Travelling with kids – 3 easy safety hacks

Holidays! Yay! It all seems like fun and games until the reality of holidays with little kids dawns on you. How will I keep them off the hotel balcony, will there be pool gates, where will they sleep, what about their allergies?! Aaargh. Here are three travel hacks to make you breathe a little easier.

1. Take outlet covers or gaffa tape to stop curious little fingers

As soon as you set foot in that hotel room, your toddler will be making a beeline for the power outlets. You won’t be doing any relaxing on your holiday if you’re constantly running after a curious toddler trying to jam in who-knows-what into the power outlets. For domestic travel, it’s easy to pack a few outlet covers from home. For international travel, take some gaffa tape to cover the outlet covers.

2. Stop kids falling out of hotel beds

At home, you have the kids beds all set with bumpers and safety guards, but it gets a bit tricky on holidays. Especially for toddlers that are too big for a cot but too small for the big hotel bed. If you’re having a beach holiday, purchase a pool noodle from the gift shop (or bring a blow up noodle with you) and tuck under the sheets of their bed to stop the little one rolling out. Alternatively, stuff long cushions or pillows under the sheets. If none of these work, raid the sofa and place the cushions on the floor next to the bed, so if they do roll out, at least it’s on to something soft.

3. Carry an allergy card for travel to foreign countries

You don’t need to avoid foreign travel just because your kid has an allergy. When selecting a destination, always do your research. If your kid is severely allergic to peanuts, perhaps Thailand is not the best option as peanuts and peanut oil feature heavily in Thai cuisine. To counteract the language barrier, carry a laminated card which you can show to hotel and restaurant staff. It should state the request clearly in the local language eg ‘No nuts or not oil’. Use your judgement, but don’t be scared off by international travel.

Have you travelled overseas with your little ones? Any hacks you want to share?