Calling all Baby Proofing Experts

Don't take the baby out of the suitcase.

No, seriously, when we traveled with the twins as infants/toddlers, I got to where I'd pack a ziploc bag with some outlet covers, a couple of cord winder-uppers, and a cabinet-latchy thing for the bathroom. I just tossed it in with the rest of my stuff. Then when we checked in, we made sure there was nothing under the beds (because nothing gets under a bed faster than a pair of 14-month-olds), inspect the whole place for dangerous wires or loose window blind cords, and move tall lamps far into a corner so no one could climb up them.

Not really baby proofing, but since we have a toddler, we take Lysol wipes to pretty much everything.

Patrick L said:

Not really baby proofing, but since we have a toddler, we take Lysol wipes to pretty much everything.

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Diddo on the Lysol!

We always took our Pack-n-Play for our babies to sleep in. I know that some hotels/motels will provide cribs upon request, but I've heard tales from other people regarding them malfunctioning. I know our own stuff is up to the task, and the baby is already used to being in it, at least a little.

When my kids were babies/toddlers and we went to a hotel or motel I always went into the room first, sprayed every surface with Lysol and then removed any items sitting out (remotes, decor, the Gideon Bible, glassware, remotes, etc.). I would place those things in drawers, out of reach.

Always use the door chain. Assume the child can and will try to open the main door in the middle of the night. The chains are out of reach.

In a motel, the most dangerous room is the bathroom and invariably the locks on the batroom door didn't work. The stores usually had them in the pet aisle, but we would take a spring latch door barrier with us. It's made to block access for small dogs to get through a doorway, but most adults can step over them. We'd use it to block the bathroom. You have to place the latch on the side opposite the child and probably will need to modify it with a piece of masonite or heavy card board to cover the mesh that's usually in them. You can't have any holes or stepping places for a child to climb over. Also as far as a crib goes, pull out a drawer, place it on the floor in a corner. Fold a blanket into fourths and cover the drawer so that there are no sharp edges. You also will want to fold the edges of the blanket under the drawer so little fingers can't pull the blanket in, thus exposing the hard edges of the drawer. A baby won't roll out of that, and won't fall any great height if (s)he manages to climb out. Also just in case, place pillows around it. The blankets get washed regularly, but the cribs often didn't look like it.

We also always tried to stay at Red Roofs. They were consistently the cleanest. Surprisingly the more expensive places had lower cleaning standards. This was in the late 80's and early 90's.

With toddlers (old enough not to be crushed to death by sleeping parent), we often resort to putting them in the bed between a parent and the oldest sibling. That way, there's no wandering around without someone waking up to notice. My advice is always baby-proof all you can, but there is no substitute for parental supervision.

Also, I'm a little freaky about the windows/balconies on upper stories. I would usually block them with a chair or with the crib during the day.

don't forget to tie up the drapery or blinds cord-so the child doesn't get tangled/choked in it.

We tried to take two rooms if we could, and used one room as the un-baby room where we kept the stuff that was usually kept out of reach...bottles, chemicals of any kind fragile stuff...many hotel rooms just didn't have enough out-of-reach space. Failing that, a hard suitcase with a combination lock acted as a baby-safe.

When a crib was not available, I would take a drawer out and line it with a blanket and have the baby sleep in there. It's not a safety tip, but it's a tip!

GeorgeK said:

Always use the door chain. Assume the child can and will try to open the main door in the middle of the night. The chains are out of reach.

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Yes, they will. I saw a really cute toddler wandering the halls of our Vegas hotel. I nabbed him and called the managers.

The boy was a couple floors down from his parents room already! Headed for the casinos I assume, with his life savings in hand.

The first thing I did was get on my belly and scoot around. You get a different view of the hazards when you get down on that level. I could always spot possible entanglements or objects to pull down on myself.

I don't know how many places still use 'keys' but back when my kids were babes I would always remove all the keys from doors.

Nowadays I still 'seal' the latch of bathroom doors with duct tape so nobody can get locked in.

I also used to put a little wristband on my toddler with the room number on it - just in case!

Symphony

Now you can probably buy these thingys premade, but when we were travelling and the kids were toddling, I would throw in a roll of masking tape and couple of cheapo bathroom sponges. Then I'd cut them up and tape them to any sharp furniture corners. The masking tape was easy to remove without leaving glue marks if you didn't leave it on for too long.

Spring loaded safety gates should be a staple in every household, so throw it in the trunk when you're on your way.

Oh, yeah--once, we forgot to bring door stoppers with us to a vacation place, and we were afraid the kids were going to slam one of the doors on one of the other's fingers. So I took a diaper and used the fasteners to stick it on the edge of the door. The diaper lasted the whole vacation, and it was the perfect thickness to let the door shut without becoming a hazard to tiny digits.