Toddlers opening cabin doors...

[Macawy]

We cruised last year with a then 2 1/2-year-old. He learned very quickly how to open the door, deadbolt and all, and let himself out. We're getting ready to cruise again (Grand 3/31 from Galveston) and I'm really worried he'll open the door and walk out in the middle of the night. Has anyone else had this problem or know about a ship-safe child lock, or any other suggestion for that matter?

 

Thanks!

[LSKC]

We cruised last year with a then 2 1/2-year-old. He learned very quickly how to open the door, deadbolt and all, and let himself out. We're getting ready to cruise again (Grand 3/31 from Galveston) and I'm really worried he'll open the door and walk out in the middle of the night. Has anyone else had this problem or know about a ship-safe child lock, or any other suggestion for that matter?

 

Thanks!

 

what i am going to do for both our stateroom door and the balcony sliding door is buy the alarms that stick to the door and frame. when activated at night, if the door opens and the 2pc alarm seperates from the door opening an alarm goes off. you can set it to a 'charm' so it isn't deafening for others across the hall. i would only set it at night time.

they are cheap. we are in canada and got them at walmart for about $12.00 for a 4 pack.

[LSKC]

We cruised last year with a then 2 1/2-year-old. He learned very quickly how to open the door, deadbolt and all, and let himself out. We're getting ready to cruise again (Grand 3/31 from Galveston) and I'm really worried he'll open the door and walk out in the middle of the night. Has anyone else had this problem or know about a ship-safe child lock, or any other suggestion for that matter?

 

Thanks!

 

what i am going to do for both our stateroom door and the balcony sliding door is buy the alarms that stick to the door and frame. when activated at night, if the door opens and the 2pc alarm seperates from the door opening an alarm goes off. you can set it to a 'charm' so it isn't deafening for others across the hall. i would only set it at night time.

they are cheap. we are in canada and got them at walmart for about $12.00 for a 4 pack.

[vetgirl]

Wow....I never even thought about our busy 2-year-old trying to make the great escape from our cabin!:eek: At least she will sleep in a pack n play, but during waking hours we'll just have to make it very clear on day one that she DOES NOT touch the door.

 

He he...wish me luck!:rolleyes:

[khicks1101]

Our daughter was a hyperactive 4 year old on our last cruise and I was most concerned about the balcony door.

I actually bought the magnetice alarms to place on the doors with bluetack and it certainly resolved any concerns as the high pitched alarm will jolt you out of any sleep.

 

 

[caribbean dreams]

On our last cruise there was a group down the hall from us, these stupid people (sorry no other name for them, atleast that i can say on CC) left there 2 year old daughter in a balcony cabin alone while they went out partying, about 1 in the morning there was a lound commotion in the hall, the baby had woke up, locked the deadbolt so the parents could not open the door, the mom was pounding on the door, they did not speak english so i had a hard time trying to figure out what they were saying, but once i did, i called security to open the cabin door with the master key and the baby has also opened the back door and was standing out on the balcony.

This could also happen in the middle of the night when the parents are asleep.

I think those cabinet alarms would work great, I saw them at walgreens, 4 for $9.99.

 

P.S, i know none of you would be stupid enought to leave your baby alone in the cabin.

[Macawy]

I had not thought of the alarms, but that sounds like the way to go. Thanks for the suggestions.

 

And no, I would never leave my kid alone in the cabin! It just makes you wonder about some people:eek: !! Anyway, he wears me out so much during the day I'm usually in bed by 9 or 10 anyway :o.

[lexxity]

So I hadn't thought about that! We will be crusing with our DS who will be two weeks off two next time. I have never seen these alarms for sale in the UK, so could one of you please give me the exact name of them and also the stores that carry them. Hubby is off to Atlanta for business next week so I shall add them to his shopping list!:D

 

As for the people who left a toddler in a room alone!:eek:

[As You Wish]

So I hadn't thought about that! We will be crusing with our DS who will be two weeks off two next time. I have never seen these alarms for sale in the UK, so could one of you please give me the exact name of them and also the stores that carry them. Hubby is off to Atlanta for business next week so I shall add them to his shopping list!:D

 

As for the people who left a toddler in a room alone!:eek:

 

I haven't been able to find the alarms in any stores. I found the info below online at www.mypreciouskid.com. It looks like they will soon have a newer version which can be ordered online.

 

Item # 3400Wireless Door Alarms (4)Set of 4 - Made by BELL & HOWELL, a name you trust

May be turned OFF when not needed.

May be set to CHIME when the door is opened.

