Keep Young Children Safe Around the Holiday Tree
Christmas trees are an enticing addition to a toddler's home. Small children are drawn to the bright ornaments, lights and the novelty of having a tree in the house. Learn how to keep both your children safe from potential Christmas tree hazards and how to keep your holiday tree safe from curious hands.Safeguard Toddlers from the Christmas Tree with a Playpen
Place a thin Christmas tree in a large playpen or surround a fuller tree with an expandable fence. The Deluxe Secure Surround Play Yard from One Step Ahead is a circular, indoor fence that can surround a tree and keep it safe from little hands. On Christmas morning, gifts contained inside the fence will be safe from excited toddlers and preschoolers until the parent gives the okay to open presents.
Use a Table-Top Holiday Tree
Consider scaling back the Christmas tree and using a smaller, table-top tree. The tree can be placed up on a table and will be out of reach of crawling babies and young toddlers. Table-top holiday trees have the added benefit of taking up less floor space. Presents can be stacked under the table on Christmas morning, freeing up more floor space for young children to play.
Anchor the Christmas Tree to the Wall
A hook can be screwed into a wall stud and the holiday tree can be secured to the hook with fishing line or sturdy string. For extra security, two or three hooks can be used to anchor the tree at several points down the length of its trunk. It will be impossible for a toddler to pull a securely anchored tree over onto himself.
Toddler-Proof Christmas Tree Ornaments
This is the time to put aside the fragile glass and ceramic holiday ornaments, or at least put them up high on the tree away from exploring toddlers. The bottom half of the tree should be decorated in paper, plastic, cloth or yarn ornaments. Avoid ornaments that have small pieces that could be a choking hazard. Instead of metal ornament hooks, loop the ornaments on the tree by the string.
Give Inquisitive Toddlers Some Tree Exploring Time
Comments
These are great tips. We have the tree up but not decorated yet, and I think it's been good for our daughter -- she can get used to it being there without so much danger. Of course we are still cautious, but I think it's helped to ease her into the concept.
Nice article, we didn't use any hooks, lights and glass ornaments this year.
Wow, great ideas! We werent' even going to get one this year because we were worried it would be pulled over. Thanks!
We always put our tree in a crib. This gave us issues when the kids needed time out but hey...whatever works.
;)
Like Kelly I too wrote a similar piece! This is a big issue for those of us with little ones this time of year. :)
Great advice! I think we will be doing the play yard for our Christmas tree.
Great tips! I love the information, links and advice that you provided. Thanks! Nice job.
Happy Holidays!
I've written a similar piece, and it's in my queue! Great minds think alike. Nicely written, Lucy!
#1 must be for people will climb-free kids. Mine would have scaled that thing in no time. Luckily we are beyond that now and only have to worry about cats pulling down the tree.
Great advice and perfect timing!
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