Everything You Need, Waiting and Ready for You
When it comes to traveling with kids, each age comes with its own set of challenges; but it seems that the smaller they are, the more equipment you need to bring with you. With infants and toddlers, there’s an endless number of items you might want and need to bring along, including everything from toys, monitors, diaper bags, food and formula to large bulky equipment like cribs, pack n’ plays, strollers and car seats.
With all the baggage fees that exist at the majority of airlines now, having to bring everything from home could be not only physically exhausting, but often costly too. Thankfully, the innovative baby equipment rental company, BabyQuip, is able to help traveling families with this scenario by reducing the number of items parents need to lug on vacation, leaving them with more time and energy to enjoy the journey.
What Is BabyQuip?
BabyQuip is a infant and toddler equipment rental service that allows you to have what you need on your trips without having to actually bring it all. You select what you’d like to rent during your time away from home, one of their providers brings it to you at your destination, you use it, and you return it before you leave. Simple, easy, stress-free.
BabyQuip currently has providers set up in various cities around the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. It seems that all the providers have the essentials like car seats, cribs and strollers, but depending on who you work with, they may have even more variety like baby monitors and toys.
I recently returned from a family trip to the Pacific Northwest where we decided to use BabyQuip’s services for our 10-day vacation. I have a very active 1-year-old toddler and I’m currently seven months pregnant, which means my husband had the double duty of wrangling my speedy daughter in addition to doing the majority of the heavy lifting from airport to airport.
The packing process alone was less stressful, knowing we had fewer things to cram into one car, pile into the airport shuttle, and drag to the baggage check counter to get on our way. We tried super hard to pack like minimalists and opted to rent a portable crib and car seat from BabyQuip, figuring these were the two essentials we would need right away and every day.
Due to my daughter being 21 months old, it made the most sense for us to use our own stroller since most airlines allow you to bring one for free and they can be gate checked as your board. At her age, it was just practical to have a way to cart her around without needing to carry her or chase her down every terminal. But for families with older or younger children, being able to leave their stroller at home and rent one instead might be more ideal.
The same rule goes for the car seat. Most airlines will allow you to check one free of charge; however, that also involves hauling one more big thing and uninstalling it from your home vehicle, which can be a daunting and complicated task in itself.
We were very happy with our experience with BabyQuip. Picking up the equipment and dropping it back off was fast and seamless, the communication was great, and it took no time at all. We got to use quality items during our trip and my daughter was safe and comfortable each day that we were away from home.
The Process
It couldn’t have been easier to plug in our travel dates and location and view BabyQuip’s categorized inventory to place an order on their user-friendly website. They contacted me a few days prior to the trip to make sure details hadn’t changed and were incredibly accommodating about meeting us where we preferred. They are very flexible and will meet you at the airport (which is what we did), a hotel, or wherever you’re staying and even help you set up the equipment if needed.
I shared our plane information with our friendly provider, who monitored the flight’s status so that she could be there at the right time for us. This was a huge relief knowing that there wouldn’t be a long waiting period to pick up our rental order between also waiting in line for our rental car and picking up checked bags.
I contacted her as soon as we landed, found she was already driving around the airport area, and we figured out an easy place outside baggage claim to meet. She gave me the car seat and portable crib, answered any questions I had, and that was it! Within minutes we were on our way to our rental car, car seat and crib in hand, hassle-free.
Returning the items was just as easy. I contacted our representative the morning of our evening departure and she agreed to meet us at the rental car office where she picked up the equipment just as fast as she dropped it off.
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Quality, Clean Items
The car seat and portable crib we rented were fantastic and super clean. I hate to say it, but I liked them even more than our own equipment at home. Our rented portable crib was made by Nuna and, even though I’ve heard of the brand, I have never come across a pack n’ play device that was so easy to use.
It put ours back in Arizona to shame with its simplicity, and I never would have been able to experience another brand of portable crib if we hadn’t rented one from our BabyQuip provider. I’ll have to keep an eye out for other Nuna brand items since I now know they have truly quality stuff! The crib also came with two fitted sheets, which I found to be very thoughtful of the provider to include.
The car seat was just as great. It was large and roomy, and my daughter had no problem falling asleep within five minutes of getting in after a long morning of travel. It was really simple to install — easier than the ones we have at home — and kept her comfortable during our road trip to the coast and back.
To Sum Things Up
In conclusion, if you have anywhere to go with your own little ones, it might be well worth your time and money to give BabyQuip a try. Traveling with infants and toddlers is no walk in the park, so why not take away some of that mental and physical anguish by packing lighter?
BabyQuip is easy to use, has a fast and simple transition process, and offers great items from friendly providers who are parents themselves and know what you need.
Use this link to get a 10% discount on a BabyQuip reservation or use the promo code TRAVELWISE at checkout.