Lay My Hat

Posted: **Mon Sep 19, 2016 7:02 pm**

Cymraes wrote:
newtimber wrote:
For health and safety reasons, you need to be careful about using a different mattress to the one supplied with the travel cot. If you look at the manufacturers website for your travel cot and read the instructions, some warn you not to do this. If the instructions for the one you have say this and there is an accident, you would have no defence at all. (I don't know which Graco travel cot you have, but this one http://download.gracobaby.com/ProductIn ... 58372F.pdf is an example) Others provide detailed specifications and size of any replacement mattress and say you should never use a second mattress in the cot - the mattress should be a replacement for the supplied one.
In my opinion, it's really not worth the risk and would only provide a travel cot as is.
And this is exactly why I took the decision to not supply any baby equipment. You do things with the best intentions and it can come back and bite!

I don't follow you on this one, Caro - why is it so dangerous to supply baby equipment? What's the difference between a chair and a highchair, or a bed and a cot? Baby equipment bought new and maintained well can't be dangerous, or we would be tripping over lawsuits all the time, and parents everywhere would shun it. To not supply any baby equipment simply on the grounds of perceived danger and/or fear of being sued seems more than a little over cautious to me.

Posted: **Mon Sep 19, 2016 7:45 pm**

Ours is not the same Graco model. The extra mattress fits perfectly.

I would rather a small child slept in this travel cot than in a dohble bed with parents.

Anyway no one is forcing any parent to make use of the cot if they don't want to.

Pointless to continue the arguement there will always be those who are pro and those who are con.

As an aside my daughter recently asked a hotel to supply a travel cot. No bedding was supplied, the cot was miniscule and they were offered a towel to cover the child.

Posted: **Mon Sep 19, 2016 7:48 pm**

We supply a travel cot but not bedding for it. Stair gate (of sorts) and high chair.

Posted: **Mon Sep 19, 2016 10:06 pm**

gitemontjoly wrote:
Cymraes wrote:
I don't follow you on this one, Caro - why is it so dangerous to supply baby equipment? What's the difference between a chair and a highchair, or a bed and a cot? Baby equipment bought new and maintained well can't be dangerous, or we would be tripping over lawsuits all the time, and parents everywhere would shun it. To not supply any baby equipment simply on the grounds of perceived danger and/or fear of being sued seems more than a little over cautious to me.
Didn't Ikea have to recall all their cot mattresses a few years ago over safety fears? How am I supposed to keep up with that?

I probably am being over cautious but when even upgrading a thin mattress to a thicker one could leave you exposed it is a risk I can avoid so I do.

I also have cleaning concerns. I remember the nightmare of keeping my own children's highchairs clean when they were going through the messy stage. Guests are almost certainly not going to bother to clean it to the necessary standard before they leave and the task of shifting week old dried banana from the nooks and crannies is not one I relish! ( or maybe I just had messy children!)

Posted: **Tue Sep 20, 2016 5:30 am**

Fleur wrote: Pointless to continue the argument there will always be those who are pro and those who are con.

Agree. If you welcome for young families you are expected to provide everything now and I do. It is my main main market so everything from cots and high chairs to plastic cutlery, plates and toys are available. There is a risk in everything.
BTW these Ikea Antilop highchairs that I supply to guests don't have any nooks or cranies and are very easy to clean.

Posted: **Tue Sep 20, 2016 8:05 am**

Fleur wrote:Ours is not the same Graco model. The extra mattress fits perfectly.

Anyway no one is forcing any parent to make use of the cot if they don't want to.

If you supply anything, it has to be safe. If you supply a faulty toaster, it's no good saying that no one forced the guest to use the toaster and they could have made their toast under the grill!

I think a replacement mattress should be OK provided it's not more than 10cm thick (these are the regulations for travel cot mattresses)

Using an extra mattress may be a problem - see http://www.kidsafensw.org/imagesdb/wysi ... ty2013.pdf

I'm assuming that you give guests the manufacturer's safety instructions for the travel cot you supply - what does it say about mattresses?

Posted: **Tue Sep 20, 2016 11:32 am**

New Timber I would just like to confirm that our travel cot has instructions permanently printed on it. The new travel cot mattess bought last year meets the French normes.

