I Rented Baby Gear Through This Service For My Last Trip, and It Was a TOTAL Game-Changer

To be honest, I was pretty hesitant when my friend first mentioned BabyQuip. What if something fell through and I didn't receive the equipment we very much needed? What if the gear wasn't in the best shape? A lot of my fears eased once I spent a little time on the BabyQuip website, which is easy to navigate and provides the answers to frequently asked questions.

First thing's first: there's a three-day minimum, so while you can rent items for a shorter period, you'll be charged the full three-day price. After selecting your destination and travel dates, you land on a list of what the service calls Quality Providers in the area. Beside each person's name, you can see their photo, some preview pictures of their equipment, a rating (out of five stars), the number of times they've been reviewed, and how many successful reservations they've completed. Once you choose a provider, you'll see more details — their contact information, the neighborhoods they serve, plus all the available equipment and the daily pricing for each item.

I checked out a handful of providers before choosing one that had plenty of reservation experience and the quality equipment I was looking for. Each provider sets their own delivery rates and the locations to which they'll deliver, so you'll want to dig into that before you book anything.

For five days, we rented a Pack'n Play ($12 per day), an umbrella stroller ($10 per day), and a convertible car seat ($10 per day) — in other words, the large items I didn't want to tote along to the airport and check. Since items are priced by day, all three items felt worth it to me, but had we been staying much longer, I might have considered nixing one of the products.

That said, for extended trips, your entire order is discounted. Here's the breakdown:

On the website, you can choose your preferred pickup and drop-off windows, and I chose to have our items dropped off at our AirBnb the day after we arrived. The provider reached out to me via email to coordinate a time near the window that worked best for both of us, and she let me know when she was on her way. When she and her husband arrived, gear in tow, they offered to help us set up the Pack'n Play and answer any questions about the car seat and stroller, but (1) my son was asleep and (2) I was already familiar with how everything worked, so we declined.

All the equipment was in tip-top shape, clean and well-maintained. At the end of the week, I cleaned and wiped down each item before the provider returned to pick everything up — which, again, was a matter of simple timing coordination via email that went off without a hitch.

This is the face of a very happy, stress-free mom! (And a well-rested toddler.) I was thrilled with the whole BabyQuip experience, and I'll absolutely be using the service again. We traveled around Chicago on the train, which made the umbrella stroller a perfect choice, and when we headed to the airport — also by train — it was so, so nice not having to worry about how we'd carry all our luggage plus a travel bed and a car seat.

Generally speaking, I also felt good about having a variety of options that would suit our plans and some of my initial safety concerns. Although it worked out for us to have equipment delivered straight to our Airbnb, delivery locations include anything from private residences to hotels to airports. (Customers can provide airline and flight numbers to coordinate timing with providers based on the airline's reported arrival time.) We were in the rare city where we were able to go straight from the airport to our Airbnb on the train (as in, we didn't need a car seat), but there are plenty of delivery options to suit different situations.

For instance, some providers offer pickup at their own homes, which works for families who don't want to pay a delivery fee, but they can meet customers at whichever locations are convenient and comfortable for them — a detail that left me feeling much better as far as any potential safety concerns. A representative from BabyQuip told me that they see a range of circumstances; sometimes providers work with hotels and vacation rental hosts to have baby gear set up in a family's space so that it's ready for them when they arrive, and other times customers request that gear be left in a safe location outside a home or at hotel's front desk, particularly if they can't be around for the delivery.

Be sure to rent your items as early as possible, particularly if you're traveling during a busy period (Spring, Summer, the holidays) or if there's a major event in the area while you're there. Overall, we had a smooth experience that didn't require much second guessing, but I found BabyQuip's FAQ page particularly helpful (and comforting). Head over to the site for all the details on payment, what happens in the case of damaged equipment, cancellation policies, and more.