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Airbnb for Kids: How to Make Your Vacation Rentals Kid-Friendly
When people travel with their children they have to make special accommodations, one of which is finding a vacation rental that will be suitable for their children.
Airbnb kid-friendly properties are perfect for guests with families because they don’t have to worry about many of the safety concerns that regular Airbnb listings have.
If you want to attract more Airbnb guests who are traveling with their children and make sure that you comply with the Airbnb infant policy, follow this checklist to prepare your vacation rental for kids.
Why Try To Attract Families To Your Vacation Rental?
First off, turning down a reservation just because a guest has children goes against Airbnb’s nondiscrimination policy. You can, according to Airbnb, let guests know if your listing is unsuitable or unsafe for children but you cannot reject a booking on the basis of “familial status”. Making sure your space is kid-friendly with things like a high chair or childproofed areas helps create a cozy, welcoming vibe for families.
Also, think about your location. In some spots, most of your guests might be families looking for a cozy place to stay during their trip.
If your rental isn’t set up to be kid-friendly, like having extra beds or a special room for children, you could lose out on bookings. Parents want a place that feels safe and comfortable, so making your property family-friendly can really help up your bookings.
General Considerations and Amenities:
Breakability
The first thing that you want to do is to assess your property for breakability. A house advertised as family-friendly should not have items that can easily fall down and break because of children running around and knocking into something. So make sure that you put away your fine china, vases, lamps, and other items that can easily be broken.
Of course, you are free to still have things in your home that you don’t want kids to touch to decorate your property for bookings without children. However, make sure that your cleaning service puts these things out of reach.
Finally, choose furniture and appliances carefully when you are deciding what to buy for your Airbnb. Opt for items, such as appliances with touchscreens and touch pads, that can’t be easily destroyed by a young child. You can do some research online in order to figure out what furniture and appliances are perfect for homes with children.
WiFi and TV
The internet and TV are the easiest ways for parents to unwind after putting their kids to bed. It’s also helpful for giving kids something to do when parents need a break. Make sure that you share the WiFi and Netflix passwords with your guests before they arrive and have a copy of them in your Welcome Book so that they can easily access them at any time. Just make sure that parental controls are activated.
Washer and Dryer
Kids go through clothes faster than adults, especially if they are staying at your property for more than a couple of nights. As a result, to make your listing attractive to families it should have a working washer and dryer so that your guests can use them as needed.
Making Your Airbnb for Kids Toddler and Baby-friendly
Safety:
Some guests may travel with their babies or toddlers. As a result, you’ll need to ask ahead of time and specify whether your property is baby-proof.
If you want to make sure that your Airbnb property is safe for babies and toddlers, you’ll need to install gates for the stairs, a diaper pail for dirty diapers, rails for the balcony, and window locks.
Small ornamental pieces, blind pulls, and curtain ropes should be secured or removed. Small toys such as Legos, stray nails, and refrigerator magnets can also be choking dangers.
Electrical outlets should be covered with outlet covers. If you have a fireplace or heater make sure there is a guard.
Make sure that basic safety tools are present such as a first-aid kit, a smoke detector, and a carbon monoxide detector.
Have potentially dangerous cleaning equipment secured in the owner’s closet. When leaving cleaning supplies for visitors, make sure they are arranged, labeled, and out of children’s reach.
Useful Amenities:
Make sure you supply the following for visitors who have young children:
- A folding wagon, stroller, and/or high chair
- A foldable crib, like the Pack ‘n Play Baby, comes with batteries and a monitor to assist parents in keeping a watch on their kids.
- If necessary, baby gates can keep kids from falling down steps.
a changing area with wipes in the kid’s bedroom. - Books, toys, chalk, and bubbles for kids
- A bathroom step stool to enable everyone to reach the sink
Kitchen and Dining Area
Airbnb guests who are traveling with children will probably need to use the kitchen at some point. So you’ll want to make sure that the kitchen is fully stocked and child-proof at the same time. Make sure that you have all of the essentials that your guests will need to cook, such as pots, pans, dishes, utensils, and condiments.
