You’re finally getting away—good for you! A change of scenery will be positive for everyone. Hopefully, you’ve picked out a place that looks promising for young families. Even family-friendly rentals, however, aren’t usually babyproofed.
Here are some easy ways to childproof your vacation rental, without damaging surfaces or breaking the bank. These simple tips will save you the exhaustion and frustration of chasing after your child, taking things away from her and constantly admonishing her. You’ll be more relaxed with hazards safely out of the way.
Put away all breakables
When you arrive at your rental, take a quick tour of the house and remove any breakable items (ceramics/vases/decorations, we’re looking at you). Place them out of reach on a high shelf in a closet or cabinet, which should then be secured with a babyproof lock (more on that later).
Tip: take pictures/videos when you arrive so you’ll know where to put everything back before you leave. If that’s not practical for you, don’t worry. Your host would prefer an item be slightly out of place rather than broken.
Pack safety essentials
All of these are easy to install, no-residue non-permanent solutions, so you don’t have to worry about damaging anything.
- Doorknob covers – Snap them onto any doorknob to prevent your child from accessing a room/closet without you. That’ll probably be most of them, especially the closet where you stored all the fragile items, the bathroom and the kitchen (if it has a door).
- Sliding cabinet locks – Use them to secure cabinets in the kitchen and bathroom. You can also use them for refrigerators and closets with side-by-side doors.
- Outlet covers – Insert them into unused outlets to prevent electrical hazards. Our 32-pack offers excellent value and is often enough for the entire home.
- Painter’s tape – Sounds funny, but super helpful. Use it to tape over locks to keep kids from locking themselves in and to tape drawers shut. You can also use it to help hang makeshift blackout curtains if your child’s room is too bright, to help you both get some extra shuteye.
- Rubber bands – Use rubber bands to wrap up long cords and keep them out of reach.
Make a designated playroom
If possible, designate one room that is completely kid-friendly. As much as you childproof the rest of the house, it’ll also feel less overwhelming to focus on making one area safe and fun and let that be the place where they spend the majority of their time.
Take it easy
With these simple steps, you can make your vacation more restful and less stressful. You’ll spend less time on edge and more time enjoying the break. Plus, with a little adaptation, these tips can work well when visiting family or friends whose homes aren’t childproof.
Looking for more tips on vacationing with the kids? Read this post.