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Cindyrella
LIF Toddler
Member since 8/08 403 total posts
Name:
Cindy
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Christmas and toddlers question
I usually put up my Christmas tree after thanksgiving and im trying to figure out if theres any way to block it from my 18m ds - hes at that stage where he loves touching everything and of course the tree will be full of many things he'll want to get his hands on.
Id hate to put the tree in another part of the house b/c we wont see it - but if i put it in the main living area im afraid thats all ds will want to do.
What has/is everyone else doing? Is there some kind of gate that you can put up? He has a play arena that i thought to use but hes able to push/pull the sides around so that wont work.
TIA
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Posted 11/12/12 12:49 PM  |
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Pray4Baby2010
<3 Cutest Giants Fan
Member since 10/09 5796 total posts
Name:
MB
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Re: Christmas and toddlers question
we have a fake one until he's older that we put on a table
but wanted to mention that my friend bought one of those larger play yard gates that's like 10 feet around- she has the room to do that and keep it gated off
similar to this
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| Posted 11/12/12 12:51 PM |
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cheryl28
LIF Adult
Member since 2/10 4657 total posts
Name:
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Re: Christmas and toddlers question
LAst year dd never touched it. She put an ornament up and helped a bit but after that she would go look at it but never touched it.
I put the "crappy" ornaments on the bottom so if she did touch them the wouldn't break.
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| Posted 11/12/12 12:55 PM |
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Xelindrya
Mommy's little YouTube Star!
Member since 8/05 14470 total posts
Name:
Veronica
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Christmas and toddlers question
I use unbreakable ornaments (we had cats before we had AJ) and both the cats and her have in the past swatted them around.
I use a 4ft fake tree on top of a table. When she was younger it was higher now that she's older it goes on top of her train table and she sits on it and helps decorate it. At 2 years old we had it on the floor to help decorate.
Again since ALL of my ornaments are unbreakable (but look like glass) its totally fine with me. I have very fond memories of looking up under a xmas tree and being dazzled by the lights. Its something I want for her too. She loves the xmas tree lights. When she was 18m or so she kept those lights on through march. We took all the ornaments off and it became like a 'night light' in the corner of our living room. "teee plees" haha!
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| Posted 11/12/12 12:59 PM |
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sfp0701
Liam's Mommy!
Member since 1/07 9764 total posts
Name:
Tricia
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Re: Christmas and toddlers question
We had one of those play yards and we put it up around the tree at my Mom's. At our house we didn't have ornaments on the bottom half of the tree for a couple of years.  It looked stupid but, it worked.
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| Posted 11/12/12 1:15 PM |
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Re: Christmas and toddlers question
Good question! DH and I keep wondering what the heck we are going to do this year. I'm thinking a play yard gate is the way to go until the presents go out x-mas eve. Now I know why my parents didn't put the lights and ornaments on until xmas eve! 
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| Posted 11/12/12 1:21 PM |
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allIwant
Love my crazy life!
Member since 1/10 9170 total posts
Name:
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Re: Christmas and toddlers question
Last year they were 11 months..we used the play yard.
This year they will be 23 months...so I am not sure if we have to use it again. Maybe they will listen and not touch it.......yeah right!
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| Posted 11/12/12 1:25 PM |
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rkl1130
LIF Adult
Member since 10/07 1476 total posts
Name:
Rose Ann
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Christmas and toddlers question
Last year, we were worried about DD and the Christmas tree because she was only about a year old. We put one up and we had unbreakable ornaments on the bottom and limited the number of breakable ornaments we put up and went heavier on the lights. We also made her a part of the tree trimming process.
It worked out great because she didn't touch a thing and loved to sit under the tree with the cat when it was all lit up.
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| Posted 11/12/12 2:53 PM |
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Cindyrella
LIF Toddler
Member since 8/08 403 total posts
Name:
Cindy
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Re: Christmas and toddlers question
its not so much the ornaments im worried about - im worried about ds pull on the tree itself (or pulling and it toppling over)
and if you used non breakable ornaments did you still use the metal hooks?
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| Posted 11/12/12 3:50 PM |
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lorich
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Member since 6/05 9987 total posts
Name:
Grammie says "Lora Gina"
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Re: Christmas and toddlers question
DS is 3 & we've never done anything different. We put the tree up in the same spot, we don't arrange the ornaments any differently & continue to put the train, etc under the tree.
He's learned from an early age not to touch the tree. He shows interest & we talk about all the ornaments, but there's never been the need to tell him not to climb or do anything other than look at the tree.