To avoid unintentional burns and/or cuts, cover stovetops and knives. Install cabinet door latches and keep all heavy or sharp goods higher.
Make sure that the dining area is set up. Keep alcohol in a child-proof place, out of reach. And consider supplying a high chair.
Bedrooms
If you’re looking to target families you can really focus on the bedroom for each guest. While you want to ensure the adults have a cozy place to unwind, you can have a lot of fun making the space fun for children.
Twin beds or bunk beds are usually a fine option. For the latter, just make sure there is a railing. You could even do themed bedrooms that relate to your area.
A cabin can have a fun forest theme, or you can bring the beach inside with bright colors and funky prints. This will make your vacation rental less versatile but if you are in a location that primarily attracts families then it can be worth leaning into that.
Make Sure There Are Enough Beds For The Entire Family
If your Airbnb guests are traveling with their children, it is highly likely that they might also be traveling with other family members.
As a result, you should make sure that your home has extra beds available so that you can profit from additional guests who want to stay at the last minute. Invest in a rollaway cot and bunk beds so that there are additional sleeping options available. These can turn four bedrooms into a six-person booking.
Game Room
This doesn’t have to be a massive hall with a climbing wall and pool table. It can be as simple as turning the living area into a combined space with children’s toys and other family-friendly activities like board games.
By all means, if you have the space add additional activities like a foldable ping pong table or other group games. But don’t feel that you need to go crazy. Small adjustments can show you’ve put in the effort and make your house the perfect place for the entire family to spend their vacation.
There are a whole host of fun things you can add like:
- Playing cards, toys, board games (Scrabble, anyone?), and puzzles.
- A movie projector and a collection of PG films for a family movie night.
- Magazines and books
- Supplies for arts and crafts
Prep Your Outdoor Space
If you have an outdoor space, you should also make sure that you prep it for children as well.
Make sure that all walkways are safe to walk on without broken stones or obstructions. You should also install a gate around the pool and hot tub and alert parents if there is a pond or waterway in your backyard.
Include standard sporting activities and gear, including a badminton set, bikes, and soccer balls, for the older kids and consider features like these:
- Outdoor sets like swings or a mini play house
- Hoops for hula and jump rope
- Sprinkler attachments for hoses
Nearby Attractions
To make it easier for parents to find kid-friendly attractions near your listing, you can add some suggestions to your Welcome Book.
Highlight parks, easy hiking trails, theme parks, libraries, and other kid-friendly spots that they can visit nearby.
Stock gear specific to your location such as fishing gear, bikes, beach umbrellas and so on.
You should also select some restaurants that are family-friendly that are located nearby. Parents will appreciate that you’ve done some of the legwork for them, which will boost your reputation as an attentive family-friendly host.
Display Your Kid-Friendly Amenities in Your Listing Photos
If your location or your property tends to attract a lot of families, don’t hesitate to display your kid-proof amenities in the photos for your Airbnb listing. You’ll book more parents with children if they can easily see that your listing is safe for their children.
You can also add the phrase “child-friendly” or “safe for children” to the description of your listing so that they will know that you are specifically accommodating their needs.
Airbnb hosting is a bit more complicated when there are children involved. However, the majority of these considerations can be managed by your cleaning service.
The most important thing is that you plan ahead and ask your guests what they need from you upfront before they arrive. By doing so, you can ensure a safe and relaxing stay for them and improve the chances of receiving 5-star reviews.
Conclusion
Adding kid-friendly features to your Airbnb not only keeps guests safe and comfortable but also helps attract more family travelers.
Simple adjustments like baby-proofing, providing useful amenities, and pointing out nearby family attractions can make your rental stand out. These small efforts can improve guest satisfaction, boost your reputation, and lead to more bookings and positive reviews.
Plus, happy families are likely to spread the word! If you want to make managing your Airbnb easier, iGMS can help with automating tasks and handling guest communication.
