Parent points
Parent Points 
of Les Vallaies Family Friendly holiday cottages
Here at Les Vallaies child friendly gites, we have striven to provide a family friendly environment and you have no doubt read about everything we offer to provide a fun and relaxing place to stay for all the family. However a family gite holiday in rural France is not for everyone , we are not offering 5* luxury accommodation, the cottages are simply furnished, suitable for a young family (no louis 14th furniture or crystal glasses) , we really are in the countryside so you can't walk to bars and restaurants; you might see a mouse and you'll definitely see bats at dusk, lizards and other creatures. These are usually the reasons families return to us year after year but f you have any doubts as to our suitability for your family, ask questions - we will be honest, we really do want you to have a fantastic time.  We also do not profess to have properties 'designed' specifically to accommodate young children. We have done what we are able to avoid obvious hazards (stair barriers top and bottom of stairs for example) but also we have to accommodate the needs of all our guests, whatever the age of their children and the cottages are converted from old stone farm buildings. No property could be completely free of hazard and we are NOT providing a 'padded' environment but we believe you should be aware of any potential issues prior to booking so you can make an informed decision.

STAIRCASES
In four of our cottages we have staircases. Any staircase is potentially hazardous. Stairgates or barriers are standard for all of our staircases, top and bottom. At the base and top where if it is not possible to fit a stairgate as it is designed the stairgate is used as a barrier which works effectively but is obviously no quite as convenient as a gate which can be easily opened and closed. These must be placed / fitted as done on arrival to make them effective. We expect young children to be supervised when using the staircases . If you have any concerns, or have trouble fitting them, please just ask. The Pavillon villa is all on one floor - a bungalow, so would suit families concerned about stairs or with a family member who has difficulty with climbing stairs.

GARDEN
The main garden is enclosed by a wall, fence and gates, the lane is very quiet but is a through route. The rest of our property is surrounded by open fields. Your toddler is prevented from running directly into the road to chase a ball but it is your responsibility as their guardian to ensure they are suitably supervised at all times and are not given time to wander off . It is the responsibility of all adults on the property to ensure the gates are closed correctly immediately after use. We do need to emphasise that you are responsible for your own children. Throughout the garden there are uneven steps, slopes and areas where toddlers may trip or fall, parents should explore the garden with their children before allowing children to explore alone. Young children must be supervised at all times. The garden area may only be accessed by Cassiopee and Cygne cottages by walking next to the off road parking which is adjacent to the lane, young children staying in these cottages must therefore be accompanied to the play garden. The garden is on a slope which makes for an interesting game of ball !

SWIMMING POOL
Our swimming pool is fully enclosed with one access gate which is self closing and has a child proof latch. The latch is designed to prevent a child younger than 5 yrs old from accessing the pool area alone.  You must make older children who are able to open the 
gate by themselves fully aware of the dangers of a swimming pool and express upon them never open the gate for a younger child and never enter the pool area without an adult. 
For extra security and to conform with french regulations we also have an alarm system on the pool which sounds if a child should accidentally fall in. There are certain times that this alarm is not active eg when it is resetting itself after the pool has been used (a period of about 5 mins whilst the water settles) and parents should be extra vigilant at these times particularly if they are around the pool with their children. The pool is unsupervised and you are responsible for your own and your childrens safety when using the pool area.
Access to Cassiopee cottage is through the pool area. There are a number of steps (leading to the games room) and some uneven surfaces and small lips (around the pool) which parents should make their children aware of, running should not be allowed around the pool area. The games room is in the pool area so should only be used by older responsible children and supervised children.

TILED FLOORS and STEPS
These are obviously hard, if you drop something it will break, if you fall, it will hurt. They become very slippy when wet, so don't allow children to run in from the pool and mop up spills immediately. Do not use external plastic garden chairs inside as they will slip. Cassiopee cottage has 2 very wide steps after entering the cottage  to reach the sitting and kitchen areas. These may be an issue with some toddlers please ask if you are concerned. 

WINDOWS
Due to the old nature of the propety and its previous use as farm buildings some windows are very low. All our low windows have been fitted with window locks or chains to prevent them from being opened fully by a child. All other windows are at the regulation height.

PLAY EQUIPMENT
Our trampoline is a 3m (10ft) trampoline with a safety net. We strongly recommend that all children should be supervised when using the the trampoline and that only one child at a time use it.

GAMES ROOM
This is located in the pool area and has no other access other than through the pool area so only supervised children may play there.
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