Mark Pinsent, 38, a freelance marketing consultant, and his wife, Michelle, 36, wanted to work less and enjoy life more. So, three years ago, they left Britain and bought a “pretty property” in Charente-Maritime, on the southwest coast of France, an hour north of Bordeaux.

The Pinsents were attracted to the rural hamlet because their land had several outbuildings, which they planned to convert into holiday accommodation: a 200-year-old barn now has a two-bedroom holiday flat, and a former gamekeeper’s cottage has been turned into a three-bedroom house. Like many holiday-home owners aiming at the family market, they expected most of their lettings to be during the peak summer months.

Then they met Wendy Shand, who last year founded Tots to France, a company specialising in rentals for younger children. It helps owners extend the rental season beyond school holidays into the “shoulder” weeks of May, June, September and October.

“Wendy was quite keen to impress on us that she has lots of rentals outside the high season, as toddlers are not tied to the school holidays,” Mark says. “That has been borne out – we have bookings all the way through to the middle of October, a really long season.

“As we have two children – Thea is five and Jacques is three – we had a fair amount of baby kit and caboodle anyway. So we’ve just added to what we already had – stair gates, sterilisers and highchairs – making sure we have enough kit to go around if we’re fully booked.”

As well as kiddie-friendly equipment, the Pinsents’ properties have been fitted with a combination of durable contemporary furnishings and French antiques, and they share an indoor swimming pool. Depending on the season, the cottage costs up to £1,200 and the flat £850.

“It was a good decision,” Mark says.

“I still work from home, but not anywhere near as hard as I did in the UK, which was part of the point of us going to France.”

The child-friendly holiday market is a growing one, with many property owners keen to capitalise on it and extend their rental season. And doing so is not as daunting as it may seem. Shand, 33, whose business has grown sixfold during its first year, requires that properties have high-quality and long-wearing furnishings, as well as items obvious to parents, from highchairs and cots to socket guards and hand mixers for making purées.

“People who go for self-catering want control over their children’s food: they don’t want to be feeding kids chicken nuggets, especially if they are at the weaning stage,” she says. “They also need plastic plates, spoons and all the rest of it, as well as baby monitors with walking handsets, so mum and dad can sit out on the terrace and have a glass of wine. And all our swimming pools must be enclosed.”

Swimming pools are a particular bugbear for Shand, who lives near Peterborough with her husband, Rob, who is in the navy. A former primary-school teacher with two small children, she was inspired to set up the company last year after a family holiday in France during which her son, Barnaby, then two, fell into an ungated pool and had to be rescued by Rob.

“I couldn’t understand why nobody was niche-marketing to that extent, providing the kit that we as parents need,” she says. “Just because we’ve got small children, it doesn’t mean we don’t need a holiday – we need one more than ever.”

Shand now has 35 properties on her books, all vetted personally. They range from two-bedroom gîtes (£375-£795, depending on season), to a renovated mill near St Emilion, which sleeps 12 (£1,500-£2,990). Most are owned by Britons. “With the French, there is reluctance to understand exactly what we are after,” she says. “A traditional French gîte is a basic affair: you won’t get any linen, and everything is shabby. Not shabby chic, but shabby shabby.” Next year, she is starting up Tots to Italy.

Caroline Blyth, 53, and her husband, David, 60, rent out three of their four gîtes, located in picturesque countryside between Toulouse and Carcassonne, through Tots to France. The couple, who took early retirement five years ago from their jobs as a medical secretary and a commercial property lawyer respectively, live in a farmhouse attached to the gîtes.

“Even before we went to Tots to France, we marketed ourselves to families,” Caroline says. “Since being with them, we have bought more baby equipment and put in stair gates. We also provide cot bedding.”

One of their biggest selling points, she believes, is a fenced-off swimming pool. “It is a shared pool for all four gîtes, so the families get to mingle and meet each other,” she says. “Children also love going to the walled city of Carcassonne; there is an African game park nearby, and plenty for families to do in the area. In summer, kids usually want to stay by the pool, while their parents want to go to the markets.”

Rental prices for the gîtes range from £250 to £900 per week. “We are middle-of-the-road, but still provide dishwashers and washing machines – everything families want without being in the luxury category,” Caroline says. “The gîtes have Ikea furnishings, not antiques, but we reckon they are ideal for families. Parents don’t want expensive furniture their children can wreck.” Tots to France: 0870 458 5528, www.totstofrance.co.uk

Toddlertips

Choose your location carefully. People are more likely to visit places they’ve heard of.

There must be things to do and see, such as canoeing in the Dordogne.

The most popular places are easy to reach, preferably with a low-cost airline.

Cater to British beliefs about what France is like, and furnish as well as you can afford.

Niche attractions such as indoor pools prolong a season.

Mod cons such as dishwashers are de rigueur.

You’ll need more than one gîte to earn serious money.

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