Childproofing the cabin

[atwinhusen]

We will be sailing with our then 16 month old this November on the Queen Mary 2. We have a balcony cabin (an in hull type) and I'm looking for any good suggestions on childproofing. Anything in particular you have found helpful?

 

Thanks!

[atwinhusen]

Just to clarify, since no one has yet responded to this post...

 

Any suggestions on childproofing a cabin in general, particularly a balcony cabin? I didn't mean to suggest tips for a particular ship.

 

Also, I've read that many of you enjoy a balcony after your babes have gone to bed. How do you set up a pack in play so that you can actually get out to the balcony after you put them to bed?

 

Thanks for any help offered!

[aaklang]

We just traveled on Celebrity with our 12 month old. The balcony was safe - there was thick plexi-glass on the entire width so falling over, through or under was not a concern. The side walls of the balconies were several inches off the ground, so the only "concern" was if things rolled underneath onto an adjoining balcony. We just never brought rolling toys onto the balcony and all was good. Even with the plexiglass, we still stayed within arms reach of our son at all times, just in case. Honestly though, I felt quite safe out there with him.

 

In the room, we were fortunate enough to have a lot of storage, including a large set of cabinets too high for him to reach. We filled that cabinet with things we didn't want him to touch, such as the glasses and ice bucket that come in the room. In general though, there really wasn't much in the room that was unsafe, fortunately. There weren't any low outlets that he could have put his fingers into and the cabin doors are too heavy for a child to open (I think...my son doesn't walk so opening doors isn't really an issue yet).

 

I think you'll find it surprisingly more child-friendly than expected. I sure did. Good luck and have fun!

[calikak]

I actually found that the cabin was basically child-proofed already as a result of how they design ships. I mean, there's very little that's not already in a drawer or up on a shelf out of the way. You might want to keep the waste paper basket up on the desk to keep your little one from getting into it, but otherwise I don't think you'll find many things that need child-proofing. Even the outlets are usually above the desk where little hands can't get to them.

 

I'm not sure about the layout of the cabin on QM2 but you may have a chair or coffee table in there that could be removed to make more room for the pack'n'play.

[karenem]

I can't offer ship-based child-proofing tips, but in general, they (whoever "they" is...) suggest getting all the way down to little-kid level and looking around. From an adult-eye view you're more likely to miss something.

[OneParticularHarbour 71]

Not really childproofing, but thought I would mention...We always bring a nightlight as my kids don't like sleeping in an unfamiliar place without one - we took a few cruises where we would leave the closet or bathroom light on for them before we learned a cheap nightlight works much better and doesn't bother us adults as much!

 

As far as childproofing goes, be careful of doors that little fingers can get pinched in - closet door, bathroom door, etc. They are usually heavy - my son pinched his fingers in a sliding closet door. We haven't done it, but I have seen mentioned on other posts to bring a roll of duct tape which can be used for a variety of things including taping doors shut...

 

Many cruiseline's balcony cabins have a childproof lock located at the top of the balcony door, so be sure to keep that locked. When out on the balcony just keep the chairs & table away from the railing so he won't be tempted to climb - some people have asked that the furniture be removed completely from their balcony so as to not have to worry, but not sure how they then enjoy the balcony??:confused: I have also seen mentioned an alarm that can be bought for balcony or cabin doors that would go off when the door is opened but I have never tried one of these...

 

We have had cabins that have an outlet on the wall, so you may want to bring a couple of outlet covers just in case - they're easy to throw in your luggage.

 

Good luck & have a great cruise!

[mousey]

Not really childproofing, but thought I would mention...We always bring a nightlight as my kids don't like sleeping in an unfamiliar place without one - we took a few cruises where we would leave the closet or bathroom light on for them before we learned a cheap nightlight works much better and doesn't bother us adults as much!

 

As far as childproofing goes, be careful of doors that little fingers can get pinched in - closet door, bathroom door, etc. They are usually heavy - my son pinched his fingers in a sliding closet door. We haven't done it, but I have seen mentioned on other posts to bring a roll of duct tape which can be used for a variety of things including taping doors shut...

 

Many cruiseline's balcony cabins have a childproof lock located at the top of the balcony door, so be sure to keep that locked. When out on the balcony just keep the chairs & table away from the railing so he won't be tempted to climb - some people have asked that the furniture be removed completely from their balcony so as to not have to worry, but not sure how they then enjoy the balcony??:confused: I have also seen mentioned an alarm that can be bought for balcony or cabin doors that would go off when the door is opened but I have never tried one of these...

 

We have had cabins that have an outlet on the wall, so you may want to bring a couple of outlet covers just in case - they're easy to throw in your luggage.

 

Good luck & have a great cruise!

 

 

Great response!:D I too was thinking that there wasn't much that was unsafe in a cabin. Forgot about how heavy the doors are!!! Good thinking!:D They close really quickly too!

[bmgaritty]

Not sure if your toddler is tall, but the door to exit the cabin can be a hazard if they can reach the door handle.

 

The door handle releases the bolt on the door. If your child can reach and pull it down, you will have a toddler running the hallway.

 

At night we put a suitcase in front of the door so "investigators" would not be able to open the door!

 

Safe travels!

[gvi]

Our youngest is now 4, but we travel with a few things to make accidents less likely to happen. . .

 

Instead of a nightlight I take light sticks -the kind you "crack." Just sit it on a counter somewhere - enough light to see the way to the bathroom, but not enought to keep anyone away - and no glass bulb to break. (I just got a pack of 12 at a party store for our upcoming cruise.)

 

I use one of the over-the-door shoe racks to put toiletries in so that the stuff that should be out of reach is up high and legitimately out of reach. I keep some stuff they can play with in the bottom pockets, since we all know they will "explore."

 

We block the door to the hallway at night too - we have a sleep walker! We've never had a problem, but don't want to at this point.

 

I keep the closet door open when we are in the cabin to avoid the finger pinch thing - they only seem to play with the doors when they are closed. . .

 

Have a wonderful time!:)

 

I also have a first aid kit that I never go anywhere without. Band-aids, neosporin, tweezers, etc.