Christmas tree...should I Put One up or Not??

We put our tree up (the big one) last weekend while my 18 month-old was sleeping. When he woke up and saw the tree with all of its lights and ornaments he literally shrieked with excitement and he can't wait to turn on the lights each morning when he wakes-up!

If you use a strong stand and make sure that there are no "enticing" ornaments within reach and NEVER leave her unsupervised around the tree, you should be fine. Also make sure that the plug for the lights is either covered or well-hidden. We talked with JD about the tree and there is a "no-touch" rule. So far, so good. We put up our tree last year too!

there a few things you can do, put up a gate around it, tie a rope around the tree and secure it to the wall that way. Or, just teach her no!(easier said that done) It's hard, I did go through quite a bit getting my daughter not to touch ours at that stage, but I stayed on it and consistently told her no and stuck to a punishment (The time out chair for two minutes) and it was only a pain for about 4 days.

The worst part is, my daughter is 4 now, and this has been the worst year ever for her going near the tree! I have caught her a few times sneaking oranments in her room and hiding them!

We out our big tree up every year and this year will be no different (my daughter is 21 months old). Our plan is to put "safe", non breakable ornaments closer to the bottom and use string to tie them to the branches instead of using the metal hooks. We also make sure electrical wires are hidden from view (under a rug, etc).

As far as the tree falling, if you have a play yard gate or a wrap around safety gate you could put around the tree, that works even better. Your daughter can view the tree and the pretty ornaments and lights without being able to hurt herself (or the tree).

My daughter will also be 2 in January and we are putting up a tree. We have been tying the tree to the wall just to make sure. We have been doing that for years cause one year our cats were playing under the tree and knocked it over. Many of our friends said the same thing. I also do not put glass balls or important ornaments on the bottom. I think that it will be fine. We have a artificial tree on our porch and she just looks at it. I told her not to touch just to look at the pretty lights. So far so good. She will have to learn sooner or later. So now is the best time. Good Luck and Happy Holidays!

what we do is put the breakables up on the very top, and let the kids decorate the bottom with everything thats safe, the garland (usually in a big blob at the bottom), those old school construction paper links, bows, any soft sturdy or wood ornaments, etc. the tree looks psychotic, it makes me smile, really looks like a family tree, matches the rest of my house. then we use string or fishing line to attach the tree to the wall, we tie 2 wires near the top and then to 2 far points on the wall, we use the brackets on either side of the drapery rod of the big window. and we dont have it up very long, and we keep an eye. no guarantees. so far in years past, its been ok. but now my 2 year old is a destructive force like nothing ive ever seen, im watching him climb the entertainment unit as i type right now, im not hopeful about the survival of the tree, lol...i think the ornaments i love the most will be taking a break this year. we shall see...

My daughter is 2 1/2. We put up a tree last year and this year and had no problems. As a matter of fact, both years, she helped put it together. Even at 18 months (last year) she brought us the branches as we put them on. This year she did the same thing. And she handed us the ornaments one at a time out of the box as we placed them on. The only thing she couldn't do was wrap the lights around it. Anyway, our tree has never fallen. I never even considered it would be an issue.

Go for it! It mill make the holiday that much more magical :)