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| Posted 11/12/12 3:56 PM |
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LemonHead
Sour Girl
Member since 3/08 5271 total posts
Name:
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Re: Christmas and toddlers question
Posted by cheryl28
I put the "crappy" ornaments on the bottom so if she did touch them the wouldn't break.
Same here. I also put most of the ornaments on when DD was sleeping so she wouldn't think it was ok to manhandle them.
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| Posted 11/12/12 4:07 PM |
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neener1211
:-)
Member since 4/07 22952 total posts
Name:
J
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Re: Christmas and toddlers question
We convinced our kids when they were that little that it was hot, so if they went near it, we would say, "No, hot!!" and they would step away.
If that doesn't work, you could always put a gate around it.
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| Posted 11/12/12 4:50 PM |
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Xelindrya
Mommy's little YouTube Star!
Member since 8/05 14470 total posts
Name:
Veronica
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Re: Christmas and toddlers question
Posted by Cindyrella
and if you used non breakable ornaments did you still use the metal hooks?
No we don't use hooks.. because *I* am a clutz! Kept poking myself and I HATE HATE HATE how they get all tangled.
Ironic
Because we use ribbon. Like satin. Maroon and silver. I saw it on a magazine once and I really loved hte look so its what we use. We have two primary color combos.
Purple and Silver
Gold and Red / Silver
Everything is held by string or ribbon.
Under two the tree was high and away from her. Over two it was on the train table or floor. Its artifical and 4 foot. If it toppled on her, it would scare her but not really harm her. Besides which I don't think she was ever alone with the tree when it was lowered.
2yrs old it was in another room, door closed at night (faced the outside so we liked the lights there). Last year it was in our living room but again, she's never alone and the tree couldn't topple on her, she wouldnt have the right angle.
I never gave it much thought, but I guess you could say we never kept the tree in a place or accessible that she COULD topple it over on her. I generally don't have sharp ornaments.
Our red and gold include drops of jewels, smallish non breakable ornaments in spirals, stars, circles. gold tinsel of gold discs.
Our purple/silver is two tones of purple and silver spheres, and both purple and silver ribbon bows.
Our star was pointy and tin but it died out last year so this year we have a smaller star.
I dont know.. maybe we were lucky she only liked to SEE the tree? haha
ETa: you can see the ribbon here:
And here you can see the train table that holds it and why it never bothered me about toppling. I LOVE our tree LOL its easy to move from the house to the garage and store.
When she's older we MAY get a bigger tree but we just don't see the need yet.
Message edited 11/12/2012 5:35:59 PM.
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| Posted 11/12/12 5:28 PM |
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smooney
Hidey Ho!
Member since 2/10 1669 total posts
Name:
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Re: Christmas and toddlers question
We are gating our tree this year- DD is a maniac and I know she will go right for it. Either that or we are gating her...
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| Posted 11/12/12 5:29 PM |
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Hofstra26
Love to Bake!
Member since 7/06 27915 total posts
Name:
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Re: Christmas and toddlers question
This is just me but I never did anything different with our tree when our DD was little. We put it in the same spot with the same decorations on it and I didn't gate it off. We just taught her to look but not touch so that when we were at other people's houses she knew to leave their trees alone too.
Aside from that, I count the months until Xmas and I LOOOOOOVE enjoying my tree all season long so I selfishly really didn't want to do anything different. She just had to learn to leave it alone because Mommy loves her Xmas tree! 
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| Posted 11/12/12 5:45 PM |
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ali120206
2 Boys
Member since 7/06 17796 total posts
Name:
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Christmas and toddlers question
We didnt put one up when DS first started walking - he was just turning 1 and an animal. We also had a crazy time in between thanksgiving and Christmas so it wasn't a priority.
We did put one up though right before DS was 2. He took some ornaments off and he was infatuated with turning it on and off but we were able to get him to stop. I'm excited for him to decorate with me this year.
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| Posted 11/12/12 5:51 PM |
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Adriana
LIF Infant
Member since 8/10 259 total posts
Name:
Adriana
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Re: Christmas and toddlers question
i have no idea what i'm going to do either!
we live in my mothers home and her christmas tree is huge --and rotates!! its a big production and she has tons of disney ornaments as well...
I dont know how we would be able to keep her from seeing us place the ornaments on the tree-and then telling her she cant touch--
should be interesting!
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| Posted 11/13/12 10:14 AM |
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Domino
Always My Miracle
Member since 9/05 9924 total posts
Name:
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Re: Christmas and toddlers question
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| Posted 11/13/12 10:21 AM |
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