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Welcoming children: some very practical tips
- 28 Sep 2020
- Children's furniture for the restaurant , Personalized children's menu at the restaurant , Professional furniture for children , Kids corners kit
- 0 Comments
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THE UK has 8 million families with one or more children [1]...8 million families who want to relax, to take advantage of the autumn to get together and share simple pleasures, such as a trip to the restaurant, or a weekend getaway.
A godsend for tourism professionals, who more than ever need the family clientele to get back on their feet after a confined spring and a nuanced summer.
But as we know, leaving with your whole tribe is not always easy, and many parents are afraid to take the road, go to a hotel, book a restaurant, visit a museum...
Why? Because we've all (or almost all) experienced the annoyed or even vexing look from the staff when a twin buggy arrives; or that moment of intense stress when their child screams in the middle of the restaurant because they don't want their fries and the whole room turns towards you; or that moment of loneliness when their child has filled their nappy, and there's no better option than to look after them in the back seat of the car?
What are the families' expectations?
A big and wide-ranging question...Of course, these expectations vary greatly depending on the age of the children, the number of children, the budget available and the destination chosen. The expectations of parents and children can even be different...even incompatible. So how do we find our way around, and how do we organise ourselves to please everyone?
First of all, you can be reassured, it's quite possible (and it doesn't cost that much)!
On the parents' side, seeing their children happy and developing in safety is often the most important thing. But they also want to be able to relax...simply enjoy themselves.
Then, parents want their children to discover new activities, to learn in a different way than at school.
On the children's side, we keep up to date. Today's children are (ultra)connected, eco-friendly (or at least environmentally aware), and have rather assertive tastes, from a very young age. Therefore, be careful not to make them swallow anything! The golden rule is to consider them as customers and not only as those who accompany the parents.
Children can be prescribers to their parents: to upset them is to risk that the family will not come back...
Ok, but how do we do it then?
People declare that they want to remain cautious during their leisure time with regard to the circulation of the virus and many fear being contaminated by the virus due to overcrowded places.
It is therefore essential to strictly respect the sanitary recommendations, to reassure the clients, and to show everyone that the hygiene rules are followed to the letter as soon as they enter: provision of hydroalcoholic gel, respect of distances (marking on the floor between tables for example), wearing of masks for all the staff, gloves if necessary...
Protocols are available free of charge, as well as turnkey posters to remind staff and clients of the right gestures. You can also provide a few stickers or fully personalised posters to make a lasting impression! (Contact us, we'll be happy to give you some ideas!)
Some piece of advice for organisation...
- Games corner
Whether in the restaurant, the hotel or the museum, you can create a small play area where the little ones can play, read, exercise and air themselves, in complete safety and under the watchful eyes of their parents
.- Pushchair area
Without clearing out half of the room, it is a good idea to provide a small, open space near the entrance to store a pram. Families will feel welcome as soon as they arrive, a very good start to building a relationship of trust with this clientele.
...and some equipment
No need to stockpile a lot of material, or to invest in dozens of items. A few essentials may be enough, to adapt of course to your activity, your customers etc... The WelcomeFamily team will be happy to advise and accompany all professionals in their choice.
- high chair or booster seat
In a restaurant, this is of course a basic principle: to make the children comfortable and safe. In a campsite or leisure park, making this type of equipment available to its guests is also a feature that families notice...
We recommend the foldable, handy and ultra-light Welcome Family booster seat or the stackable and space-saving wooden high chair.
- a changing table
All establishments should have one. It makes life so much easier for the parents of very small children... We offer a wall-mounted version of the changing table for minimum space and optimum safety.
- welcome kits for families
A colouring, crayons, a toy, a book, a plush toy...in short, offer a surprise upon family arrival, and make kids happy. Busy with their new treasure, the children are quiet, and parents less stressed...perfect for a peaceful stay / visit / meal.
Explore our range of eco-friendly toys, which will delight the little ones (for their uniqueness and the quality of their design) and the older ones (for being eco-friendly).
