No matter how many toys you give your little people, opening and closing drawers and cupboards will always seem like more fun. Especially if it’s your first time away in your caravan or they are only just getting old enough to explore on their own. Here is a quick list of tactics you can employ for your family without being too much of a fun police.
Cover Up the Corners
If your kids are just at the wrong height, their heads are in for a bruising if you don’t put some little edge cushions on some of your harsh corners in the van. Think of your table and benches, anything that’s quite hard and juts out. It will save your hips too. Anything else protruding that you may foresee your little one running into (like cupboard handles) you can also cover up with other sorts of padding.
Secure the Doors
Just like you would at home with an up and at ‘em toddler, invest in a few child-proof plastic safety latches for the cupboard doors. This will make sure you don’t risk them getting into the pantry items, breakables, sharps and chemicals that you no doubt have floating around.
Bunk Bed for Sleeping Only
Restrict time on the bunk beds for sleeping only. Playing games on the top bunk can be quite risky if a child was to fall and while they are lots of fun it’s simply not worth the risk. Especially if you’re in remote areas. Any games that require a soft surface use a bed or lounge that is closer to the ground. If sleeping in a bunk bed is new for your little ones, you can try them on th elower levels or you can use a bunk bed safety net.
Meal Time Distractions
Meal time can be quite dangerous when you have little ones running around inside of your van. With stove tops on and knives out it can be very easy for something to go wrong, very quickly. If you can dedicate meal preparation time as quiet time for the kids it will be a lot easier for everyone. Perhaps let this be the time of day when they can use iPads or watch movies in bed. This way you will know where they are at all times and get on with cooking the meal as quickly as possible.
Establish A Couple of Rules
Kid-proofing your caravan involves lots of precautions however the simplest way to ensure your child remains safe on board is to establish some simple rules with them and make sure they follow them. You can even get their help making the rules to give them some ownership. It all varies depending on your type of van, where you are and how old your children are. But a good example is something like no running inside the caravan. It’s simple yet will potentially be the difference between them hurting themselves and not.
DISCLAIMER* Please note, this advice is general in nature and we strongly recommend consulting the product manual and where relevant, a professional installer.
