Do you host families with children?

[Liv]

Hey everyone,

I’m aware that not all properties are suitable and safe for children, especially when too many stairs or sharp furniture are involved. 🙈

I’ve been following several discussions in the CC from Hosts who don’t feel their listings are accommodating to little ones, but it would also be great to hear about your experience hosting children if you have any.

Increasingly more guests have been looking for nice spots for having family gatherings and creating lovely childhood memories for their kids, which require tailored accommodations decorated with children’s safety (and why not fun) in mind. 👶 ✨

Therefore I’d love to know: do you host families with children? What are the best practices for welcoming guests with kids?

Thanks,

Liv

[Robin4]

@Liv 

In a way I do Liv, having had my grandies living here for two years (2016-17) we built up a collection of toys which we were bequeathed when the kids headed back east again.

Children are happiest and most content when they have something new to play with. And the effect on parents is dramatic when the children are out of their hair for a while.....we can be absolutely guaranteed of a great review. 

We are not a child minding service Liv but we do miss our grandchildren and we get a kick out of seeing guests kids happy. 

The one thing that most children who come here will remember for the rest of their life, our dog Betts goes out for a walk and to chase the ball each day, I let guests children come with me, and I let them ride on Ade's gopher. If they are too young to handle it themselves I let them stand on it and push the forward/backward paddles while I sit on the seat, at the ready to avoid any problem. If they are old enough I just walk beside and let them pilot it themselves.

Can you imagine what a thrill a 4-5 year old gets being able to zoom themselves around? And along the way they get to throw the ball for the dog to retrieve.

We have had a few who have said they didn't want to leave, and desperately wanted to hug the dog before they left.

Having children around brings the youthfulness back into our lives again. Once they get a bit older things like driving the gopher don't fall high on the 'must do' list but, by that stage they are more content playing 'dungeons and dragons'....they are less effort to please!

Cheers.......Rob

[Laurelle3]

@Liv our Airbnb excepts families, it think our cottage is booked because it has a full kitchen, no steps or stairs, flat ground with a private garden at the back of the cottage. I provide child friendly cuttlery and china when they are staying. I place a basket with suitable toys and books for the age group in the bedroom they would be using.

I do tell them that I dont have a cot or crib in advance and most guests  have their own portable one. My rationale  is because it has to be thoroughly cleaned between stay to stop cross infections. I have a collapsable washing basket that can be used as a bath if required.

We also have a two way converation if they require anything before they arrive.

[Amanda660]

My listing clearly stated that whilst we welcomed youngsters the house is in no way childproofed, stairs, glass tables etc.  We reiterate that they should be supervised at all times if they choose to book with youngsters. 

We used to leave high chairs,  travel cots, kiddies cutlery, bowls, plates and sippy cups and of course infants were  free. 

We had a chap book with 3 free ‘infants’ and 4 paying adults.  In his review he complained that it wasn’t childproofed and definitely not child friendly.  Sigh

This week I’ve changed my settings not to accept little ones - they’re not so much the issue, it’s the parents not cleaning up after them or being utterly exhausting with their demands.  From personal experience parents with youngster are always late in checking out. 

[Hope117]

Yesterday an adult basically said I was asking for it, when her children stole things. 

[Elizabeth1903]

I absolutely welcome infants and children of all ages! The way I handle it is unusual, but seems to work great. Most hosts who allow children/infants go to great lengths to provide "child proofing" like stair gates, outlet covers, cabinet locks, etc. and special supplies like utensils, pack-n-plays, high chair/booster seat, etc.

I actually offer none of the above, but I also fully and clearly disclose that in the "other things to note" part of my listing, so parents, knowing  their children best can decide if they would feel safe at my place. I would also like to add that child proofing devices can pose significant inconvenience to adults without kids.  I do offer games and toys and art supplies.

I also let parents know what parts of the property are off limits to children due to safety concerns.

No issues so far, and lots of return guests with kids and rave feedback about how much fun the kids had. 

[Lorna170]

I have not child-proofed my AirBnB property, but neither have I indicated that it is not child friendly.  As the property is only for 4 humans, I rarely get more than 2 children staying with their parents, although I have had some guests ask for 4 adults and any number of children due to Air's policy that "children are free and therefore don't count".  Over the past several years I have had maybe 5-6 bookings per year with a child, otherwise it is all couples.  Whether or not you entice families with children is all about your accommodation; what does it lend itself to?

[Debra300]

@Liv,

We have an apartment in the guesthouse, and allow families with children.  It is on the garden level.  However, we don't allow any children to stay in the guest suites that are on the top floor, because the outdoor balconies are high off of the ground.

