Are you doing a Christmas tree and how will you keep LO away from it?

JenChrisBabyH · November 2010

DH and I would love to do a tree (like we've done every year) but how do you plan on keeping LO from taking off the ornaments? I have a new baby (DD #2 is only two months) so there are times that DD #1 maybe alone for a few minutes while I put DD #2 down or I'm feeding her... and I think it would be way to big of a temptation to simply expect her to stay away from it if I say so...

Anyone have a plan?

excitedforlittleone · November 2010

I've heard people to put a playyard gate around the tree.

I'm going to see how DS does with it first.

rosiemomma · November 2010

I was going to let her help... and I have been working on being kind and just using our eyes to look, she does pretty good so I didn't think about it really.... now I am wondering haha!!

DG1 · November 2010

no way, jose. We are doing an 18" tree that sits on a tabletop. We're actually going to put it on a pretty high shelf.

I think we're going to be treeless for several years.

GoombaGirl_79 · November 2010

We have these little cube-stool things from Ikea..built a little barracade around the tree. DS can lean over them a bit and bat at the ornaments but can't do much else. Tried it without any protection and he kept yanking the ornaments off (plastic ones, no glass at his level!) and the tree would sway dangerously.

chloephoebecali · November 2010

Originally I was thinking play yard, but someone's comment on TB made me think again. People have done Christmas trees forever without all the babyproofing stuff we have. Plus a play yard would be a total eyesore and takes away from it. I am just going to put unbreakable ornaments on the bottom so she can't break them or hurt herself. We did this for my cousins when they were little. DD knows the word no, and although she is not perfect, I think it will be okay. I usually do not leave her alone in the room anyway, but I will make sure I don't do that for the month for obvious reasons. I refuse to not have a normal tree just because I have a toddler. I want her to sit under/next the tree and "open" her presents. Lastly, our trees are usually spikey so she may not like the way it feels anyway and hopefully will avoid it. We are probably putting train under, too.
You are definitely in a different situation, though.

thegan · November 2010

We put ours up last weekend, and he's done really well with it. He was really excited the first day and would point, but I just made sure he knew not to touch. He got over it after day 3. He still gets excited when I say "Let's go look at/turn on your tree." Once it's on, we ooohhhh and aaaahhhh and then we continue playing. I haven't wrapped any gifts yet; I think that's going to test his will power.

vab1216 · November 2010

We will put up our tree as usual and I think she will be ok with it.. I don't see it being a problem. She is good at listening to us so we will just have to teach her not to touch it. I agree with a pp, and will definitely let her "help" put ornaments on. Also, we will be going to other people's homes who don't have a tree barricaded off.. so we are going to have to teach her either way

Sage Mommy · November 2010

Put the breakable ornaments on the upper half. Hide the cord for the lights inder the tree skirt. if it's a real tree, don't let LO see you putting water in the stand.

jdreams76 · November 2010

We are going to put it up and run with it. I'm sure he will be curious but I think it's good to expose him to it and maybe he will not like the feel of it much or like most just get bored of it and move on

juliane2004 · November 2010

Next year when we have a bigger place, we'll put a gate around the entire thing. This year, because we don't want it to take up our entire tiny apartment, we got a small 2 foot tree that sits on the edge of the kitchen counter where DD can't reach it.

Mary0913 · November 2010

We put ours up last week (what can I say, we're Christmas-crazies) and we put one ornament that DD could touch (it's one of those hallmark ones that has lights and sings) and told her that it was her ornament and that she could touch that one - she loves it and loves turning it on so much that she doesn't seem to care about the rest!

babs324 · November 2010

I am hoping that dd will be ok with it. We have a fake tree - and I'm just planning to put unbreakable ornaments on it. When we've seen trees for sale in the stores, she LOVES the lights...as long as she doesn't try to eat them, I think she'll be fine. I need to watch her closely for a few days and see....

MomToWilliam · November 2010

I haven't decided yet...but it's either going up on a table (I have fairly high celings) and will be somehow tied to the table or it will go on the floor in his play yard. I'm leaning toward the table idea so that DS's gifts can be "under" the tree. With the play yard, his gifts would be on the outside. It may sound silly, but I think gifts from Santa should go under the tree : )

katlizabeth · November 2010

We've been going through stores with trees and we have taught ds to be "gentle" with his touches. IMO, it's not realistic not to touch it, and he's pretty good with the being gentle. We'll probably either not put breakable ornaments on it or put them only up high.

Aprilynn0206 · November 2010

I put mine up this weekend and DD was absolutely fascinated with it. She was all over it! I ended up putting our yard gate around it for the rest of the night. The next day I took it down and didn't make a fuss over the tree. She didn't touch it all day. When I turned it on last night she was "whoooa" and then carried on with playing. So no gate for us! Yay!

groovygrl · November 2010

We travel for xmas so we aren't going to do a full tree this year since we'll be gone the whole week & the stress of deciding about blockading it vs not, etc is not worth it, but I want to find a tabletop one that I can put on an end table that they can't really get to. Our family room is not really conducive to having a tree in it that we'd be able to blockade and my kids would definitely be all over it, no doubt....keeping 2 16 month olds away is not something I want to spend my days worrying about. I figure next year they will be much more involved in xmas and will have better understanding of not touching, etc.

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