Making Family Travel a Little Less Stressful

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If you’re a parent, and you travel with your children, you’ve got plenty of reasons to worry. And lots of preparation to do if you want to be a proactive parent and keep your kids safe in all kinds of vacation environments.

Thankfully, you don’t have to think of everything yourself. The editors at HaveKidsWillTravel have done a lot of the research on behalf of travelling families everywhere. And the result is a website packed with tips about holiday resorts, family cruises, flying with kids (or while pregnant) and many more topics – including top destinations guaranteed to satisfy even the most hard-to-please member of your brood.

HaveKidsWillTravel also includes gear reviews, family travel news and an assortment of checklists that every parent should access when planning a family holiday.

One of the most useful, we found, was this list of things to do to childproof your hotel room upon arriving at a resort or any other holiday destination.

Childproofing 101

Here’s what you can do to keep your new environment safe for your toddler:

• Get on your hands and knees and explore the room from your curious, climbing, active toddler’s perspective.
• Secure any loose phone cords or electrical wires your child might be tempted to tug on with a strip of duct tape.
• Ensure balcony doors are locked and there is no climbable furniture near the railing.
• Make sure no furniture is placed or can be moved near open windows.
• If necessary, bring along a portable guardrail or push the bed against a wall with a chair along the other side to protect your toddler from rolling out at night.
• Look for sharp coffee table corners and other bumping hazards. If possible, move this furniture out of your toddler’s play space or pad the corners with a padded edge cushion (a standard baby proofing item) or simply tape a washcloth over them.
• Check under beds and in low drawers for small objects that might be harmful - for example, a dropped pin, pill or button.
• Pack some plastic covers for electrical outlets – or cover with a strip of duct tape.
• Tie up cords on any window blinds so they aren’t a choking hazard to your exploring child – a twist tie or pipe cleaner will do the trick.
• If you’re a guest in someone’s home, check that medications and household cleaners are secure from your child’s path of exploration.
• Make sure you don’t leave your own razors, medicines or other toiletry hazards where your child may discover them.
• You might want to bring an adjustable safety gate to secure a stair case if that’s a potential danger zone for your toddler.
• Pack some cupboard latches – or wrap some pipe cleaners or strong rubber bands around the handles or knobs of cupboards you don’t want your tyke getting into.
• Make sure you test the water temperature where you’re staying before giving your child a bath – it might come in hotter than what you’re used to at home.
• Pack a toilet latch if your little one is fascinated with this porcelain water toy or secure it with a strip of duct tape.

You can learn more by checking out this great http://www.havekidswilltravel.net.

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