[Ann783]

We are kid friendly. We have a sturdy fence around the pool, custom designed to prevent feet from grabbing onto the chain links/ to prevent climbers. We have a playset with molded rubber padding underneath. Inside we have books, toys, high chair, crib, pack n play and plastic cups and dinnerware.

[Stephen1156]

Here, where we live on 100 acres in the Australian bush, one of our two cottages is specifically set up for families. We have games and children's books as well as DVDs of several kid's movies.

One of the nice things about living where we do is that our place is full of wildlife to see and plants that have uses in crafting and Indigenous Australian bush foods. When families visit, we often make the offer to take everyone around to show them interesting animal habitats (deer wallows and beds, wombat holes, echidna burrows, fox dens, and more), plants that can be eaten and used in making, and bird nests where our many species dwell.

As the seasons pass, different animals are more active and different plants are in flower or seed, so it's never the same twice. Explaining the difference between native species that belong in the environment and invasive species such as deer, foxes, and rabbits, is sometimes an awakening.

For the city kids (and their parents) who are often conditioned to their screens, this can bring their eyes up and outward. For those who tend to be a little more attuned to nature (whether from the city or country), it can invite hours of questions; I need to be ready with answers.

[Rahul112]

Its very common for au pairs to have less experience in looking after children. Exaggerating the truth about how much you baby sat your cousin happens often. Host families are hiring au pairs, not nannies - they should not expect anyone to be completely professional. I'm pretty sure she doesn't have to tell her employers about an issue she is taking medication for. Or that she is going on trips with specific people. I can't imagine the host family would care if you called them up and said "Actually she went on a trip with me, not that other friend."

The physical discipline is the worst thing here but even so, I know host parents who have allowed their au pair to smack bottoms in certain scenarios. Did you know their rules about this? The physical force cannot have been so awful that it left marks or the child was very distressed otherwise the parents would have found out.

[John5097]

I haven't had any real issues with hosting families. I used to have a pull out sleeper but it was adult couples that broke that several times so don't offer it anymore. An extra bed with extra sheets and such is an additional expense. If there was a way to just charge $20 extra for the extra bed that would at least cover the cost, but charging extra for each child isn't ideal, as guest are already complaining about the extra fees. I still have parent and child book. I only had one family with wild kids but no damage, but in general liked families as they were busy, in town for soccer tournaments and such, go to the beach and no real problems and very friendly. 

Oh right now covid vaccines aren't yet available for children 10 and under. I just hosted a parent with child and cases are spiking right now. Before this kids weren't at risk so that's a factor. 

[BenkaandKeith0]

We host the families with children, we point out in out house rules that there is no bad children, they are just parents in charge. We charge extra for them, regardless of their size and age, as we gathered from the experience that smaller kids are usually more mess, almost constantly cleaning the walls, all furniture, etc... We provide toys, balls, frezbie, badminton, s'mores kit, swing, stuffed animals, books, nature guides for them as we live in the woods and most of them are interested in exploring when visiting. We offer  free Rent-a-Dog program, where our dogs take them for a hike around the property. We also have a couple of Free Little Libraries situated on unexpected locations around the property where they can read in nature.

[Solveig0]

Yes we do! There's nothing in our house that isn't child friendly. LIke @BenkaandKeith0 says above, there's no bad children, as long as you have good parents in charge. We have a big garden, and of course kids could climb a tree and fall down, but that's really is beyond what we can fence in... 

We offer:

- baby cot

- baby bath tub

- potty 

- high chair

- play ground with swings, trampoline, sand box and more

- fenced in garden with lots of trees for climbing etc

- chickens, dog and cat

- vegetable garden and lots of berries and fruits

- directions to local play ground. 

We love hosting kids, and our own kids (5&6) have made so many new friends. Language is no barrier when it comes to kids! 

[Rahul112]

I also let parents know what parts of the property are off limits to children due to safety concerns.   https://spicemoneylogin.in https://myfiosgateway.one 

[Gregory87]

@Liv :

While we note in our rental policies that our space isn't suitable for infants, we are open to children of other ages.  When guests book and indicate that kids are part of the reservation, we check on the age and emphasize that our accommodations aren't child-proofed and that parents/guardians are responsible for maintaining a safe environment.  This is also reiterated in our house rules.

That being said, many of our guests are grandparents in town to visit their son/daughter and spend time with the grandchildren.  Some of them ask to bring the grandchild for an overnight or two.  This is normally fine and the grandparents tend to take excellent care of their precious visitor.

On our end, we provide a "borrowing library" of items for guests which include age-appropriate games (Candyland, Chute & Ladders), puzzles, story books, and coloring books with crayons.  Most of these supplies come from the Dollar Store, so it isn't a big loss if an item is broken or lost.

This is a win-win situation for everyone!