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Traveling With Toddlers & Babies

When traveling with toddlers or a baby, would the rental property testimonial that said “the baby equipment that you provided was excellent and saved us carrying heavy equipment” catch your eye?

A number of vacation property owners provide equipment – cot, high chair, stroller etc. – that they have picked up in yard sales or that had previously belonged to their own children who are now grown up.

Personally I wouldn’t go down that road as I think it is a nightmare with regards liability.

It would be so easy for a child to be hurt by an ageing piece of equipment that I would not be comfortable with this option.

Additionally, you could never be sure that your guest would leave the equipment clean and ready for the next guest and who wants to arrive on vacation and spend the first hour cleaning and disinfecting baby equipment? It would get the vacation off to a poor start and give a very bad impression of your home. You could, of course, ask that your cleaners check and clean these items but they are often on a tight schedule and would have to charge you for their time.

It would get the vacation off to a poor start and give a very bad impression of your home. You could, of course, ask that your cleaners check and clean these items but they are often on a tight schedule and would have to charge you for their time

We felt we offered the best of both worlds by having an arrangement with a local hire firm who would deliver to our property exactly what our guests wanted on the day of their arrival spotlessly clean and ready for use.

If any of our guests were traveling with a toddler or baby we simply gave them a list so they could choose what they needed. The guests then paid for the hire of the goods but were happy to do so, fully confident that everything they had asked for would be as good as new and fully insured.

The feedback we received was that our guests were happier paying for this service than borrowing something free of charge that would perhaps not be of the required standard. It wasn’t a money making option for us but we hoped it showed that we had pre-empted the needs of our guests and showed that we would always offer a little bit more than some other owners to make their vacation special.

It is a judgement call of course and if your property appeals more to families on a tight budget, they may prefer to have the 'no cost' option.

The feedback we received was that our guests were happier paying for this service than borrowing something free of charge that would perhaps not be of the required standard. It wasn’t a money making option for us but we hoped it showed that we had pre-empted the needs of our guests and showed that we would always offer a little bit more than some other owners to make their vacation special.

It is a judgement call of course and if your property appeals more to families on a tight budget, they may prefer to have the 'no cost' option.

A product range that I was unaware of until recently was Go Go Kidz Travelmate. A terrific idea when traveling with a toddler or a baby.