With a
VERY active 3yr old running around in the camper, it was important for me to come up with a workable way to safely "lock" the screen door to prevent it from flying open if pushed. We've all seen kids stick their heads out of the screed slider opening while pushing on the door... doesn't take much... and they turn the stairs into a very bumpy face first slide to the ground.
I looked around for something to purchase that would do the job and came up empty.
Lightening struck while I was in my local ACE hardware picking up some other items.
I used half of a window sash lock. I "notched" the door trim to allow it to flip around fully... and viola... safety lock!!
It is mounted out of the reach of the kids... but low enough that an adult can stand on the top outside step, reach their arm up in through the screen slider - and open the lock from the outside.
When it's locked...
IF someone were to try to open the door... the bottom of the screen door will flex open about 3"... but then it stops. I've tried to force it to open while the lock is locked... let me tell you... I'll bend the door in half before that lock pops past that door jam. It's more than enough to keep a kid from face planting themselves into the ground. It's saved our kids several times - and give us incredible peace of mind where we're in the camper - and works 10x better than trying to "gate off" the door from the inside.
Hopefully this helps anyone else with kids struggling with the same problem.