Three settings: 90 db Alarm, Chime, Off

Easy to install: double stick tape

Great for doors, windows, cabinets, sliders, freezersPackage Dimensions: 6" x 10" x 1"

Alarm Dimension 2.5" x 1.25"

Weight: 7 oz Wireless Door Alarms (4)

NO LONGER AVAILABLE

We should have a new version in 4-6 weeks

[caribbean dreams]

I haven't been able to find the alarms in any stores. I found the info below online at www.mypreciouskid.com. It looks like they will soon have a newer version which can be ordered online.

 

Item # 3400Wireless Door Alarms (4)S

 

I bought a pack to keep my Gkids out of the cabinets, I bought them at Walgreens, I also saw them at Walmart. Same thing just a different brands name.

[Eclipsepearl]

I'd love to get a set. The only problem, I'm in France and a friend is headed to the States in about 2 weeks. She said she'd bring things back for me and I've already online ordered a lot of stuff.

 

If anyone sees these on the net, please let me know. She's returning here to France at the end of April so I can't wait too long.

 

TIA!

[Zeta3]

You can get them at walgreens

 

http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jsp?CATID=100521&navAction=jump&navCount=3&id=prod397231

[angelsfort]

Here's one that you can order online, it's only $11.95 (US dollars) however, they say they can only ship to the US... (sorry everyone else!)

 

 

http://www.seenontvproducts.net/wirelessalarm/index.html?OVRAW=door%20alarms&OVKEY=door%20alarm&OVMTC=standard&OVADID=906167022&OVKWID=14965811022

 

 

[angelsfort]

Here's another site... I couldn't find where they ship to... so there's hope that those of you in Canada and France and other parts of the world will be able to order from here...

 

http://www.firstalertinstantalarm.com/

 

 

It's a 4 pk for just $9.99 (again, US dollars)

[OceanDreamin]

Those alarms are a great idea!

 

I am amazed that a 2-year-old could open a cabin door though. On the Pride in April our 6-year-old could NOT manage to open the door by herself! First, the doors were VERY heavy, and secondly the pressure difference or something between the cabin and the hallway made the doors very, very hard to open. Not that my DD would have gone wandering out by herself, but even when we were leaving the cabin as a family, she couldn't get the door open without help.

[Terpnut]

When our kids were toddlers, they would never even consider trying to open and leave the room by themselves so we never worried. If there were any doubt, a stern "do not touch that door!" would ensure obedience. However, you know your kids best, of course.

 

Also, as others have pointed out, there was NO chance our toddlers could open a stateroom door anyhow. They are now 6 and 8, and only in the last couple yearsl could they easily manage the doors themselves. I'm frankly surprised there are 2 or 3 year olds with the strength and coordination to open the main doors!

[kitty9]

You'd be surprised by how ingenious these kids can be. A number of years ago I was walking down the hallway when I saw a little one, 2 1/2, walking out of a cabin. No one was with her. I stood there watching and waiting for a parent to come out of the cabin, but no one appeared. I took the child and went to the phone in the hallway and called the purser. They sent a security person up and just as he was going to take the child, the parents came walking out of the elevator. They had left the child alone so they could go the the casino and the little cutie opened the door and walked out. Can you imagine if that child had gotten out to the pool or another dangerous area? I saw the security officer a few days later and he said the parents got a stern talking to from the Captain on how they should never leave a child unattended in a cabin.

[angelsfort]

I saw the security officer a few days later and he said the parents got a stern talking to from the Captain on how they should never leave a child unattended in a cabin.

 

sounds like they are the kind of parents that had that "stern talking to" go in one ear and out the other... I betcha they did it again...

[larronry]

OMG I can't imagine leaving my son alone in the cabin. Heck leaving my son alone in a room in my house he always seems to find trouble. In a cruise cabin there would be unsafe electrical outlets and probably bottles of something to get into and certainly the drawers and yes my son would definetly be one of the ones who would be escaping. I have one of those realtor key lock boxes on my front door because if I run out to take a bag of diapers before the trash truck comes he will most certainly lock me out if I forgot to grab the house key.

 

I'm glad I found the thread because those alarms sound great and I was so worried about what to do. My then 26 month old will be most likely be sleeping in our bed and not a pack n play as we discovered on our recent trip to Walt Disney World he just won't sleep in one in an unfamiliar place. Came home and went back to his crib no problem.

[pms4104]

We cruised last year with a then 2 1/2-year-old. He learned very quickly how to open the door, deadbolt and all, and let himself out. We're getting ready to cruise again (Grand 3/31 from Galveston) and I'm really worried he'll open the door and walk out in the middle of the night. Has anyone else had this problem or know about a ship-safe child lock, or any other suggestion for that matter?

 

Thanks!

Just curious ... does your child similarly unlock and open doors and wander the neighborhood at home? Whatever you do to keep him/her off the streets there ought to work on the ship.

[Kerry's Girls]

Just curious ... does your child similarly unlock and open doors and wander the neighborhood at home? Whatever you do to keep him/her off the streets there ought to work on the ship.

