Without totally renovating what are some quick things, to make your home baby safe?

Walk through the house looking at anything at their level that they could get the hands on, that could be dangerous or messy. And I mean anything. Kids will amaze you sometimes with what they can get into. And look for stuff they could pull down.

And what do you do about stairs?
We are not about to run out and buy a baby gate for a one night stay.

Barricade them with boxes, or bags of newspapers or anything else you have around. Anything they can’t climb over or move.

Your visitors likely know that your house is not safe, so they (hopefully) be traveling with gates when they come to visit. You’re not going to be letting these little ones loose in the house on their own, so most of the safety precautions are things that can be unsafe while you are there with them. In other words, is there a lamp balancing on the edge of a table with the cord right out in front of it? Are there exposed outlets with butter knives on the floor below them? I exaggerate, but you’ll know by taking a quick sweep through the rooms the kids will be in. If you have a table that you’ve always been a little concerned about because it’s wobbly and holding up a large vase, you’ll know.

If you were having toddlers over for a longer period of time, and you thought they would be out of adults’ sight for some time, you would probably want to look into the bookshelves and other heavy items that could topple if climbed on.

As for a non-messy treat – it’s probably best to inquire with your niece. You don’t want to run out and buy something that is not something she allows her kid to have.

Detaching the ladder from my loft bed
Removing the plastic bags I have balled in a corner
Plugging my outlets with those plastic things
Putting away my desk lamps (the bulbs get hot)
Locking things away, as you have done (did you lock the hair dryer?)
I’d lock a lot of the other toiletries, too
Sealing the windows
Covering the keyboard & my guitar
Putting something over sharp corners

Regarding barricades at the stairs – make sure they are not tripping hazards to adults. You don’t want someone tripping over and rolling down the stairs.

And 1½ year olds like to put things in their mouths. Look out for small objects, objects with a water soluble paint, containers of cleaning products, containers of pills.

Should you look into outlet covers? Make sure that your coffee table is not glass and that there are not sharp corners on any of the furniture.

All sensible answers above.
No one addressed the issue of wood burning stove safety. How did I make mine safe for my nephews when they were toddlers? I didn’t. I did absolutely nothing. I told them that it was very hot. Done.
If they tried to get near it the heat would have dissuaded them. It is right in the living room where everyone is talking, reading, watching TV, playing, etc. There has never been a problem.

Now they are ~6 years old and like to run around the house. When they visit I just tell them whether the stove is on or off. They avoid it either way.

Make sure all cleaning products are up high.
Make sure meds are locked up.
Know the difference between danger and curiosity. If you don’t want them touching something, even if it won’t hurt them, just put it up. You don’t want to spend the whole time saying,“Don’t touch that!”
For stairs, turn chairs on their sides and use as a barricade. Better yet, do you have a small table?
Vacuum the floor carefully and you should be good to go.

Non messy treat? Hmmm….I don’t know if there is such a thing, when you’re dealing with kids who eat with their hands! Just wash their hands after they eat. It should be OK.

Kids ARE amazing. Zoey, who is a year and a half old, walked up to me and handed me a photograph I’d never seen before. It was an old one, of my Mom and two of her friends in H.S. I have NO idea where she got it.

Just so you know, when my granddaughter and grandson were younger, we had a gate on the stairs to keep them from going up.
It got very quiet once and my daughter went to see why. She found both kids climbing up the outside of the stair, holding onto the balusters. My grand daughter was up about five feet with my grandson a step behind her. My daughter didn’t panic or yell at them. She calmly told them to stop and put her hands in the middle of their backs to hold them in place. Then, still calm, she called and asked if I could give her a hand here. Both children were safely retrieved and then we all sat down and it was explained to them that this was dangerous (like they understood that) and something that you NEVER do! Never ever again! (now that they understood, it was a NO) and they never did.

Kids are clever, they will find ways around whatever you do to protect them. Not that you should not try, just don’t be surprised.

Man, my son took the baby gate off the stairs because the baby was climbing inbetween the bannisters to get to the stairs. They figured that was a lot more dangerous than allowing her access to the top of the stairs. She’s 18 months old and she’s maneuvers the stairs like pro. Of course, they taught her to slide down on her stomach, feet point to the bottom, and crawl back up on all 4s.

When my kids were little I taught them very early on the safest way to use the stairs. I also taught them to swim as early as possible.

Outlets, obviously. I would barricade the stairs and see whether the front door is easily opened if it leads to a busy street.

Non-messy favourites of mine: Carrots and bell peppers. Treats which are reasonably non-messy: Rice cakes. You should probably ask mum and dad, though. They know what their kids like, whether they are allowed any real sweets yet. They will like being asked, I’m sure!

Thanks for all the answers, now I remember why we prefer cats to kids.
A lot less work, and no trouble when you want to ignore the cat.

Yeah, and you can just throw the cat outside when it annoys you!

DONT forget the cord thing. Make sure blind cords, any kind of cord or tie like that is out of reach.

Buy some giant hamster balls.
Just kidding.

@fluthernutter I know your just kidding, BUT!!! I do like your answer best!
Wouldn’t have to worry about the house or the rug rats, and you know the kids would probably have a blast inside those things.

You might want to remind them when they come that you did your best to make your home safe, but that you may have missed things simply because you don’t have experience in this area. I’m sure that they know this, but it may not be at the front of their minds when they arrive.

Have a lovely visit!

Plastic plugs for outlets.

Gate for the stairs. A gate for the bedroom if they will sleep with the door open. Especially if you have a pool.

All poison to a high shelf. I never bothered with locking cabinets when people visited with their children. The kids will almost always be where adults can see them.

All medicine out of reach including vitamins. Iron can be deadly for a young child.

Pads for under the sheets just in case.

Rubber or similar on sharp corners, like glass tables
With 90 degree angles.

Plastic or paper plates.

Snacks you should ask the parents what the kids like. I would assume the parents are bringing some snacks and toys.

Look for things that killed you as a kid. Not a long list?
Damn.
If your knees are up for it, I say crawl through your house and put up anything that looks inviting or dangerous to a kid. You’re just a big kid, I know you can do it.
Two kids, two Squeeky2’s. Maintain visual contact (like in the olden days when you were a kid) with the kids.

Cripes. Used to be people followed toddlers around. Now the kids roam so the parents can Facebook.

Maybe you could just buy a tent, set it up in the living room, and turn the kids loose into it? Like a personal zoo nursery.

I never followed my toddlers around. I renovated my house so that it was user friendly for them. It’s their house too. They should be free to roam! Plus, I knew it was only temporary. :(

That’s very true, @Dutchess_III, if the kids live there.
But an overnight visit from a 3 and 1½ year old probably simply calls for a lot of the 4 adults ‘keeping an eye on’ the 2 kids. I think @hominid gave the most sensible advice for the occasion.
Otherwise, generations (including mine) survived with few of the above mentioned ‘safety requirements’.
You might ask the parents about the stair gates.

I zapped myself with 120V, and my brother zapped himself with 220V (Thailand). We both survived, and learned something new.

With some guidance my girls have been pretty safe so far. Got cuts and burns at our house, and broke bones at their friend’s house, but that’s about it.

Forgot to mention that we always make sure pot handles are pointed away from the user, so there is no risk of knocking pots of hot food onto any little people.

I cook strictly on back burners to this day! And keep the handles turned away.

Yeah, @Dutchess_III I still carry the scars from that lesson on the dangers of boiling water.

Oh and @SQUEEKY2…those are precious ages. I hope you enjoy them! Tell us stories after they leave.