13 Steps to Baby-Proofing Your Hotel or Apartment on Vacation

In your own house you know exactly which corners are out of bounds and which shelves are unreachable (the the little mite grows an inch, anyway), but when you check into a hotel room or an apartment, it is imperative that you take 10 minutes to baby-proof the space to save your child or your credit card, any damage!

1. Often wine glasses, jars of water and ice buckets with sharp tongs rest on low-lying shelves and tables in hotel rooms. Move them to a higher spot or call room service and ask them to take them away. In general, anything on tables within reach should be moved away. Same with irons, coffee machines and hair dryers.

2. I usually put a suitcase in front of the mini-bar because Karam has a habit of opening it and the last thing I want is his little fingers getting caught in the door or in a box of $10 Pringles.

3. If there is furniture with sharp corners, move it out of the central space, and try to ensure that your child stays away from that particular corner. More organized parents make a trip to Walmart before hand and buy some corner-savers or try duct tape to at least soften the blow and prevent any deep cuts.

4. Move the TV remotes to an unreachable place.

5. Make sure your child stays clear of electric sockets with or without wires in them. Cover them if possible or again, distract your child so that his/her attention lies with the big bundle of toys in the middle of the room (which could include complete improvisation such as cushions, towels and bathroom slippers).

6. Make sure the bathroom and the balcony doors are closed and operable only by an adult (or a child supervised by an adult). All balcony furniture should be away from the railing.

7. If your child is under 1, remove the fluffy pillow usually provided in the crib by housekeeping.

8. Have housekeeping remove those beautiful (and expensive) coffee table books set out as decor. Karam has a habit of tearing while he reads and I wouldn’t want one of those on my bill.

9. Always make sure you have a clear path to your baby and the exit in case of an emergency. Similarly, clear the route from the baby’s bed to yours, in case he/she needs to be transported over in the middle of the night – the last thing you need is to trip over cushions, towels and bathroom slippers (see point 5).

10. Move the bathroom plunger to an undisclosed location until needed (aka housekeeping).

11. If you have a kitchenette, make sure the little one knows to stay away from the kettle and the stove or that those are cordoned off areas.

12. Put suitcases on the top and bottoms of staircases en lieu of railings.

13. Disconnect the phone in the living room so that the baby can’t randomly dial, say, 911! Or if there isn’t an extension, move it to a higher shelf.