Christmas Tree Barrier

[HappyEverAfter]

Ok, so I am very much looking forward to putting up a huge (artificial) Christmas tree this year! It will be in my living room where the kiddos spend about 25% of their day. Two children are non mobile infants so I'm not concerned about them but my other two are mobile: one walker and one new crawler/pull upper. My concern is not the ornaments, they're not breakable and I'll use string instead of hooks to hang them but I do worry about the tree getting pulled down or the crawler chewing on it. I know I will need some sort of barrier around the bottom of the tree to keep little hands off it. So far my only idea is to place a play yard gate around it. I'd love to have a prettier option. What do you all do to keep those trees from being touched?

[jenboo]

Play yard gate. We have a white one

[DaveA]

Play yard gate. We have a white one

Same thing. It works well and is easy to move out of the way if needed.

[Cat Herder]

I tell them no.

I also give them a basket of non-breakable ornaments to decorate their own small tree in home living.

[Jupadia]

My dk kids are not exposed to my tree. But my kids are taught not to play with it (age 4 and almost 2). Younger one was good last year this year we will have to re teach him.

Dk kids have a felt tree on the wall the cam play with and rearrange felt cut out ornaments on.

[lovemykidstoo]

I have seen some people do the playards around it.

We spend a huge amount of time in our living room and my kids have only broken 2 ornaments over the past 17 years. They know I am not dealing with them playing with my tree and they don't try.

[Blackcat31]

I'd spend time teaching them to just not touch it.

I use a blanket to teach the kids about boundaries.
I do this from day one.

I am then able to use the blanket for everything else any time I need a barrier or visual that says "Don't touch!"

[Meeko]

Our tree isn't where the little ones have direct access, and so I don't block it... but I have a provider friend who bought PET gates (shorter) and wrapped Christmas fabric around them. Looked like the tree was surrounded by big gifts. It was enough to keep her crawlers away from the tree. She had the tree raised on a stand so none of it was blocked from view.

[Farmerswife]

I'd spend time teaching them to just not touch it.

I use a blanket to teach the kids about boundaries.
I do this from day one.

I am then able to use the blanket for everything else any time I need a barrier or visual that says "Don't touch!"

I have a gate in my play room to keep big kids and little kids separated. I rinse and repeat until I'm blue in the face for the 1 yr old not to touch the gate. She does not listen! How do you do it???

[Blackcat31]

I have a gate in my play room to keep big kids and little kids separated. I rinse and repeat until I'm blue in the face for the 1 yr old not to touch the gate. She does not listen! How do you do it???

It's definitely a process and one that can be exhausting with some kids...

I learned how to create boundaries and how to teach kids about not touching gates here

[hwichlaz]

Before I had my playroom gated off I used a fireplace gate. I have two of them. One around my fireplace and one around my BBQ outside. I put the BBQ in the shed for the winter, which frees up the BBQ gate for other uses at just the right time of year.

[HappyEverAfter]

I'd spend time teaching them to just not touch it.

I use a blanket to teach the kids about boundaries.
I do this from day one.

I am then able to use the blanket for everything else any time I need a barrier or visual that says "Don't touch!"

Ooohh, I like this idea! I have gates in the playroom and eating area and they're taught never to touch those so I think this blanket idea may work wonders for teaching them not to touch the tree!

[Mom2Two]

In past years we have just not put up the tree until we say goodbye to the dck on the last day they're here before Christmas. But it really puts a damper on the season--I love Christmas trees!

We could try the play fence (we have one), but our front room is pretty small. I was thinking to get a smaller tree or two that we could put up in higher places until I start my Christmas break.

[Miss A]

I'll be putting ours up with a play yard surrounding it. My DS-1 is the worst listener, and I know he will be the worst of them all if it was left out in the open. It won't be the prettiest, but it will be safe!

[TheMisplacedMidwestMom]

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