Childproof Your Holiday Home
It is an unfortunate reality, but very few holiday companies cater for young toddlers who are starting to explore the world around them. More understandably but still no less of a concern, is that the homes of families and friends will almost certainly not be prepared for your little one’s inquisitive ways. An unguarded stair case or sharp edge at toddler head height, will be something overlooked by your hosts, but a potential danger to your child.
Tips:
- Explain to your hosts your concerns; whether this is the holiday company or your friends or families. By simply moving a glass table for a couple of days, or putting expensive and heavy vases out of reach, you will ensure a more relaxing a safe holiday for everyone.
- Pack a travel stair gate. You can control the movements of your child with greater ease, and as at your own home, there is no greater danger to a small child first finding their feet, than the stairs
- Consider taking a few double cabinet safety locks. Most kitchen cleaning fluids as well as bathroom toiletries are kept in cupboards with dual handles that can be locked together. These are non permanent locks and will provide peace of mind as your child is exploring the new environment.
Product Recommendations:
- Gate to Go
This portable stair gate comes in its own shoulder carry bag, weighs less than 5KG and will open up to be installed in any gap between 71 and 92cm. This should work for nearly all doorways, stair openings, and hallways; ideal for controlling the movements of your child - Double Cabinet locks.
These economical locks are easy to loop over cupboard door handles restricting access to cupboards containing potentially dangerous contents, and easy to operate. When it is time to leave simply unhook and remove
Articles in The Traveling Series:
- Traveling With Baby or Toddler
- Baby and Toddler Sleeping On Holiday
- Baby and Toddler Feeding On Holiday
- Baby and Toddler Changing On Holiday
- Baby and Toddler Bathing On Holiday
- Childproof Your Holiday Home
- Baby and Toddler Care in the Sun
- Baby and Toddler Swimming
Tags: baby, child proof, childproof, holiday, holiday home, hotel, infant, toddler, travel, villa
August 22nd, 2008 at 11:11 am
There’s lots of advice in most childcare books about making your places safer for your crawling or toddling child - but you shouldn’t wait until your baby is mobile to start thinking about child safety. Once you have a baby and make friends with people who have babies, it is inevitable that small children older than yours will start to visit. Often parents that you meet through antenatal classes, postnatal groups or at the hospital or clinic will have an older child and will be coming to visit. There are something’s you can do to keep a place toddler safe. A piece of very good advice that I was given, was to get down on your hands and knees and crawl through your home, seeing things at a child’s level. Do you have a lot of trailing leads, or tablecloths - or even plants? A friend of mine looked after a baby for an afternoon, and he managed to pull a ceramic plant pot onto his head from a mantelpiece. You can buy plastic socket covers for electrical sockets, which are not expensive, but be aware that children are often strong enough to pull leads and plugs out of their sockets, so check any that are readily accessible.