You’ll never forget the moment your sweet little one takes that first wobbly crawl across the floor. First, there is the all-encompassing elation that your baby has reached this pivotol milestone, followed one split-second later by an equally all-encompassing feeling of dread.

Once they are mobile, you envision all the dangers they can get into. You’ll barely have enough time to hit the “stop” button on the video recorder, before you hurl yourself around the room, picking up every small object, moving plants to higher ground, and blocking stairwells with your body.

Just thinking about taking these contortions on the road, and you’ll swear off travelling with baby until they’re in university. Not to worry. With a little pre-planning (and packing) baby-proofing your environment while travelling isn’t quite as daunting as you think.

Pack a Baby-Proofing “Kit”

No, you won’t need those expensive baby gates that you had custom made to match your banister, but if you have room, think about taking along a plastic adjustable baby gate, or rent as many as you need at your destination.

Also pack plug-in covers, snap-on cupboard door locks, and I used to also pack a bottle of that vile black liquid, Ipecac, just in case I wasn’t as lightning-quick as I should have been (but always call the poison control centre first if you think you will use it).

Dollar stores often have a selection of baby-proofing items that will do just fine.

Be an Obnoxiously Overprotective Detective

The first thing you must do upon entering your hotel room (or grandmas’ guest room) is to scope out the entire place with the zealousness of a cranky fire inspector. Are the curtains that are hanging near the pack ‘n play secure on the curtain rod?

Is there a plug-in behind the couch, where the baby can squeeze in? Are there beads that have fallen in between the couch cushions (like those multi-sided clear plastic ones that ended up in each one of my daughters’ nostrils—the same type, different years—each necessitating a trip to the emergency department)?

Your hosts, who were congratulating themselves that they remembered to remove their Tiffany vase from the coffee table, will be looking at you like you have 10 heads, but it’s worth it to take the time now, before you find your child delightedly eating cat poo from the litter box.

Supervise – and Improvise

Once you have the place more secure than Fort Knox, follow your wee one closely, as they scope out the places where you missed, or where they can bust your baby-proofing efforts.

Left the baby-proofing kit at home with the snacks you’d packed for the plane? Quick, grab some rubber bands (for keeping closet and cupboard doors closed) a stapler (for pinning up drapes and hanging things that your child will want to swing from, while doing minimal damage to a wall), and the mother of all impromptu baby-proofing items: the glorious duct tape.

In fact, if you can find nothing else, duct tape will cover outlets, keep drawers and cupboards closed, tape up curtains and hanging things, even tape back together (albeit rather roughly) the Tiffany vase that you found in the cat litter box.

Main Photo: jolien_vallins
Second Photo: ttrygve