 

At home our dead bolt is installed out of reach and we have child-safe clips nailed to interior doors, or those things that fit over door knobs that must be squeezed to turn, which wouldn't work on the knobs in the cabin. Does/did your toddler not try to open doors? It would have been so nice not to have to childproof at home. Mine want to see what's behind everything, and though they're good about minding the rules, it's not something I'd want to take a chance with when I'm in the restroom or at night when I'm sleeping and they may wake up in a strange place disoriented.

 

Best,

Mia

[Terpnut]

At home our dead bolt is installed out of reach and we have child-safe clips nailed to interior doors' date=' or those things that fit over door knobs that must be squeezed to turn, which wouldn't work on the knobs in the cabin. Does/did your toddler not try to open doors? It would have been so nice not to have to childproof at home. Mine want to see what's behind everything, and though they're good about minding the rules, it's not something I'd want to take a chance with when I'm in the restroom or at night when I'm sleeping and they may wake up in a strange place disoriented.

 

Best,

Mia[/quote']As toddlers, once told not to, our kids never tried to open exterior doors, enter "off-limit" rooms, climb on countertops, go into cabinets, play with electrical sockets, etc. Like every parent, we childproofed the house, but it was mostly unnecessary with our two. Same on the cruise--we never worried about them escaping to the hallway, getting into trouble in the bathroom, opening drawers, or slipping out on the balconies. I'm not saying our kids are better than anyone else's--we were just fortunate that they were fairly conservative kids that didn't push the envelope! Of course, now that they're older, we've got a whole other set of issues...

[pms4104]

As toddlers, once told not to, our kids never tried to open exterior doors, enter "off-limit" rooms, climb on countertops, go into cabinets, play with electrical sockets, etc. Like every parent, we childproofed the house, but it was mostly unnecessary with our two. Same on the cruise--we never worried about them escaping to the hallway, getting into trouble in the bathroom, opening drawers, or slipping out on the balconies. I'm not saying our kids are better than anyone else's--we were just fortunate that they were fairly conservative kids that didn't push the envelope! Of course, now that they're older, we've got a whole other set of issues...

Thank you for affirming that discipline is doable and workable.

 

I'm guessing your children learned fairly early that pushing the envelope was unacceptable ... and that "no" meant just that.

[Kerry's Girls]

Thank you for affirming that discipline is doable and workable.

 

I'm guessing your children learned fairly early that pushing the envelope was unacceptable ... and that "no" meant just that.

 

For goodness sake. I'm also guessing from the kind and slightly funny way Terpnut worded his/her post, his/her children are likeable and wouldn't post a sarcastic response to someone asking a legitimate question about a safety issue.

 

Lots of well-brought up children test boundaries. But I'll go ahead and admit that you're a perfect parent and the rest of us need to learn the lessons you have to teach us about "no." Myself, as a mother to twin 2 year olds who is not a perfect parent, I'm really glad to have learned about the alarms mentioned in this thread, and I'd like to know if anyone else has any useful ideas.

 

Best,

Mia

[larronry]

Just curious ... does your child similarly unlock and open doors and wander the neighborhood at home? Whatever you do to keep him/her off the streets there ought to work on the ship.

Myself I have to use a safety chain which I have installed somewhat loose so an adult can stick their hand in and unlatch it from the outside to unlatch it so they are not locked out (my husband sometimes works late and I might forget to unlatch it). The things on the door knobs are useless for my son as he can open the door with those covers on.

 

As toddlers, once told not to, our kids never tried to open exterior doors, enter "off-limit" rooms, climb on countertops, go into cabinets, play with electrical sockets, etc. Like every parent, we childproofed the house, but it was mostly unnecessary with our two. Same on the cruise--we never worried about them escaping to the hallway, getting into trouble in the bathroom, opening drawers, or slipping out on the balconies. I'm not saying our kids are better than anyone else's--we were just fortunate that they were fairly conservative kids that didn't push the envelope! Of course, now that they're older, we've got a whole other set of issues...

I am utterly convinced that each and every child is born with a personality and yours happened to have an easy personality for toddlerhood. Mine tests me at every turn and I'm a behavior analyst who works with autistic children which means I know how to discipline and modify behavior and my son certainly gets his share of discipline but there just are things that are irrisistable and doors are one of them. He's only gone out the front door once, but he likes to open it and if he ever finds the deadbolt unlocked he will lock it and sometimes he will play with the deadbolt locking and unlocking it.

 

He also likes to play with doors in the house and just open and close them.

 

Don't assume a curious or challenging child is the sign of a parent who doesn't discipline some kids, by nature, just make a beeline for those things that are dangerous (doors that lead out and electrical outlets like mine) and some just don't.