Babyproofing Your Hotel Room
Darah and Connor are into everything! They’re incredibly nosy and love snooping in trashcans, couch cushions, and cabinets. When we went on vacation, I knew I was going to have to be a few steps ahead of them if I didn’t want to constantly be saying, “don’t touch that,” “put that down,” “out of your mouth,” “leave that door shut,” “honey, can you please keep that away from him?” Taking a few extra moments to plan for the very un-baby proofed hotel room we were going to be staying at worked to everyone’s advantage.
Baby Level
- Get down at your baby’s level and crawl around your entire hotel room looking for choking hazards, sharp edges, or anything that may be dangerous for your child. You’d be surprised at the odd things left behind from the previous guests in your room under the beds, in the chair cushion, and in the drawers. If you have a child who can open doors, bring along a couple of doorknob covers.
Duct tape
- Duct tape will seriously be your best ali in baby proofing your hotel room. Cover outlets, tape up cables and cords, keep those closet doors that don’t have latches shut, and latch those drawers shut all with duct tape!
Balconies and Windows
- Make sure that your child cannot open the door to your balcony and that the window coverings do not pose a danger to your curious child. Cords hanging from the blinds can be extremely dangerous, so make sure they are not in your child’s reach
Restraint
- Make sure you call ahead and request a crib for your child to sleep in, or pack your pack-and-play. My three year old is in a big-girl bed, however we made sure she had a pack-and-play crib to sleep in at night. Not only did this keep my children safe at night, it also served as a great time-out for my three year old when she was acting naughty.
Bath-time
- I brought my own comet and sponge to clean the bathtub out for my kids. You don’t have to be that crazy like me, however you do need to make sure you keep an eye on the bathwater temperature! Hotels sometimes do not set their water heaters to the same level yours is at home, and so the water can get extremely hot very fast!
Common Sense
- Never leave your child alone. You can take all the precautions you want, but you will never have a completely baby proofed room. Don’t forget the lock the deadbolt on your door as well to keep anyone with access to your room OUT!
What baby proofing tricks do you use when you’re on vacation?
2 Comments »
Share the fun: Email + Del.icio.us + Digg + Technorati
I wonder if painters tape would be a better option than duct tape? Painters tape won’t strip paint or leave a sticky film but it would still cover outlets and latch drawers.
We are going to a hotel later this summer so I will be using these tips!
Amelia, I thought about painter’s tape too!
I had read this article in draft form a while ago and I totally used these when I traveled. Mostly just getting down on the ground and really trying to be pro-active about baby-proofing. I would also add don’t leave your baby alone on the bed for one second! I know this is a given, but I remember seeing Annabelle fall off and cry. It really shook me up.