaments? I can't imagine using wire hooks.

[cchavez]

There are some kind of plasticky ones but they still have sharp edges.