Holiday decorations can be a tricky situation if you have little ones running around the house. Toddlers are so curious and excited (all the time) that it’s important to keep them safe.
Last year, Maggie was just a little over a year old and loved getting herself into messes. I figured we would just not have a Christmas tree in order to keep her safe and my sanity intact. Having some brainstorming, we came up with the perfect solution to keep her safe AND have a Christmas tree. We needed a baby gate/fence!
It ended up working great for us. She never got into any of the gifts. It was sturdy enough to where she could pull on it and I didn’t have to worry about any accidents. In fact, this picture below is as close as she ever got to touching the tree.
Some other tips to keep in mind if you have curious toddlers in your house –
- Keep holiday candles out of reach!
- Beware of tinsel and ribbons around little ones. Strangling and choking come to mind.
- Don’t forget some holiday plants are poisonous – holly and poinsettias, especially!
- If you rearrange furniture, make sure to cover the exposed electrical outlets.
- Avoid decor that look like food (candy canes, cookies, etc.) Little ones may mistake it for “real” food.
Share your tips! How do you keep your little ones safe around the Christmas tree and other decorations?
Comments
Anonymous
1. Glass ornaments should never be at reach level….they brittle with time and break easily.
2. Tensil is a no no for both kids and pets.. pets are known to swollow and choke on tensil.
3. Forget the spray snow until they are old enough to spray it themselves. What a mess!
Most of all.. enjoy the Christmas holiday….
The Regal Pup
Great tips! We opted for no tree this year. I have a busy body 19 month old running around, and we'll be gone for Christmas too. I figure this is probably the last year we can get away w/ it! 🙂
CarliAlice
I need a baby fence! My tree looks aweful right now due to my kitty…I'm sure that my granddaughters will help with the "look" as well.
Jennie
These are great tips! I have been putting off putting up our tree, and need to find one of those fences – they look perfect!
Carrie with Children
CarliAlice & Jennie – We got our baby fence at Babies R Us! I was in there last week and they were on sale! 🙂 Pair them up with a BRU coupon for extra savings!
Ashley
Great tips!
Xenia
Great tips! So far we've been lucky that neither of our kids have caused any problems with the tree, but I know more than one person who did the same thing you did with a gate. It's a great idea!
Thanks so much for joining us for Friendly Friday, Carrie! I've just spent forever browsing back through your blog because your writing style is so friendly! 🙂
Melanie
My kids are older now, but none of them ever bothered the tree or the ornaments on them when they were toddlers, and I never gated the tree. The presents underneath are a different story.
The tree did get knocked into a time or two. No major damage incurred.