Keeping it safe for kids

DREAD travelling with young children? Here's what you can do to ensure a relaxing family holiday, writes LAVIINIA DHANAGUNAN.

TRAVELLING with little kids can be a pain and parents almost always end up running around after the little ones to keep them out of harm's way.

Here are some of the precautions parents can take before and after a trip and even right in a hotel room itself. Some of these measures may make you look paranoid, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

Before The Trip

Check if the hotel you're staying at provides baby-proofing equipment. If they don't, include these in your luggage - electrical outlet covers, protective screens for hotel balconies, toilet lid latch, portable crib, etc.

Oh, and don't forget wire mesh and packing tape. Read on to find out why.

Try to book a room with wall-to-wall carpeting but it should not be thick enough to hide pins, coins or other substances that toddlers can put in their mouths and choke on. Find out too if the room has tiled floors with rugs. Avoid these as toddlers can slip and hit their head on the hard surface.

On The Trip

If you can't get a ground floor room and the hotel windows don't have steel bars within its frame, whip out the wire mesh. Make sure you have enough to fit all the windows.

Check the floor for pins and other possible sharp items that may harm your child.

The packing tape comes in handy as plug points can be taped shut to avoid pudgy fingers exploring electrical sockets.

Check for glass items and keep breakable furniture out of reach or ask for them to be removed. Make sure kids cannot get to the things you've set aside by moving tables and chairs so that they have no means of climbing on the countertop. You can also hide things in closets or in suitably high places.

Make sure furniture is stable. Look at things through the eyes of a child and you may just find something you'd have missed otherwise. Check if screws will hold up with the vigorous pulling that a toddler may inflict on an item and act accordingly.

Check to see if tables, chairs and beds have sharp corners. If they do, use washcloths that you have brought to pad the sharp edges.

Unplug all unused electrical devices in the bathroom or near water. Never leave your child in the bathroom alone, even if it's just for a second to run and answer the phone.

Once you have done all these, you can relax and enjoy your holiday!

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