Xmas tree in a travel cot

[JCrakers]

Was speaking to a parent this morning who was dropping off her 14m old. She asked me how the Christmas tree had gone down with the little ones. I said, they love it and enjoy watching the lights.

She asked what she should do with her tree, as she was sure her 14m old would be extremely interested in touching it. I told her either allow him to touch or tell him not to, she can then decide how she wants to approach it. Little ones love to touch the shiny balls but obviously don't want the tree over.
My own two children were allowed to touch but I showed them how to touch carefully not allowing them to grab and pull. Children can be taught to be gentle, I've had no problem.

She said the HV had advised her and was advising all parents to put the tree in a travel cot!?!? Is it just me that wanted to laugh out loud :laughing:

Sorry if Ive offended anyone who does have their tree inside a cot but I found it really funny

[watford wizz]

What with the child!! LOL x

[munch149]

Weird lol. If anything I would put i would use my baby dan playpen to go round it but I've never felt the need

[QualityCare]

Have to agree with you l find it funny like you say children are and should be taught not to touch we always have a large tree standing on the floor and never had it pulled over or destroyed children are shown how to be gentle.

[line6]

Why can't people just teach their children what is acceptable in terms of touching?? I believe this applies to other everyday things too not just Christmas trees. I have never moved everything up and away from my children or mindees - just told them what is ok and reminded them as needed. Even my Ofsted inspector told me that children should be taught not to touch some things rather than them being fenced off. Crazy to put a Christmas tree in a travel cot! Mind you with an 11 month old Labrador in the house this Christmas I may well change my mind!!

[KatieFS]

Flaming ridiculous!

[miffy]

And what is wrong with "No, don't touch!"?

HV is bonkers imvho!

Miffy xx

[AliceK]

Why can parents just not teach their children that some things are okay to do and others are NOT. I don't have stairgate here, I teach the children that they are not allowed to climb up the stairs. I have never had a problem with this. In my house No means No.
My DS's dad has a LO aged now 16mths old, they have more or less decided they will not have a tree this year because she wouldn't leave it alone so they probably wont be getting one despite having other older children in the house. Ridiculous :angry:

What is wrong with the good old fashioned way of teaching children the word No???

xxxx

[bunyip]

Tree in the travel cot, eh?

So that's why my travel cot has a power socket. :D

[Koala]

Oh no - what next.

Can santa still come down the chimney?? or do we need something else just in case a child tries it themselves!!

Another crap idea just to enable folk not to deal practically with what is right and wrong, god forbid we say NO!! and mean it! :panic:

[dawn100]

Why can't people just teach their children what is acceptable in terms of touching?? I believe this applies to other everyday things too not just Christmas trees. I have never moved everything up and away from my children or mindees - just told them what is ok and reminded them as needed. Even my Ofsted inspector told me that children should be taught not to touch some things rather than them being fenced off. Crazy to put a Christmas tree in a travel cot! Mind you with an 11 month old Labrador in the house this Christmas I may well change my mind!!

It's due to my 5 month old puppy that we're not having a tree this year not the kids! Got the box of decorations down left the room for five minutes baubles and tinsel was everywhere! I can only imagine the chaos if they were on the tree!!

But I think it's really sad that a HV is suggesting putting in a travel cot - I'd rather not have one than have it in a travel cot what's the point in that it would look like a monstrosity! It's so sad when kids get kept away from everything instead of being taught how to behave around it.

[JCrakers]

Glad its not just me that thinks the comment is completely loopy....:laughing:

Removing things from touch is bonkers..... Mum agreed with me that she's just going to tell him not to touch or be very gentle with it.

[munch149]

If anything I would say any presents you leave under the tree are more at risk that the tree itself lol

[dawn100]

I just make sure none of my decorations are super fragile, my mum has glass ornaments on her tree that it seems you only have to look at for them to break I worry about my kids going anywhere near her tree and they're all school age!

[hectors house]

I generally put a real tree outside on the deck so children can see it through patio doors will get it this weekend then just the week before Christmas I will put an artifical tree up in the lounge - this isn't so children don't touch it, it's more because it takes up a corner which is currently used as Story corner or role play corner.

I think children do need to be taught that somethings they are allowed to touch and play with and others they aren't - had a childminder visit me a few weeks ago who was amazed that I have ornaments and pictures in my window cills, she said one of her mindees would have wrecked my house (I was glad she didn't have that child that day), I think children need to be taught to live in the real world - look what happened to Sleeping Beauty!

