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I have my first infant guest (7 months) arriving in June. At that age, the baby might be a good crawler.
Do hosts typically baby proof when a baby is coming, or do you leave that to the parents?
I’m thinking of removing my onyx lamp and all decor items near the floor even though these things are in the photos of the listing. Just hoping the parents will understand if the place looks a little bleak.
I also plan to leave a roll of painter’s tape on the table with a note, “for baby proofing!” I don’t think I want to go taping over electrical receptacles.
I have two nice plush toys I can add to make the cottage look a little less stark.
I indicate on my listing that the house is not suitable for infants or children because it’s not baby proof. Folks still rent it with infants and children.
I assume they probably baby proof themselves because I have found baby gates left behind and noticed many times that guests move the cleaning supplies from underneath the sink to a closet.
If you indicate on your listing that your home is not suitable for infants and children, I don’t think you should worry about making it baby proof.
As someone who raised 3 kids myself, I would have no idea what a roll of painter’s tape with “for baby proofing” was supposed to mean. You could just go to the dollar store and pick up a couple packages of outlet covers, they’re cheap.
There’s actually little risk of a baby that age sticking something in an outlet- they don’t have the fine motor skills yet to do such things, nor would it occur to them to do so. Safety-wise, babies that age who crawl around are more likely to chew on an electrical cord they can get to or put small objects in their mouths.
Why not dialogue a bit with the parents? Ask them if the baby is crawling yet, that you were thinking of removing a few items like the onyx floor lamp, both so they don’t get broken and for the baby’s safety. Some babies aren’t mobile on their own until 9 months, some are early crawlers, a few never crawl, they just go from sitting to trying to walk.
They might say they keep the baby in a playpen when they aren’t watching him with an eagle eye, or they might say they’ll move anything that could get damaged or topple over, or they might say he hasn’t started crawling yet.
WARNING: I think the safety firm Breezeway strongly recommends NOT putting in a crib or pack n’play. Possible discussion with insurance agent if you’re considering this.
The OP wasn’t asking what to purchase for his rental to make it baby-friendly. Unless he caters on a regular basis to families with babies, which it doesn’t sound like he does, why would he go out and buy all that stuff?
But he allows infants and small children, so it’s something he might consider from time to time.
To the extent that a Host has taken some preparatory steps life is that much easier for parents bringing infants and young children. These above are some of them.
My cottage is only 640 square feet, configured as a true one bedroom. So alas I don’t have room for extra amenities, but thank you @HostAirbnbVRBO for a really terrific list! It will surely help others.
I’m going to remove cleaning supplies and everything except the first aid kit from the cottage, as all these things are accessible from the floor. I’m going to leave little notes saying call me if you want these things.
But I’m not going to tape the outlet covers and @muddy , thank you for the reassurance I just hope their kid isn’t precocious!
Cleaning supplies are important to have in a listing - what happens if they spill something? Why not put them up out of the reach of a child - in an upper cabinet, or a closet with a high shelf?
“While we welcome children in the home, their safety is your responsibility. Please check the photos and descriptions, and ask questions if you have any concerns about the suitability of the accommodation. “
I provide a baby gate, high chair and pack-n-play in every unit. Anything you can do to limit the amount of things the parents have to bring is very much appreciated by them. Ive never been asked about baby proofing by a guest, other than the baby gate (stairs in every unit)
Unless they ask for it specifically I wouldn’t do any baby proofing before they arrive.
Unless you advertise as baby-friendly, I’m with @muddy - contact them and tell them you aren’t baby-proofed. Just let them know and see what they say/ask you to do. No reason to volunteer to do things that might not be of value.
Im a new host - first guest has a baby and asked if I could provide a stroller and baby cot. Given that it was a month’s booking (and I dont yet have any other bookings) - and at full rates - I took the commercial decision to invest in these items in the hope that my guest will leave decent feedback (and maybe even return to my house again some time!). Cost was only about 3% of the revenue and I hope a good investment. Problem in Phuket is there are many scammers on airbnb and booking.com and many guests will only trust that the your villa is real once you have feedback.
I got a portacot and high chair on FB marketplace for free. ( I got lucky, but #imsoluckyeverythingworksoutforme) I constantly look for free stuff on marketplace, people are so lazy, instead of just cleaning an item properly and then selling it, they often give it away for nothing. But even if you can’t get if for free (ha, that’s always my budget) you can’t often find excellent condition items on marketplace. of course i can’t speak for Thailand but I assume it’s not too different?
as for the scammer, yes I understand that. do you have a FB page and Instagram of your listing? I know abb doesn’t like us sharing socials before a booking is made but it’s going to help you if you have those things, with personalised posts and some guest interactions.
Thanks Gillian - yes I also turned to Facebook as a first port of call, but was unsuccessful. Then I found that decent quality stuff is inexpensive in Thailand if ordered new on “Lazada” (a Thai version of Amazon). Both items together cost around US$250 versus a rental of over US$8,500 net for the month. I figured this was a worthwhile investment in an effort to get decent feedback. Thailand seems like a good airbnb destination as expenses are quite cheap if you have an honest local host helping you out (we are lucky in this regard) and short term rentals rates are quite high versus versus the capital value of the villas. I think it will pay dividends to be as accommodating as possible to guests needs and to aim for great feedback. Of course even if I do this I guess I could still be unlucky. Have to say Im finding this quite fun so far.
Good thinking, I’m sure this will pay off for you, and remember to add these items to your listing details. In both VRBO and AirBnB you can add them to your property under the “Amenities” section.
Thanks for your comment. I even stuck a photo of the two items in the gallery and mentioned in the main description. It’s an 8 person villa and so needs to be attractive to families.
yep, no shame in you spending the money on new stuff. I’ve got the luxury of time, and I’m Frugal on an Olympic level, so when we first set up I didn’t need those things, people travelling here with bubs are coming by car, they could pack their own portacot. And in the past year i reckon I’ve only had to set it up 10 times. So, assuming it wasn’t a necessary item, I waited, and then I pounced on one when it came up as a freebie. I did the same for a high chair, and i got a lovely modern wooden one that suits our cottage style, lightly used. I’ve managed to find many free/bargain items this way