As for electrical items (I didn't think this paritcular discussion included electrical items), of course one does not leave anything unsafe, electrical or otherwise.

Posted: **Thu Sep 22, 2016 8:12 am**

Thank you very much for the varying (!) replies. I think I will buy a 'booster seat' thing that straps onto a kitchen chair (from Mothercare so should meet official standards) as it takes up much less room- for now will hold fire on the travel cot and see whether there is a demand.

Posted: **Sun Sep 17, 2017 4:07 pm**

We provide travel cot, mattress, sheets when requested by guests. It doesn't happen often. This year we have three sets of guests in succession (first ones here now) who have specifically requested travel cot.

In the past we have never had a problem. We ensure that everything is scrupulously clean before use and before being put away for storage.

We added an additional mattress that fits exactly into the base of the cot at a guest's specific request.

Nearly all our guests arrive by air and the feasibility / cost of bringing their own travel cot clearly deters them from doing so.

All have been happy / grateful to have the travel cot and seat booster provided.

I think if you take as much care with child care items as you would if it was for your own child the risks are negligible.

It seems I am in the minority but in 12 years of renting I have never experienced any of the potential problems mentioned here by others.

Posted: **Sun Sep 17, 2017 4:43 pm**

We have three(!!!) travel cots and they are used very regularly, though only very occasionally do we need all at once. It has happened though! Two at once it quite a regular occurrence. I have bedding if needed but it's rarely used, most people bring their own.

IKEA's Antilop high chair is also excellent because you can take the legs off and put in in a dishwasher on a hot wash during changeovers, very hygienic

IKEA also do cheap and cheerful plates, cutlery etc for kids. Very popular and saves your breakables.

Posted: **Sun Sep 17, 2017 5:15 pm**

We are no longer renting out, but I do have a Grandson to keep me occupied. Would never have thought of putting the high chair in the dishwasher - great tip - thanks!!

Posted: **Sun Sep 17, 2017 6:30 pm**

High chair / seat booster in the dishwasher, what a great idea

Posted: **Mon Sep 18, 2017 1:04 pm**

We have a Mothercare travel cot with the instructions printed on it. We don't supply bedding - everyone has their own preferences - or an extra mattress - too many issues around cleanliness and safety. Also we're off site so have to keep it simple for the cleaners.

The important thing is to let guests know in advance what we do and don't provide - i.e. We make it clear that it's a travel cot with the hard mattress.

When my kids were nearly ready for a bed, but not quite, we used to take a small quilt to put in the bottom of the travel cot to make it a bit softer and I assume that others parents may do something similar.

It gets used very rarely these days, although I think that's because we're attracting less families.

One other point - when our kids were older we stayed in a house where the cot (full size wooden variety) was dismantled and stored next to the wardrobe. I didn't like that at all - I think all the baby equipment needs to be stored out of sight of your baby-free guests.

Posted: **Mon Sep 18, 2017 3:29 pm**

Yes dishwasher really works a treat for the high chair!

"I think all the baby equipment needs to be stored out of sight of your baby-free guests"

I agree, I don't like to see baby equipment around either when I'm on holiday. And you never know when it might be a source of distress to someone.

Posted: **Sat Jan 20, 2018 10:56 am**

Appreciate this thread is several months now, but having recently had three babies staying, and just done a review of travel cots for an online magazine, thought this might be helpful. I reviewed 12 different travel cots, with an example of each to test. Some were very expensive (eg Baby Bjorn, over £200), and some very cheap. The best value by far for a holiday let was the Red Kite one at about £30. It is a very decent size of cot, ( unlike the Spacecot which is tiny) and whilst not as easy as some to erect, uses the standard system ( the key when erecting them is to put the sides up first and then push down the base, and pull the base up first when collapsing them). Most have weight limits of 15kgs.

I’m using the Red Kite in the holiday let, with the mattress it comes with. It was great for an older toddler over Christmas, and though the parents put a thick towel over the mattress but under the sheet to make it softer, that was their choice. If it gets trashed it’s cheap enough to replace it, but it seems pretty robust to be fair,

Lay My Hat

travel cot

Re: Travel cots etc

Re: Travel cots etc