#CHEAP BABYPROOF CHRISTMAS TREE HOW TO#
#CHEAP BABYPROOF CHRISTMAS TREE FULL#

You can still have a fully decorated Christmas tree even while you have little ones living in your home. Remain patient and calm while you have to do so. It is also a constant reminder of the joy of Christmas, so it incites feelings of great excitement.

#CHEAP BABYPROOF CHRISTMAS TREE FULL#

The tree is new, it is shiny, and it is full of interesting toy-looking things. If your child is accustomed to having rules on what is okay to touch and what isn’t, this should be enough to teach her what is and isn’t okay. You can gently remind her what is okay and what isn’t okay. Don’t Leave Your Kiddo Alone with the Treeįourth, be sure to be present with your child for the first week after a tree is put up. Don’t wait until your child tries to grab everything off the tree before you try to teach her that she can’t touch things. My favorite companion parenting principle to go along with ask and tell is training in times of non-conflict. When you are done, ask your child about the instructions as appropriate (see linked post below for more on this principle). Give instructions on what is okay and what is not okay with the Christmas tree. Third, remember the principle of Ask and Tell.

Then you could make the big main tree completely off-limits. I had a tree like that growing up and I really enjoyed it. If you find your child can’t handle the freedom, you might consider having a small tree that is okay for your child to decorate to her heart’s content. Some might touch everything rather than just the allowed ornaments. Now, not all children can handle this freedom of being able to touch a few ornaments, so consider it carefully before you allow it.

#CHEAP BABYPROOF CHRISTMAS TREE HOW TO#

How to Use Substitution for Toddler Discipline Read more about the principle of substution in this post: Your child will want to touch the tree and the ornaments so very much! If you have a few ornaments that she is allowed to touch, it can meet that desire. This can take the novelty away and also provides substitution to take place. We usually have a few “yes” ornaments on our tree.

Second, consider allowing her to play with something on the tree. That way if she succumbs to temptation, she won’t be injured and you won’t be lamenting the loss of that heirloom. Just make sure the breakable things are out of the child’s reach. I think that is pretty standard practice anyway–smaller and lighter stuff up higher right? Keep Breakables Out of Reachįirst, don’t put anything breakable within the child’s reach.

I think they would have looked at the tree the entire two hours!Ĭhristmas trees are like magnets for children, so it is wise to have a plan. They literally looked at it for 20 minutes and I had to prod them away to do an activity. I had four 3 and 4 year olds standing around the tree in awe. I remember a playgroup we had one year with Kaitlyn’s little friends. Trees are not just average, run-of-the-mill decorations. Just like you house-proof your child year round.īut I do have some extra tree tips. So how do you decorate a Christmas tree as usual with young little ones around? How to Decorate a Christmas Tree with Little Ones We had a mobile, young child for many, many years (well over a solid decade) and had no tree incidents. There is nothing baracading the tree from the family. I also don’t leave things out that are irreplaceable to me in any way.īut what about when the Christmas tree comes out? And those decorations? Do I only decorate the top half of the tree?

Please take note, I don’t leave things out that can be dangerous to the child. But it makes life easier in the long-run. That means I leave stuff out they aren’t allowed to touch so they learn that things are off limit at times and they learn they need to listen.ĭoes that make life harder for a while? Yes. While this is very practical, I wanted my children to have the opportunity to learn to listen to me when I tell them no. I have literally seen homes where nothing is available on the last two feet of available space. I remember being pregnant with Brayden and people laughing about how our stuff would slowly move up over time. I don’t rearrange my house to keep things out of reach. Don’t Leave Your Kiddo Alone with the Tree.How to Decorate a Christmas Tree with Little Ones.

Cheap babyproof christmas tree