Before we leave you for the weekend, we want to pass on some information about tree safety since many of you will be lighting and decorating a tree this holiday season. AT San Francisco has put together a comprehensive post on general holiday tree safety and we're adding some additional tips for keeping children safe near your family's tree (and, keeping your tree safe from your children!)
Hop over to ATSF for important safety information about real trees, artificial trees, aluminum trees and tree lighting.
Some additional safety measure to consider if children are in the picture include:
- Small ornaments can pose a choking hazard. Avoid tiny ornaments or ornaments with small pieces that can be easily broken off. If you have some in this category that you feel particularly sentimental about, hang them in the uppermost branches at the very least.
- Consider the potential for ornaments to fall and break. Glass ornaments pose a particular risk.
- Edible decoations can be particularly enticing to babies and children. If you like to string cranberries or popcorn or hang cookies, hang them out of reach of little hands.
- Older ornaments, especially, may hang from sharp hooks. Try to use ornaments that hang from ribbon or string.
- Like any electrical appliances or equipment, make sure young children can't access the electrical outlet.
- Make sure your tree is safely mounted or held in place with wire to avoid tipping and being pulled down (this applies to cats, too!).
- Use newer lights with miniature bulbs which will stay cool instead of heat up like the bulbs from our childhood.
- Depending on the age and precociousness of your children, you might consider placing a physical barrier in front of the tree as the flickr user, Matt Brent (photo above) has done since his wife operates daycare from their home.
After ALL this, enjoy the look on your children's faces as they enjoy the beauty of a lit, decorated tree in your home.
Great tips, but how are they ever going to learn???
;)
view pxlchk1's profile
There are plenty of opportunities to learn around things other than the Christmas tree.
view becbec's profile
We have two adopted kiddo's (2yr and 1yr) and we didn't do anything to protect the tree last year. Just told #1 no..and he learned quick to stay away.. but now that we have two, this is impossible..as one always heads for the tree when I'm up to my elbows in diaper, or getting the other out of the shower, or out of the dog food, etc.etc. So we have a gate across the sitting area with the tree.... you can only do so much. Esp. when your being tag teamed.
view sibergirlblue's profile