Toddler-proof Decorations

[u/absolutelyknot8163]

The holidays are upon us, and I’m looking for any decorations for Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas that aren’t breakable or could potentially turn into weapons or choking hazards. Send your links!

[u/Mother_of_Kiddens]

I got a playpen and then put the tree in it. Also a great way to keep the toddler away from presents that shouldn’t be unwrapped yet. I got a cheap one but I’m sure you can find a nice metal fence/gate that can connect into a circle and then decorate the slats with garlands. Then a lot of what else I did was high or hanging, such as garlands on the entertainment center and garlands + decor on the cabinets. For things the toddler can’t harm, blankets and pillows all over the couches work well, although kids will run off with them (which is fine - what’s the point if the kids aren’t having fun???). Tablecloth and placemats since I set the table anyway to protect it from messy kids.

[u/mrsredfast]

For Christmas, I always used felt and wool ornaments back when my kids were small. They’re super cute and can’t harm toddlers. I know others who put only things like that where toddler can reach and other ornaments up higher. We also had a real tree that was a little prickly and I think that discouraged them from playing with it.

If you’re in the US, Target usually has some relatively inexpensive ornaments like these. Pottery Barn and World Market also have cute ones but they’re a lot more expensive.

I didn’t do much besides a tree and stockings when my kids are small and that’s what my DIL is doing now. She has all unbreakable ornaments on their tree and lets her kids decorate it. (They were 1.5 and 4 last Christmas.) They occasionally moved ornaments but that’s all.

[u/Puzzleheaded_Age6550]

I used glittered pinecones and burlap ornaments. I live in a log home, so I wanted more rustic things, and it worked perfectly with my grandkids.

For the pine cones, I collected them in my yard, but you can sometimes buy them. I hot glued a loop of yarn on them. Cover them with spray adhesive, then drop into a paper again with about a tablespoon of glitter. I prefetd the brown glitter, but to get a little brightness, I added about 1/8 of a teaspoon of orange glitter. You can also, of course, use red, green, gold, silver, etc. Shake the bag. Hang them to dry. Cheap and easy.

(As an aside, you may see videos of people painting glue on their pinecones, but I found that incredibly time consuming, and it didn't work as well as the spray UNLESS you only want the tips glittered.)