Ask a TMOM: Do You Rent Baby Gear While Traveling?

Traveling with babies involves extra planning and, quite often, extra, cumbersome gear. One TravelingMom reader is looking for a good solution and writes to us:

“What are your experiences with renting baby gear while traveling? What are the biggest pain points? Would you rent to/from other traveling moms if you could? My wife and I are considering starting a service that would do that and looking for your advice!”

According to Leslie Harvey, Frequent Flyer TMOM, cost is a significant pain point. “I’ve looked into renting on several occasions,” says Leslie, “but what always stops me is the high cost of the rental services. Much baby gear is so inexpensive these days that I’m better off buying a basic version of what I need and throwing it away or donating it on a vacation. Getting the cost factor right, however, would definitely change my calculus.”

Dana Zucker, Triathalon TMOM, wants to ensure quality and cleanliness. “We have used a concierge service many times when traveling to source what we needed when the twins were young. Never car seats, we always traveled with our own. Only a few times did we have an issue finding appropriate items (having infant twins can be tricky). I am not sure if I would rent from another person,” Dana says. “I prefer a service where if something was broken or not to standard they could replace immediately. And I have a huge germ issue, so knowing the cleanliness is huge for me too.”

Scotty Reiss, Driving TMOM, says, “I love this idea. Hotels don’t always have what you want/need and when you’re going to someone’s house (like grandma’s) you have to pack a lot of gear – hard if you’re flying. I have rented car seats and only once – it was pricey and an inferior seat to our own. To be able to rent toys, high chair, play yard, etc would be awesome. Also it would be nice to try out things before buying them.”

According to Alli Berman, “There is a community group locally that my sister belongs to and they barter, buy and borrow constantly up-and-down on the East Coast for travel and family needs. They are very respectful and I’ve heard only good things from her about it.”

Sounds like there is a need for a baby gear rental service amongst TravelingMoms – especially one that provides quality and cleanliness. What’s your take on this Ask a TMOM question?

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