Arranging a home swap with kids has one advantage that appears in no brochure: you swap with families at exactly the same stage of life as you. Which means the house you arrive at very often already has a cot, a high chair, toys and a park two streets away. This article covers how to organise it, what to ask before agreeing, and how to prepare your own home when the people sleeping in it also travel with children.
Why a home swap with kids works so well
Travelling with small children and staying in a hotel room is an endurance exercise. Everyone goes to bed at the same time, nobody eats dinner in peace and the suitcase takes up half the floor.
A whole house changes that equation completely. There are separate bedrooms, so the adults can eat once the little ones are asleep. There is a kitchen, so the usual dinner happens at the usual hour. And there is a washing machine, which means travelling with half the clothes.
On top of that comes the inherited equipment: when the other family also has children of similar ages, the house arrives with everything you would otherwise have had to transport or hire.
What to ask before agreeing
A swap involving children calls for a handful of specific questions that would be irrelevant on an adults only trip.
- Children’s equipment: is there a cot, a high chair, a stair gate, a baby bath, a pushchair.
- Safety: window locks, fenced pool, socket covers, staircases.
- Distances: how far to the supermarket, the pharmacy, the park and the doctor.
- Noise: is the neighbourhood quiet at night, are there noise sensitive neighbours.
- Transport: can you walk to things or do you need a car and approved child seats.
Asking for specific photographs of the children’s rooms is entirely normal and no family takes offence.
Preparing your home for a family with children
The rule is unchanged: leave your home as you would like to find theirs. With children, that adds a few details.
Leave whatever children’s equipment you own accessible and explain how it assembles. Put away anything delicate or sentimental, especially at the height of small hands. Free up a low kitchen shelf so they have somewhere for their things.
And add a section to the house guide written for them: the nearest park, the municipal pool, the library with a children’s room, the out of hours doctor, and the local restaurant where nobody minds a three year old.
The calendar of a family exchange
With school age children the dates are not negotiable, which makes lead time decisive.
- January to March: publish or refresh the listing and mark the school holiday dates.
- March to May: send personalised requests mentioning the ages of the children.
- Two months out: settle details, equipment and house rules.
- Two weeks out: prepare the home and write the guide.
Before fixing anything, it is worth checking the term dates published on the official school holiday calendar, since they vary by local authority. The rest of the process is identical to any other swap and is set out in the complete home exchange guide.
What the children get out of it
There is a side effect families who have been swapping for years always mention. Children who travel this way do not visit cities: they live in them for a few days.
They go to the local market, play in the park with children who speak another language, find another child’s toys in the room where they sleep and often leave a note for the child who will sleep in theirs. It teaches things no museum does.
Frequently asked questions
What if my children are very young? That is exactly when it pays off most: kitchen, washing machine, cot and your own routine.
What do I do about the toys? Leave the ordinary ones out and put away anything genuinely delicate. Arriving children are grateful to find things to play with.
What if they break something? Children break things, at home and everywhere else. You tell each other, you replace it, and it is fine. Platform guarantees cover anything serious.
Can I swap during term time? Half terms and bank holiday weekends work very well and face far less competition than August.
Getting started
A home swap with kids starts like any other: publish your listing with bright photographs and state explicitly that your home is family friendly. That single detail multiplies the requests you receive from people in the same situation. If you are planning the summer, check the calendar in the vacation planning guide.