How to Childproof a Christmas Tree

Christmas is heaven for children but it can be hell on parents and other adults. Ease your mind - and safeguard the kids in your life - by preventing problems before they happen.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Outlet Covers
• bricks , stones, or concrete blocks
• ropes , cord, or bungee

1. Assess your child realistically. How old is she? How far can she reach? (from the floor? from the couch?) How high can she jump, when she really tries (and is she likely to)? Is she old enough to understand words like "no," "hot" and "sharp" and the concepts behind them?

2. Place the tree in the safest spot you can find - a corner works well (it works even better if you can move any furniture your child might be tempted to use as a stepladder to a safe distance).

3. Move all breakable ornaments (and any unbreakable ones you think your child might be tempted to eat) higher up the tree than you think your child can reach.

4. Move them a bit higher.

5. Remove any particularly valuable or prized fragile ornaments and use them somewhere safely out of reach (to decorate the mantelpiece, for example).

6. Tie the tree securely to a wall, column, or heavy piece of furniture if you think there's a danger that your child will jump on it, climb it, hang on it or otherwise manhandle it (this is not a bad idea in earthquake country anyway).

7. Use bricks or cinder blocks to weigh down the legs of the tree stand.

8. Don't forget to check the outlet - a shield should be available for times when the tree's not plugged in.

Tips & Warnings

• When children are learning to walk or toddling, it's just not realistic to expect them to remember not to use the tree to pull themselves up or balance themselves - which is why most family photo albums have a record of the year (or years) the tree occupied the playpen. Try using low bookshelves to construct a solid, protective "wall" around the tree, or encircle it securely with a baby gate instead.
• If your child is too young to understand "no" or can't resist temptation, consider decorating only the upper half of the tree - including lights. Almost anything - candy canes, Styrofoam balls, paper or popcorn-and-cranberry chains - can quickly turn into a choking hazard for a curious child.

Resources

• Santa Letter
• Christmas Recipes

Who Can Help Sponsored

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[Blackbear]

on 12/16/2007 I bend the hooks around the tree branches well enough so that my little boy can't pull it off. It has to be sturdy decorations though. (Wooden,etc) Great article!! My boy hasn't attempted to climb the tree yet! But he has knocked it over. The poor thing looks like it's been beaten!

on 1/5/2006 Buy a smaller tree and install it on a small, stable, well-secured table.

on 1/5/2006 If you have a very active child, or more than one child, you might consider setting up the tree inside a playpen. It's visible and protected--plus you can safely stash the gifts under the tree and they won't accidentally get opened.

on 11/22/2005 For small children not yet climbing, rather than putting your tree in a play pen, make a wall surrounding the tree with large cardboard boxes filled with books or heavy weight material. Use different size boxes and randomly place them around the tree, making sure there is no gaps for the child to crawl through. Cover the boxes in Christmas paper and the wall becomes part of the decorations.

on 11/22/2005 If you have a small child, cluster the cloth, wood, or plastic ornaments on the bottom third of the tree. Keep the breakable ones higher up. If you're really worried about your kids getting into the tree, wait a year or two before putting your precious heirloom ornaments on the tree. Use them on the mantelpiece, or on top of a bookcase.