[rickysmiths]

Tree in the travel cot, eh?

So that's why my travel cot has a power socket. :D

You mean they didn't tell you when you bought it? :laughing::laughing:

[rickysmiths]

When my two were little we lived in a flat and there wasn't much room for a tree so I bought one that hangs on the wall. I used it every year until we moved to a house and we had a real tree on the floor and I have never had a problem with the minded children. When we had our extention built and I now have a dedicated playroom I use the tree on the wall. The socket is above it on the wall so no trailing wires perfect.

[emma04]

What a total nutcase!!! And these are the people that guide new parents on how's best to raise their children!!!!

How about we put HV in a travel cot and push them off the nearest cliff top!!

Children need to understand what's ok and what's not ok! And having your christmas tree in a travel cot is NOT ok! It's absurd!

"No" or "don't touch" is adequate in my opinion and if that fails children will be banned from my front room!! Lol

[skatie]

Never heard anything so ridiculous in my whole life....

I completely agree that children should learn not to touch, however, some children are a little more ...stubborn shall we say. My own gorgeous, cheeky ds was just 1 last christmas. We had our beautiful tree up and before long the little monkey was pulling things off the tree with particular interest in the baubles. The baubles gradually migrated higher up the tree with reminders not to touch the christmas tree. Well, if he wanted a bauble, he would shake the tree. One particular night whilst making dinner I heard the most horrifying scream. I came rushing into the lounge to find ds with a bauble hanging off his tongue, I thought he had caused a suction where he had taken the silver hanging bit off but noticed blood pouring down his chin onto his chest. He had actually pierced his tongue on a shard of glass inside the open bit. Luckily I managed to see which direction the shard was pointing as it had gone through his tongue so could pull it the opposite direction. Horrific, he still has the scar to prove it. Nothing breakable on the tree this year but he I still pulling things off despite being told not to touch the tree....

[jackie 7]

Please don't tell a hv where I got my tree. About 2 months ago someone moved into my building and put their tree in its box on the ground by the bins. Well I thought it plus the painting might make a few pounds for a friend in car boot. Ended up keeping the space saver tree and got a bouncy baby seat from the painting profits. It looks great I do love doing trash or treasure.

[IndigoMoon]

When I had two under ones and a one year old I put the christmas tree inside my baby dan playpen. Personally I didn't think it was worth the risk of them trying to pull themselves up on it and pulling it over on themselves.

This year they are all that bit older and its just there and they don't touch it, but I can see the sense of pouting it out of the way, who wants to spend all christmas saying "don't touch, be careful, touch gently"

[smurfette]

When I had two under ones and a one year old I put the christmas tree inside my baby dan playpen. Personally I didn't think it was worth the risk of them trying to pull themselves up on it and pulling it over on themselves. This year they are all that bit older and its just there and they don't touch it, but I can see the sense of pouting it out of the way, who wants to spend all christmas saying "don't touch, be careful, touch gently"

We have ours in a corner , fenced in by the sideboard , and dining table and chairs. They could still get to it underneath the chairs but it will slow them down a bit! With the best will in the world uou cannot watch it every minute of every day, and it will take them a while to learn don't touch.. So I think a combo of don't touch and sensible precautions if needed probably is the way To go! Case and point we have a small one in hall this year and one little fella who normally doesn't touch anything managed to pull it down yesterday., nothing breakable on it and no harm done but just goes to show!

[smurfette]

Please don't tell a hv where I got my tree. About 2 months ago someone moved into my building and put their tree in its box on the ground by the bins. Well I thought it plus the painting might make a few pounds for a friend in car boot. Ended up keeping the space saver tree and got a bouncy baby seat from the painting profits. It looks great I do love doing trash or treasure.

Love trash for treasure too sounds like a bargain!!

[teacakepenguin]

The first year I had 2 kittens we hung a sort of tree thing from the ceiling, it was safer!! However with the kids it's been fine to have a real tree. I went for a smaller tree for a few years and put it on a table, partly so that it wasn't possible for the little one to climb and get it, and partly because it was cheaper so it made it look bigger by having it higher!

Honestly, that HV is nuts... It makes you wonder how many people have listened to her though.

[LauraS]

I have a 7ft floor standing tree. The glass and precious baubles are above about 4ft so the little ones can't reach, and all of the rest of the baubles are wired on to the branches, not just hung, so nothing falls off if prodded. The tree is anchored to the wall at the top with thick string (which I painted to match the wall so it is invisible... Bit OCD) so it can't be pulled over.

