Pack n play crib - do you provide sheets, extra mattress?

[Susan1188]

Hello all, 

Do you provide an additional mattress for your pack-n-play bed?  Or do you use just the mat that is provided to wrap the travel bed in?

Do you provide sheets?

I do not want to provide either, for hygiene reasons and for safety/liability reasons. 

I want guest to bring own sheets for the baby.  And I never even thought about providing an extra cushion.  Until today a guest was surprised that our pack and play bed was provided without an additional softer crib mattress.

Is a guest justified for getting furious,  because I did not have an extra cushion on hand?  He demanded I deliver one immediately. 

I'm a Mom of 2 grown kids and I remember it was not recommended as safe to add soft mattresses for babies to sleep on?

And when travelling, my kids always slept on the travel bed mat which is indeed quite hard but this never bothered them or any of my other guests.

What do you think?

[Susan1188]

My initial post was just to ask if other hosts provide a 2nd mattress in addition to the standard pack n play.  I still don't have an answer to that.

Thanks for all the personal advice on my listing. 

I have done research "as a guest" and I completely doubt that anyone filters or sees that there is a pack n play in this listing.  This guest obviously didn't, because he asked me if I had a baby bed (so he had not seen the amenities list).

I do not accept children by instant book.  I want to talk to the parents first.  So: no children.

I have a pack-n-play for the parents that I accept.  So: pack-n-play in amenities.

All of this is irrelevant, because a last minute within 24 hour hasty booking has surely not read any of that or even looked at all the photos and info in the listin.

[Sarah977]

@Susan1188  But why wouldn't you remove the pack'n'play from your amenities list if you don't want to host children or infants? What is the purpose of it being listed? If you want to offer it to guests who ask (thereby breaking your own rules re babies), that's up to you, but I certainly wouldn't list it, as it sends a mixed message.

This particular guest may not have read your amenities list, but that doesn't mean other guests wouldn't.

[Debra300]

@Susan1188,

You did get an answer.  I responded to your inquiry with the requested information, but you didn't acknowledge it.

[Susan1188]

thanks @Debra300 for your nice answer!  sorry if I didn't acknowledge.  
I was a bit disappointed to get only 3 or 4 answers.
I was hoping for a broader survey.  
Oh well, I have my decision made now, will get an extra mattress for the crib and pull it out (after making parents agree to a disclaimer ) if they ask for it.

[Sarah977]

@Susan1188  You probably didn't get many on-point answers because there aren't that many hosts, comparatively, who provide baby equipment.

[Debra300]

@Sarah977,

You're spot on about a limited sampling pool.  We allow children only in one of the six spaces that we rent.  Conversely, the play 'n pack has been used once, by my god-daughter when her prime discovery tools were touching, crawling, and licking/tasting. 

[Susan1188]

@Sarah977 
Now that is an interesting observation and I'm going to look into how many places in my area provide a crib and a larger array of baby equipment.  

I believe the overwhelming majority of listings in my area provide at least the pack n play and a high chair but I'm going to look into this!

Surely every market is different?

Out of curiosity what are you basing that statement on?

[Sarah977]

@Susan1188  I wasn't basing it on any in depth study, just years of perusing this forum and looking at various listings. I could be totally wrong, but I have just gotten the impression that while many hosts accept children, they don't necessarily provide all sorts of baby equipment. 

I'm sure location is a factor. An area where families traditionally come on vacation to the beach and rent cottages may provide baby and child stuff more often than apartment listings in the heart of some big city. 

[Helen744]

Helen@744 . we get alot of families but as I think I have said before most mumma bears and daddy bears co sleep these days it is really only actual infants and maybe firsty parents who insist on the baby bed because baby goes down four five times a day or can H.they carry so much equipment that to have a bed specially for baby is a life saver but if it is not what they expect it can throw them right out. They are just hoping for an hours sleep on their own generally but need the baby in the room next to them without it dying while they sleep . they are usually jittery people who just need a rest and a cup of tea away from there own house H.

[Ann783]

@Susan1188 I have a pack n play for guests. I supply sheets for it - no blankets, pillows or crib toys. I do not provide an extra crib mattress…. But I have a baby crib at my home.

[Susan1188]

Thank you @Ann783  for that kind answer!
Your listing is beautiful.  
When my kids were little, I also had a different crib at home, than what I would expect when travelling anywhere, be it to a club med or hotel or rental apartment.

And in those days, I would have made due with what I found in my holiday destination and fixed it myself to my liking if there was an issue, not demand the off-site host immediately supply me with an extra amenity.  Especially if I booked within 24 hours of arriving!

I'm going to get a pack of sheets and an extra mattress for emergencies like this, and I will also be more explicit about what I have when someone books (that was the main problem here)

[Susan1188]

In this case, it was a last minute trip request and he asked if we had a baby bed, I said yes, because it's off season and it was a nice booking.

I gave the usual warning that we are not toddler proof and do not have child safety features.

As you know last minutes are notoriously hard to communicate with and for sure they don't read the whole listing.

[Sarah977]

@Susan1188  "It's not contradictory - I do not encourage or target children."

Yes, when you list a pack'n'play in your amenities under "Family", ( which your Sunny Corner listing does) it is quite contradictory. Why would you list baby equipment if you don't want babies?

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[Beth80]

@Susan1188 

I have a pack N play. I only offer the original, provided mattress.  I do have an extra piece of foam that I used with my granddaughter.  I also have two sets of sheets. So far no one has asked about an extra mattress.  

[Susan1188]

@Beth80  Thank you for chiming in!

I agree that as a parent, you can decide to use piece of foam or any other padding you want in your child's crib!

When travelling when my two were babies, once I put them to bed in a drawer (taken out and laid on the floor)  padded with blankets! Or a sofa cushion on the floor, or in our own bed in a pinch.  A little baby doesn't require that much except his parents presence and love, we can all decide what is best for our children.

But as an Airbnb host I would never to provide something homemade to guests for their baby's sleep. 

And I wouldn't recommend to hosts to do this, because some hosts are not parents, they might provide too soft foam or something that could break into pieces with an older child and be a choking hazard.