Remember travelling when it’s all about you and your spouse together on a happy trip, worrying about nothing but yourselves? Carefree. You’re right. But now that you’ve reached parenthood and turned out to be the “tender, loving, caring” parents of the year, I bet you can barely remember what it’s like to travel with no kids running around and making your heads spin.
Sure, travelling with kids is fun but these tots also drive you crazy at some point. And just when you thought everything would turn easy now that you’ve finally arrived in the hotel room, but catching your kids trying to do some crazy stuff inside somehow makes you realise children’s behaviour seems to be boundless at all. Although this is not to scare you or to indicate that travelling with kids can’t be done but rather to prepare you, parents, with the following hotel hacks that will keep your family safe and sane on the entire travel and lodge.
First things first, inspect the room.
It’s always smart to check out photos of your hotel room before you proceed to online booking but make sure to reinspect the entire room the soon as you settle down. What you see on the photos may not always end up very similar to the actual place so double-checking is imperative when you arrive. There might be unattended wires, pieces of broken glass, safety pins or anything that could cause danger to your kids. Always bring electric tapes for covering socket outlets that are not in use, table-corner covers, rubber bands, etc. You can also check the bathroom door locks and water temperature to make sure everything is sane.
Make sure doors are double-locked.
Children are fond of sneaking out to play and have fun. And oftentimes, for whatever reason, they would play with doorknobs and smash the doors eventually. We all know that losing kids and getting their hand slammed in the door is every parent’s nightmare so make sure to always latch the doors safely because that’s the part that young kids cannot grasp. You can also bring doorstop alarms if door latches are not available.
Unpack and organise your things.
Nothing is crazier than digging into your suitcase to find those diapers, wet wipes, and all when changing a poopy diaper. So once you’ve arrived and examined the entire room, the next important step is to unpack your belongings and organize them by setting up stations for clothes, shoes, baby-proof kit, toys, toiletries, and other essentials to avoid messing up with lost items, especially when you badly need them. It is also smart to keep the room clean especially when the whole family is sharing a solo bedroom. Bring a floor sanitiser to make sure your child is crawling on a safe place. Remember, not all hotelkeepers may clean the way you do.
Bring along children’s sleep aids.
One of the hardest parts of being parents is sending your playful kids to sleep, especially in a hotel room where it does not feel much of your own home. Plus, hotel rooms are full of strange noises including the natural sounds from the outside and footsteps of random people from the hallways which may also affect their sleeping patterns. Packing a white noise machine can make a perfect sleeping aid for babies. You can also bring along your toddler’s favourite stuff toy which they can hold and cling to sleep.
Pack plastic cups
Hotel rooms and suites would often provide fragile glasswares and plates in case guests may opt to cook or eat inside the room. And just because kids and glasswares do not pretty go well most of the time, you can pack plastic cups for them to use instead.
