The festive season is a time of joy, excitement and creating cherished memories with loved ones. From presents under the Christmas tree to festive treats and quality time, it is all worthwhile and fulfilling.
However, when you have curious young ones around, it is important to manage their safety at all times.
Picture: iStock / HlspanolIstIc
Decorating a Christmas tree can be plenty of fun, but keeping it out of reach for little hands can be rather challenging.
Consider these few tips to decorate and childproof your Christmas tree:
Involve your children in the decorating process
Decorating the tree together as a family is a tradition which will form part of children’s fond memories. Although they may not achieve the desirable Insta-worthy aesthetic, involving them is still very much worth it.
Plus, being involved will allow them to explore the tree while being supervised. This may also make it less interesting for them to explore at a later stage when your back is turned, thus decreasing chances of them getting hurt.
Avoid small ornaments
When decorating your tree, avoid using small decorations as they can serve as a choking hazard.
Rather, choose ornaments that are child-friendly, non-breakable and non-chokable in order to eliminate potential hazards.
Make sure it is stable
To avoid any accidental tipping, ensure that your Christmas tree is firmly anchored. Tethering the tree to the wall, or simply getting a sturdy tree stand ensures stability and can help to prevent accidents.
Picture: Unsplash / Paige Cody
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Barricade the tree
Although the glow and glitter of all the decorations is undeniably attractive, blocking access to the tree is important in order to avoid any accidents.
Use a free-standing baby gate to barricade the tree, or place large boxes wrapped up to look like Christmas presents.
Decorate only the top half of the tree
In order to prevent your young ones from accessing low-hanging decorations, it may be wise to consider decorating only the top half of the tree.
By doing so, you ensure that the chances of accidents are reduced. The small decorative parts are less likely to become choking hazards when they are hung at the very top of the tree where your young ones can’t reach.
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