It’s November, so it’s time for parents to start panicking about how their toddlers will handle having a Christmas tree in the house.
Last month, we could still convince ourselves that maybe there was still time for them to grow out of the grabbiest and most meddlesome phase, but no more. Now, we’re all frantically Googling and asking friends and internet parenting forums for advice on protecting the tree from the toddler and the toddler from the tree.
The good news is that many parents have been here before, and they have a few tips to offer.
The Barrier Method
The number one suggestion from parent after parent is to devise a blockade.
Most commonly, this involves buying the type of playpen with individual panels and setting it up around the tree. Depending on your space and your child’s level of determination, the gate can stay open, end at walls, or close around the tree. Some parents say they’ve simply placed the tree inside a playpen or used a baby gate to make the room inaccessible.
One Reddit parent even said they made their own make-shift blockade by filling large boxes with heavy items that were already destined for donation, wrapping them in pretty paper. Hence, they double as decor, and placing them around the tree to block access. (If you try this, we advise ensuring the boxes aren’t climbable.)
A Heavy-Weight Solution
There are several reasons we worry about our kids accessing the tree.
We worry about damaged ornaments, broken lights, and disturbed branches, but one of the greatest fears is that of the tree falling over. If the tree falls, it could injure the child, potentially seriously. Even if it falls away from the kid instead of toward him, there are risks of broken windows or damage to other furniture and decorations.
Some parents say they’ve chosen a tree with significant weight at the base to reduce this risk. This often means a live (not cut, but potted) tree. One Redditor offered details:
“We got a small, live tree in a pot; you are supposed to plant them outside, but we’ve kept it alive in the pot for three Christmases now. The tree is too small to climb, and the pot keeps its weighted down nicely to prevent tipping over. A tree skirt keeps the kids out of the dirt, and since it is alive rather than cut, it isn’t as big of a deal if we forget to water it for a few days. We use non-breakable ornaments on the tree, with the understanding that kids will move them and we will be putting them back constantly.”
Save Your Best For Later
That heirloom Santa your grandma passed down from her parents doesn’t have to go on the tree this year.
It may be painful to skip your favorite ornaments as you decorate your house, but if you have a toddler, it’s a good year to stick with the ornaments that won’t break your heart if they’re shattered. You can keep the more delicate and valuable (whether dollar value or sentimental) in the box for one year or find a creative way to use them that doesn’t put them in your child’s reach.
I saw one parent say they placed special ornaments on a wreath hung on the wall. Other options could include setting them up on the mantle, hanging them from garland over windows, or placing them on a curio shelf. Just make sure they’re secure!
Sometimes, Smaller Is Better (Or At Least Safer)
We all love a good 8-foot tree covered in lights and ornaments. If your little one is very little, though, a smaller tree might be a better option.
For many parents, the answer to tree safety is to pick a small one and put it in a high place. Some say they’ve just placed the tree on an end table, though one Redditor described putting a mini tree on a table that was “bar height” so it was entirely out of their child’s reach.
Any table or counter that lifts the tree above easy reach could be protective. Also, a smaller tree may be less dangerous than a larger one if it does topple. However, parents should be extra careful with cords and any breakable decorations, and kids should be supervised if there’s any potential to get a grip on the tree or its cord.
Supervision And Education Can Play A Role
Some parents swear by simply watching their child closely and teaching them that the tree is for looking, not touching.
There’s a significant caveat for this: if you have a child who will stay away from the tree because you told him to, and your vigilance is at the level that will prevent any goofs, you probably already know that and are confident in it.
For all kids, though, explaining and supervising should be at least part of the plan. Even if your tree is baby-gated into an inaccessible room, covered in safe ornaments, and as stable as possible, talk to your child about why it’s pretty to look at but not safe for touching. Then, keep an eye out if they’re even close to the tree.
And, if anyone tries to give you a hard time about implementing measures other than watching and making rules, remember that every baby is different. One Reddit parent said:
“My first born I told her ‘no touching’, she was exactly 12 months and she didn’t touch. My second born is a savage, I might just not have a Christmas tree this year, if I say ‘no’ he looks me in the eye and body slams objects! I’ll never judge a parent ever ever again.”
Offer An Alternative Tree For Play
If you know your baby is a tactile learner (and really, aren’t they all, to one degree or another?) and absolutely must handle a tree to feel she understands what’s going on in her home, you can offer a special tree that’s safe to touch.
Some parents recommend buying a plastic toy tree, like this one from Step 2, with removable ornaments and a tiny train that moves around the base. Pretend play is an important part of learning, so toys like this are excellent for toddlers. This one is for ages 18 months and up, but parents should check the ornament size on any toy tree to ensure no choking hazards.
