Baby Proofing The Christmas Tree

When we had our first baby we decorated the tree with lovely "Baby's First Christmas" ornaments. Then the year passed and my baby started exploring more and more. Finally, last Christmas, I had to admit my ornaments were no longer child safe. So, I went out and bought new ornaments and childproofed as best I could. Here is some advice when you're planning your first kid friendly Christmas tree.

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New Christmas ornaments:
Replaced with non breakable ornaments. Purchased stuffed animal ornaments, paper ornaments and made origami ornaments. Ornaments that were delicate and we wanted on the tree were placed at the top of the tree, out of reach.

Hanging Christmas ornaments:
Removed all metal hooks from ornaments and replaced with thread.

The light outlet is behind the tree and we don't let our toddler see it. We turn the tree on/off when he's not watching. He's in a phase where he wants to plug and unplug everything if given the chance.

Purchasing a small tree. We bought a 4'-5'ft tree. Mostly I like that small tree's are easier to decorate and fit in my son's playroom. Another bonus is that he's not tempted to climb it. His favorite stuffed animal ornaments are at the bottom so he can move them around as he likes.

A Christmas tree skirt is the best way to deter my son from looking under the christmas tree. Make sure the tree skirt doesn't have any decorations that can be ripped off and become a choking hazard !! Especially those with bells.

Most of all, remember less is more. Try not to over decorate the tree. For sanity's sake, know how many ornaments are on the tree so no little hands take and hide ornaments for entertainment later.

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Here are some more pictures of our Christmas tree. I can't wait for christmas morning :)

A fun trip to the used book store and In-n-Out

Every day, I find myself trying to figure out what activities I can do with my toddler. Today, I decided to go to In-n-Out for lunch and the used book store. I have a secret addiction to children's books. Even before I had kids, I would only read youth books : The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe, Harry Potter and The 39 clues etc. So, when I had my first child I went book crazy, unfortunately books are costly and I knew after paying full price for some awesome pop-up books I needed to find a cheaper alternative. I am happy to say that most libraries have bookstores, which makes book shopping like a treasure hunt.
This is what I bought today, the Soft Shapes Animals book is actually a puzzle inside which my son loved immediately. The Monkey and Me book will hopefully help me start teaching my son Spanish. I find that find foreign book is difficult, so I am really happy to be able to add to my foreign language collection.