As exciting as it is to get the Christmas tree up, parents of crawling babies and curious toddlers also dread the possibility that all their hard work could be ruined by a single pull or shove.
But never fear, below are a couple tips to help prevent this from happening:
Only decorate the top half:
One mum who isn't keen on having any of her beautiful ornaments broken by her troublesome toddlers, has only decorated the top half of her tree for the last few years. If you choose to do this, she suggests placing the tree next to something like the couch where the bare bottom half can be partially covered.
Use a barrier of fake presents to keep them away:
One very clever suggestion from a mum who's had too many incidences of broken ornaments is wrapping boxes full of books to look like presents and stacking them around the bottom of the tree as a barrier. It not only looks nice, but it keeps the kids distanced from the branches.
Distract them with their own felt Christmas tree to decorate and undecorate:
The felt ornaments are easily stuck on and rip off again so the kids can switch them out as much as they like while you avoid a tree-tipping disaster.
Only use plastic ornaments:
Rather than run the risk of having expensive ornaments shattered once they are pulled by the kids and thrown on the floor, only purchase plastic ornaments. They are both cheap and unbreakable! If you do have a few fancier decorations you'd still like to get on there, make sure you put them on the top half.
Photo: Unsplash
Protect it with a baby gate:
It may not be the most aesthetically pleasing approach, but one of the simplest and safest ways to keep your children away from the tree is to put a baby gate around the bottom of it. This way you can also keep their sticky fingers away from the beautifully wrapped presents.
