Child-Proofing Your RV For Stress-Free Camping

Here are some tips to childproofing your RV for a stress-free trip.

Now, chances are, since you may already have children, that your instincts on how to childproof your home – whether it's the stationary kind or the home on wheels version – is already pretty good. Practically every child-proof gadget that you already own for your home can easily be incorporated into your RV without much fuss.

But let's say that you don't have children, maybe they've all grown up and haven't graced you with any grandchildren, or, perhaps you've never had children at all, but have recently decided to rent your RV  – well you may want to take extra steps to make your RV child friendly by following these simple tips:

Outlet Covers

This is by far the quickest and easiest thing you can do to make your RV child-proofed. Outlet covers are inexpensive and simple to install and will stop curious minds and hands from seeing if the end of that fork they found under the table will fit in these cool little slots on the wall.

Cabinet Latches

For the most part, RVs are somewhat child-proofed in that many cabinets, doors and drawers can be securely latched to stop items from bouncing out while you are driving down that questionable dirt road that the GPS keeps telling you to turn left on. However, some of these latches may still be opened by little fingers – especially those that are within reach. If this is the case, child-safety latches may be a good idea to install for added protection.

Toilet Latch

If you've ever had to fish out a toy car or a stuffed animal from your toilet, you may already know how mesmerizing a toilet bowl can be to a little one with aspirations of becoming a marine biologist, or scuba dive instructor, or maybe even a plumber. Like the cabinet latches, a toilet latch keeps the little ones out of places they shouldn't be exploring on their own. Although this isn't really a safety concern, it will definitely be more of a piece of mind device knowing that you won’t have to fish out any stuffed teddy bears on your camping trip.

Entryway Gate

Everyone has there own DIY hack to secure this area, from using pillows and blankets to cushion the fall – which may turn into more of a play area than anything – to blockading the area off with suitcases or simply cordoning it off with an entryway gate. If your little one isn’t an escape artist, a simple baby gate should do the trick.

Stove Guard

As you may already know, everything is smaller and a lot lower in an RV – in fact, it's pretty much child-sized. Although it may cost more than simple outlet covers, a stove guard should provide such safety features as knob covers, oven locks, and even a range barrier to prevent little hands from being burned.

Nightlights / Glow-in-the-dark Tape

Besides using glow-in-the-dark tape – with its 101 uses… okay, maybe just like 5 uses – to light the way, and highlight dangerous areas of the RV, the number one way to make your RV safe at night for sleepy little monsters that are on a late night pee break, is a simple nightlight. Which will also help to ward off the boogieman, and any of the other big baddies, beasties, or wild things that go bump in the night.