We have what is going under the tree covered here at Rosa & Bo, check out our website if you still need some ideas for your little ones! But the actual tree for pre-schoolers is a whole other ball game. As much as I would love (and I really would!) an ideal home-style Christmas tree, the Christmas of 2019 when my daughter pulled down our tree complete with glass baubles taught me I need to do things differently! So this year I have researched the many ways to toddler-proof our tree, so here they are if you are considering the same: 

1. Put a gate of presents around the tree

Ok, a gate may sound a bit much, but, these tiny humans are surprisingly strong, so if you are going to build a present gate you need to think of what is really heavy that you can wrap up. You could have some boxes filled with recipe books, for example, wrap these up and et voila! Your present gate is complete and your tree is safe! 

 2. Ditch the delicate ornaments

Save yourselves a whole heap of stress but not putting on the glass baubles this year. You can make inexpensive felt or foam decorations with your children, or perhaps you already have some soft or wooden decorations that you can put on the tree. I speak from experience when I say… glass is a no-no!

 3. Look into Christmas tree alternatives

There are some absolutely gorgeous felt Christmas trees on the market where your child can happily, and safely take off the ornaments and put them back on, which let's face it, is exactly what they want to do with a real tree and exactly what you don’t want them to, so everyone wins with a felt tree.

Or there are so ‘ladder’ style Christmas trees, which look lovely. You can still get the effect of a Christmas tree in your home, but it’s mounted to a wall so there is no danger of it being pulled down! I am opting for both of these options this year.

 4. Tabletop tree

You could opt for a smaller tree, and put it up high. That way you still get to put up your treasured decorations, and little hands and eyes can admire them from afar!

5. If you are going to put up your regular tree- secure it well!

Run don’t walk for this tip people! You can secure the top of your tree with some transparent elastic securing it to the wall and tying it around the top of your tree. To secure the base, you could wrap some bricks and place them around the feet of the stand.

But even if all this feels a bit much, you could always opt for no tree this year. Ultimately, you don’t want to cause yourself or your little ones unnecessary stress, so we would advise you to go with whichever option feels easiest for you! That way you can focus on enjoying spending time together, which after all is what Christmas is all about!

This blog has been written by our Resident Play Expert here at Rosa & Bo, Sarah Doman. Sarah is a Hypnobirth and Early Years Expert. She helps families from pregnancy to children of school age to give birth and parent with confidence.