12 ways you can have a Christmas tree AND small children

Posted in Organisation.
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If you’ve got a mobile baby or rambunctious toddler in your midst, you might be starting to wonder how a Christmas tree – in all its ornamental goodness – will last more than a minute in one piece.

This is very much my dilemma this season, as I spend my full days running around after a twenty-month-old with a mission to destroy!

While a perfectly decorated, free-standing tree may not be possible with some bubs and tots around, with a little bit of compromise and imagination, there are still plenty of ways to celebrate the much-loved Christmas tree while avoiding those issues of safety and potential destruction.

Full Christmas stockings hanging

1. Fence it in

Many people opt for setting up their tree within a play pen; a great way to keep bub and Christmas trees separate while also allowing plenty of room for presents. You could also use weighted boxes to create a barrier ( wrapped up nice and Christmassy so it doesn’t look like you’re moving house), or even build your own little picket fence to protect that tree.

2. Light it up!

Instead of having an actual tree, you could invest in some strings of fairy lights and mount them to your wall (out of reach of little hands) in the shape of a Christmas tree for big festive points.

3. Downsize your tree and place it out of reach of little hands

There are numerous miniature tree options around, both manmade and live trees that are small enough to place on a shelf, unit or table top, out of reach of little hands. With plenty of love and lots of decoration, the smallest tree can make a big statement.

4. Buy a removable wall decal

Removable wall stickers bring tonnes of character to rooms. There are loads of Christmas tree options, in all colours and sizes across many Australian brands to suit your Christmas colour scheme.

5. Use kid-safe decorations

Paper snowflakes

Put aside the glass ornaments and electric lights this year and opt for non-breakables that are safe for little ones to touch, such as paper chains and plastic decorations, with no small hooks or parts.

Try these fun kid-friendly handmade decorations activities:

6. Have a nude tree

Somewhere along the way it became quite fashionable to leave the Christmas tree unadorned, but I wonder if it came about because of kids – or pets! Secure your tree, and celebrate its natural splendour.

7. Go the 50/50

Decorate only the upper half of the tree, so little hands can’t reach ornaments, decorations or electric lights. Dressed up top, nude below …

8. Grab your paper, scissors and glue and get your craft on

With some simple supplies you can get to work on an entirely different type of Christmas tree: a giant tree-shaped wall mural or poster, or perhaps build a cone-shaped tree out of cardboard and felt that the kids can decorate with pictures and paper ornaments.

Try this quick and easy handmade felt Christmas tree – perfect for toddlers to decorate (and redecorate)!

Grab the full instructions here.

9. Have a hanging tree

Another creative option is making a tree-shaped mobile and then hanging it in a corner from the ceiling.

10. Have an inflatable Christmas tree

Sure, these are probably meant to be an outdoor decoration – an inflatable Christmas tree works perfectly indoors too and may just be the solution you are looking for this year. No baubles to smash, no prickly needles to upset little hands. 

11. Display fake presents under the tree until Christmas eve

Hang on to all of those boxes from your online shopping sprees, wrap them up and put them under the tree. Better they are shaken, thrown and torn to shreds than the real gifts!

12. Opt out of a tree and go to town on the house!

For some, it may not be worth the worry or the effort to have a Christmas tree in the house this year. Instead you could put up some hooks and decorate the walls with decorations. The kids will love having plenty of decorations to gaze at.

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