The children have a treasure basket with their own decorations in. Ikea were doing a set of paper and card decorations and baubles, and even the 14m old is enjoying decorating the tree with them, over and over.

I have all 1yos this year, last year had the same arrangement with 1 to 4yos and no issues.

[smurfette]

I have a 7ft floor standing tree. The glass and precious baubles are above about 4ft so the little ones can't reach, and all of the rest of the baubles are wired on to the branches, not just hung, so nothing falls off if prodded. The tree is anchored to the wall at the top with thick string (which I painted to match the wall so it is invisible... Bit OCD) so it can't be pulled over. The children have a treasure basket with their own decorations in. Ikea were doing a set of paper and card decorations and baubles, and even the 14m old is enjoying decorating the tree with them, over and over. I have all 1yos this year, last year had the same arrangement with 1 to 4yos and no issues.

Have u given them a tree to decorate or are they decorating yours? Lovely idea

[mum2two]

I've got one parent who's child (21 mths) def rules the roost!!

We've got a tree up in the playroom, and think they've prob all touched it once. We've said no - and they've all listened!

Last night, said mum asked how x was with the tree. We explained, and she said, oh last year he was a nightmare we were contemplating not even bothering putting one up this year. :-O

What?!?!?! Why can't these parents just grow a backbone and say no - and stick to it????

[bunyip]

Does anyone have a spare travel cot they can loan me for the tree?

I have one, but decided to put the oven in it, cos telling a child "No - don't touch!" is such a negative approach, and I don't want them growing up with the idea that they might be expected to do as they're told or even have to learn to manage their own behaviour at some point.

:rolleyes:

[MessybutHappy]

Does anyone have a spare travel cot they can loan me for the tree?

I have one, but decided to put the oven in it, cos telling a child "No - don't touch!" is such a negative approach, and I don't want them growing up with the idea that they might be expected to do as they're told or even have to learn to manage their own behaviour at some point.

:rolleyes:

Hi Bunyip, I do, but I had to cut the mesh out off the sides in case a child made a hole in it and got stuck, then I found they might get trapped underneath so I cut the legs of, this made the folding arms unstable, so we took them off, the four posts were clear a risk too my eyes everytime I laid a child down, so we took them off too... I've still got the base? Should be ok if you screw it to the floor to stop it folding...wouldn't want little fingers to get trapped.

:-D:-D:-D

[watford wizz]

This made me laugh out loud! But you forgot to say "please" x

[shortstuff]

Hi Bunyip, I do, but I had to cut the mesh out off the sides in case a child made a hole in it and got stuck, then I found they might get trapped underneath so I cut the legs of, this made the folding arms unstable, so we took them off, the four posts were clear a risk too my eyes everytime I laid a child down, so we took them off too... I've still got the base? Should be ok if you screw it to the floor to stop it folding...wouldn't want little fingers to get trapped.

:-D:-D:-D

Brill thanks :-)

[clairer]

Ha ha, is it due a sleep?

[LauraS]

Have u given them a tree to decorate or are they decorating yours? Lovely idea

They are decorating mine, or at least the bottom foot of it. I bought some stuffed felt robins from asda to add to their basket last night, they are today's favourite!

[smurfette]

[QUOTE="LauraS;1325577"] They are decorating mine, or at least the bottom foot of it. I bought some stuffed felt robins from asda to add to their basket last night, they are today's favourite![/QUOTE

Aw cute!

[clareelizabeth1]

My DS is 1 this year and has a climbing compulsion. He can scale anything he has already made it up to the windows using whatever is available I feel a tree would be to easy to climb and to tempting for him. So this year the tree is going on the decking so we can see it from the playroom. Also have some life size penguins to go around the tree this year so don't think I could of fit in the house.

[Simona]

This thread has made me laugh!!
Has this mum thought of putting the tree on a small table so it is not at child's level? or is that too simple?
if she ends up using the travel cot...ask her to take a picture...I feel it has to be seen to be believed??

[kellyskidz!]

Imagine how awful it would look for starters, if I walked into my friends house and they had their tree in a travel cot I think I'd find it hard not to laugh! The comment about putting the oven in a travel cot made me chuckle, its another case of Childcare professionals losing their sense of reality, its a Christmas tree, should be a joy to put up and look at!