Equipment for babies

[enid]

I have had more babies this year and have beds, cots and plastic bowls. Although I am getting up to speed with baby needs again since I became a nanny to the adorable Sarah I am sure that I could do better for my guests. Could you more experienced baby and toddler hosts help me compile a list of things that would be worth me acquiring?

[la vache!]

High chairs and stair gates (in Bébé7 I got some adjustable, non fixed child gates that can be switched between houses which are great as guests always dismantled/broke the fixed ones). Baby bath if no bath in house, food blender, bottle sterilizer, plastic cups, cutlery - that's my limit I think!

[cromercrabholiday]

Good quality travel cot, ditto high chair, stair gates, plastic cups, plates, cutlery. Don't have sterilisers etc. as our guests drive to us and we feel prefer to use kit that they know.

John

[Ju]

Hi Enid,

I think the others have covered most things. Personally I would use a normal cot rather than a travel cot if you have the space. The are much more robust and much more comfortable for the babies.

A high chair is important, nothing too fancy but don't go for the travel ones as they are not as stable.

Stair gates are a real bonus. I stayed at a property once in Italy when my oldest was 11 months old, and we ended up having to move all the furniture to block the staircase. We have them at the top and bottom of all our stairs, but you can get the removable type which do the trick.

A steriliser and a blender make life easier for those with young babies, but are not essential.

Another good idea would be a change mat, and if you can fit it in a change table, If nothing else it stops people changing the babies on the beds!

A box of toys goes down well, as does some books. This is I think where you start getting into the specialisation. If you only have one group a year with young children it is probably not worth spending the money. We also have videos such as the teletubbies, tweenies and fimbles in the properties.

Thats all I can think of for now, but I'm sure there are other things.

Ju

[enid]

Thanks all - I seem to have done Ok then with the things I have offered. I have some large lego and stickle bricks which went down well. I thought I would add to the toys during the year when the sales are on. I'll put a list together and post it like I did for the general equipment - not today though as I am a little tired after going to a French wedding yesterday and not getting in 'til 3.30a.m.!!!!

[Hells Bells]

I'm waiting for my 18 month old neice to grow out of her travel cot (and for our store room to be finished).

[cromercrabholiday]

I forgot to mention the individualised welcoming little present that goes on pillows or into the cot! Only about £2-3, but it gains enormous goodwill from the kids, so parents are always pleased. You have to get age & sex and have a store for the handover team to pick from.

John

[A-two]

I agree with most other suggestions and especially the changing mat. I purchased a second Graco Pack 'N Play travel cot this year. That's the brand that all the American Moms know and love. It came with a bassinette and changing mat attachment. For the other one I had already, also a Graco but without the attachments, I purchased an inflatable changing mat from IKEA and it's well used, as well the IKEA stack of their plastic cups, bowls and cutlery.

I agree with Ju that a proper cot is better, but it's not practical for us, as we need to dismantle or move from room to room on a weekly basis.

The high chairs I have are full size, purchased second hand from a consignment store, but it's in perfect condition and even came with original brochure etc. I don't know whether you have one of those near you Enid, but they are great.

I would also recommend a stepstool for the family bathroom.

[enid]

I would also recommend a stepstool for the family bathroom.

That's a good one. I had bought one high chair and thenI bought a very simple and not expensive one from IKEA and that got the thumbs up. I'll add the changing mats too.

[CostaBlanca]

Thanks for list.

I wonder do you provide this equipment free of charge even if the baby/infant exceeds max number in your property. Setting up for an infant would in fact be alot more time consuming than just making up an extra bed?

Even though I get mostly families with young children and infants and there has never been a problem, I am sure that there are better suited properties for younger children. My living area/bedrooms are all on 2nd floor (typical for this area) with a gated staircase to the garden and pool which has more steps. The garden itself could be considered extremely dangerous with typical Mediterranean spiky and poisionous plants. However, most kids prefer the pool to the garden and they prefer the fridge for food instead of trying out any nice plants.

Maria

[Ju]

I don't charge extra for any of my equipment. We had a booking this year for a party with five infants, at a time when we had babies in the other properties as well. I went out and bought three more cots, but they didn't get charged a penny more. The cots won't go off and will get used again sometime I'm sure.