(1) https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/families/bulletins/familiesandhouseholds/2018
France has 8 million families with one or more children[1]... 8 million families who want to relax, to take advantage of the fall to get together and share small simple pleasures, such as an outing to the restaurant, or a weekend getaway.
This is a godsend for tourism professionals, who need family customers more than ever to get back on their feet after a confined spring and a mixed summer. But as we know, going away with the whole tribe is not always easy, and many parents dread taking the road, going to a hotel, booking a restaurant, visiting a museum...
Why? Because we have all (or almost all) experienced the annoyed or even vexed look of the staff when they see their double stroller arriving; or that moment of intense stress when your child is screaming in the middle of the restaurant because he doesn't want his fries and the whole room turns towards you; or that moment of loneliness when your child has filled his diaper and there is no better option than to take care of him on the back seat of the car..
What are the expectations of families?
Of course, these expectations vary greatly depending on the age and number of children, the budget available and the destination chosen. Parents' and children's expectations can even be different.... or even incompatible. So how do you find your way around, and how do you organize yourself to satisfy everyone?
First of all, it's possible (and not so expensive)!
On the parents' side, seeing their children happy and blossoming in security is often the most important thing. But they also want to be able to relax...simply enjoy.
Then, parents want their children to discover new activities, to learn differently than at school.
On the children's side, we are updating ourselves. Today's children are (ultra)connected, eco-friendly (or at least aware of environmental protection), and have rather strong tastes, from a very young age. Therefore, be careful not to make them swallow anything! The golden rule is to consider them as customers and not only as those who accompany their parents.
Children can be prescribers for their parents: to upset them is to risk that the family does not come back anymore..
Ok, but how do we do it then?
In this post-Covid period, 59% of French people say they want to remain cautious during their leisure time with regard to the circulation of the virus and 54% fear being contaminated by the virus because of crowded places[2].
It is therefore essential to strictly respect the sanitary recommendations, to reassure clients, and to show everyone that the rules of hygiene are followed to the letter as soon as they enter the premises: provision of hydroalcoholic gel, respect of distances (marking on the ground between tables for example), wearing of masks for all staff, gloves if necessary..
Protocols are available free of charge, as well as ready-to-use posters to remind staff and customers of the right gestures. You can also provide some stickers or posters entirely personalized to better mark the spirits! (Contact us, we will be happy to give you ideas!)
A little organization..
- Play area
Whether in a restaurant, a hotel or a museum, create a small play area where children can play, read, exercise, and get some fresh air, in complete safety and under the watchful eyes of their parents.
- Stroller space
Without taking up half the room, providing a small, open space near the entrance to store a stroller is a great idea. Families will feel welcome as soon as they arrive, a great start to building trust with this clientele.
...and a little equipment
No need to stock a lot of equipment, or to invest in dozens of items. A few essentials can be enough, to adapt of course to your activity, your customers etc... The WelcomeFamily team will be happy to advise and assist all professionals in their choice.
- high chair or booster seat
In a restaurant, this is the basic equipment of course: to install children comfortably and safely, for a meal in complete peace. In a campsite or a leisure park, putting this type of equipment at the disposal of its customers is also an attention noticed by the families..
We recommend the WelcomeFamily booster seat, foldable, handy and ultra-light, or the wooden high chair, stackable and not too bulky.
- a changing table
Every establishment should have one. It makes life so much easier for parents of little ones... We offer a wall-mounted version of the changing table for minimum space requirements and optimum safety.
- welcome kit for families
A little coloring, crayons, a toy, a book, a stuffed animal...in short, offer a little surprise when the families arrive, and little stars start to shine in the children's eyes. Occupied by their new treasure, the children are calm, the parents less stressed...perfect for a calm stay / visit / meal.
Discover our range of eco-responsible toys, which will delight the little ones (for its originality and quality of conception) and the adults (for its ecological side).
[1] INSEE 2015, https://insee.fr
[2] VVF survey: for vacations "the fear of contamination outweighs the budgetary implications"... " VVF Ingénierie study, 2020
