Top Tips To Help You Enjoy A Toddler Friendly Christmas

Christmas time with a toddler can be both magical and stressful! There’s nothing cuter than seeing your toddler becoming increasingly excited for Santa to arrive. However, as any parent will testify, decorating the home and creating a magical Christmas atmosphere when you have a toddler isn’t easy.

There are a lot of things which can go wrong during the festive season thanks to your hyperactive, destructive toddler. So, if you want to enjoy a toddler-friendly Christmas this year, below you’ll discover some top tips which can help.

Invest In Shatterproof Decorations

When it comes to decorating in time for Christmas, you’ll definitely want to invest in shatterproof decorations. Toddlers are renowned for their love of picking everything up within their grasp; particularly if it’s new and exciting. They also have a reputation for breaking things. So, if you’re keen to keep your Christmas decorations intact, you’ll want to make sure they’re shatterproof – especially the baubles on the tree!

Add Bells To Keep Them Entertained

When you are decorating the tree, it’s a fun idea to add bells. Not only will your toddler love to play with them, but it also alerts you to when they are actually near the tree. So, if you’re in the other room and your toddler decides to sneakily investigate, you’ll hear them before they can cause any potential damage.

Remember to follow the tip above too and make sure the bells are shatterproof!

Know What NOT To Put On The Tree

Some decorations are better left off the tree when you have a toddler. Firstly, avoid using those metal hooks which typically come with tree decorations. These are definitely not toddler friendly and can potentially cause serious injury.

Secondly, you’ll want to avoid putting tinsel on the tree. It may look pretty, but it’s actually a pretty serious choking hazard. So, if you do want to decorate the home with tinsel, you’ll need to make sure it’s placed well out of reach of your little one.

Consider Giving Your Toddler Their Own Tree

One way to stop your toddler getting over-excited about the Christmas tree this year, is to give them their own tree. Now, we’re not suggesting giving them a real, or even a large artificial tree to themselves. Instead, you can get creative and give them a felt tree.

This can the be decorated with felt ornaments and your toddler will have great fun adding the decorations on themselves. You’ll find that they are so happy playing with their own tree, they won’t be too bothered about yours. Of course, you can also buy them a little miniature tree to keep in their room. Again, they can help decorate it and play with it under supervision. You will need to move it out of the way at night time though.

Decorate With Stuffed Toys

If you really want to make your decorations toddler-friendly, why not use stuffed toys? You can create cute little nativity sets which your toddler can actually play with. Providing a few decorations they can play with will deter them from touching the ones they aren’t supposed to!

Don’t Over-Invest In Presents

It’s tempting to go over-board on presents for your toddler. However, the truth is, they are going to be happy with just a few presents. It isn’t until they start getting a bit older that they become more concerned with how many presents they have received. So, why spend more when you really don’t have to?

There is also the risk that if you do buy lots of presents, that is what they’re going to expect each year. It also encourages them to get bored of each toy quickly. So, instead of splashing out, invest in just a few great toys they’re sure to love. You can also buy them more practical things such as bed sheets, pajamas and other clothing.

Buy Extra Batteries

One of the biggest headaches on Christmas morning, is realizing you don’t have enough batteries. Most toys don’t actually come with batteries included these days. So, unless you want a very unhappy toddler to deal with on Christmas morning, you’re going to want to stock up on batteries – especially if you’ve bought them lots of noisy, changing-color toys!

Build Any Large Items On Christmas Eve

Another thing that’s going to make your life easier on Christmas morning, is building any large items the night before. You’ll typically find your toddler just wants to get on with playing with their toys, rather than spend hours putting them together. So, be prepared to stay up a little later to build your toddler’s main presents.

Give Them Their Main Present Last

The main present is usually the first that gets opened. However, this can have its downsides. Once your toddler sees their most exciting gift, that is literally all they will be able to focus on. They won’t listen to you and they won’t be interested in any of their other presents.

So, if you can be patient, aim to give them their last gift either right after they’ve opened their other presents, or later on in the afternoon.

Consider Using Gift Bags Instead Of Wrapping Paper

If you don’t want to deal with mountains of wrapping paper on Christmas day, why not consider gift bags instead? Toddlers tend to love receiving gifts in a bag as they are much easier to open. Plus, you won’t need to worry about clearing up as much mess which is definitely appreciated on Christmas Day!

Conclusion

These are just some of the top tips to help you ensure you enjoy a toddler-friendly Christmas. It can be stressful when you’re trying to decorate and stop your toddler from causing havoc with the tree. However, if you follow the tips above, you are sure to reduce the stress, allowing you to simply enjoy this magical time with your little one.

Do you have any other great tips for a toddler-friendly Christmas? Share them in the comments below!