Other parents recommend a felt tree.
You can buy one premade with ornaments included, but they’re also pretty easy to make. Cut a tree shape out of a piece of felt (full disclosure — when I did this a few years ago, the shape was pretty weird the first time, so you may want to at least look at a template to be sure you get it the way you’d like) and cut ornaments out of other colors. Hang the tree on the wall, and hand your kids the ornaments. (Another style is to roll felt into a cone shape so it can stand.) Since felt sticks together, no glue or hooks are necessary, and it’s infinitely customizable. You can also decorate the ornaments with markers of fabric paint.
Provide Other Child-Safe Decorations & Involve Baby In Setting Them Up
My youngest is 4, so she’s not quite as bad about messing with the tree now as she has been in previous years, but she still thinks she needs to touch Christmas stuff every day.
We let her help put decorations on, and as a result, she thinks she needs to move a few every day, sometimes a few times a day. However, we also bought some cute Christmas gnomes from the dollar store, and I set them up in a window. They’re fabric and weight, so they are not easily breakable (though I wouldn’t be shocked if one loses a nose or hat before January).
Now, she’s moving those every day. I put them in the window, but she moves them to the tree, to the TV table, to the end table, to the bookcase, or wherever strikes her fancy at a given moment. Since this is far preferable to moving the tree ornaments, I’m just letting it slide.
One parent on Reddit described a similar tactic: For each season, they take their toddler to a craft store to pick out straw-made decorative animals. These are pretty kid-safe, and the baby gets to feel involved with the process.
Set Up A Raidable Portion Of Your Tree
As long as your tree is stable enough that your toddler won’t pull it over,you can put your nicer ornaments (though it’s still wise to hold the heirloom ones back for another year or two) on the top half and fill the bottom half with things that are fun, interesting, and safe to touch.
When I had three kids aged five and under at once, we covered the bottom half of the tree in candy canes. I opened the boxes and let the kids hang them wherever they wanted. Later, as the younger ones realized that these were candy, they started pulling them off and bringing them to us to unwrap. However, it was still fairly easy to open one and have them “decorate” again with the four or five others they had collected.
One Redditor said that when they were small, their parents used Happy Meal toys for the lower portion of the tree. Other options include felt ornaments, or plastic ones.
The year my smallest was two, I bought a box of wooden ornaments and let my kids paint them. Those were the majority of the ornaments on our tree (which was a small one that year). She pulled them off a few times, I showed her how to hang them again, and eventually, she got bored with the process.
If you’re doing this, remember to use ribbon or string to hang ornaments within reach, though, rather than metal hooks!
Set Up A Warning System
A few parents online have suggested a neat trick to ensure that even if you’re in another room, you can get a warning if your child starts pulling on the tree: bells.
This way, if your child is grabbing the ornaments, you can ear. One Redditor explained:
“I got large bell ornaments and put it around the bottom of the tree, that way the tree would alert me to any suspicious toddler shenanigans.”
Several others chimed in to describe similar methods. Some use large bells, as described above, and others use strings of smaller jingle bells. Either way, as long as they’re audible, it’s a nice trick for preventing a sneaky toddler from successfully accessing the tree behind your back.
Some parents find that this doesn’t work for them though — since bells are tons of fun, their kids actually mess with the tree more, just to make them jingle.
Make Your Tree As Stable As Possible
If you’re using a real tree, check out the assortment of stands available. That basic one that has a few screws holding the trunk in place and flimsy metal legs may not be sufficient for larger trees or homes with toddlers or pets.
Some of the stands available are much heavier — made of steel or ceramic; they may have enough weight to prevent toppling.
You may also be able to DIY extra weight on your tree stand, regardless of whether it’s a real or artificial tree, to reduce the risk of falling. Just bear in mind that things under the tree may be interesting to your toddler (and pets) and may draw extra attention. You’ll also want to be judicious and avoid items that are flammable and anything that would be damaged if there was a spill while watering.
For extra stability, you can consider hooks and wire to keep your tree upright. MerryPad offered this tip:
“Loop and knot a piece of long fine gauge wire around the mid-upper trunk. Tie the long ends of the wire to a hook stuck to the wall using a double-sided sticky mounting square. While it may not be enough to prevent a tip 100%, it will be enough to provide some balance. Monitor the tension or slack in these wires to easily check if your tree is shifting in its stand.”
Eyehooks screwed into the wall can offer an even more secure option, especially for larger trees, but this is for the DIYer who knows how to hunt down a wall stud — damaged drywall will not make your holiday merrier.