Baby Gear Rental for Travel: What We’d Rent vs. Pack
Travelling with a baby comes with a surprising amount of stuff.
A stroller. Travel crib. Car seat. High chair. Toys. Feeding gear. Maybe a baby bath. And suddenly you're standing at the airport wondering how one very small person requires more luggage than both parents combined.
We've travelled quite a bit with Parker, and one thing we've learned is that just because we can bring something doesn't mean it's worth bringing.
For some trips, we absolutely want our own gear. For others, we'd happily leave the bulky stuff at home and rent it when we arrive.
That's where baby gear rental services like BabyQuip come in.
So, what baby gear is actually worth renting when you travel - and what would we still pack ourselves?
Here's what we'd choose based on our experience travelling with a baby.
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First: Have We Personally Used BabyQuip?
Not yet.
I want to be completely transparent about that.
We've travelled with plenty of bulky baby gear, though - which is exactly why the idea of renting some of it at our destination appeals to us.
We've hauled travel cribs through airports, packed baby gear into rental cars and spent plenty of time deciding what deserves precious luggage space.
For future trips, there are several things we'd seriously consider renting instead.
How Does Baby Gear Rental Work?
BabyQuip is essentially a rental marketplace for baby equipment.
You enter your destination and travel dates, find a local provider and choose the equipment you need for your trip.
Depending on the location and provider, you can find things like:
cribs and playpens
strollers
high chairs
toys
baby baths
beach gear
car seats
feeding equipment
Many providers also offer delivery, which means your gear can potentially be brought directly to your hotel, vacation rental or other accommodation.
For us, convenience is the biggest appeal.
If renting one bulky item means one less thing to check at the airport, carry through a terminal and squeeze into a rental car, I'm interested.
1. Travel Crib: RENT
This would probably be my first choice.
We've travelled with our own playpen/travel crib before, and there are situations where I'm glad we have it.
But it's bulky.
If our hotel or vacation rental couldn't provide an appropriate sleep space, I'd absolutely check whether we could rent one locally before deciding to fly with ours.
The exception would be a trip where we're moving around frequently. If we're changing accommodations every couple of days, having our own setup may be easier than arranging multiple rentals.
Our verdict: Rent for a one-location trip. Consider bringing your own for a multi-stop trip.
2. High Chair: RENT
I would almost never fly somewhere with a full-size high chair.
For restaurants, we generally work with whatever is available. But if we were staying in a vacation rental for a week or two and planned to eat lots of meals there, having a proper high chair would be really useful.
This is exactly the kind of item I'd rather have waiting at our accommodation than bring from home.
Our verdict: Rent it.
→ See what cribs, high chairs & other baby gear are available for your trip
3. Toys: RENT
This is one I hadn't really considered until we started travelling more with Parker.
You don't need a suitcase full of toys.
We usually bring a handful of small favourites for flights, car rides and downtime, but babies are remarkably good at finding entertainment everywhere.
For a longer stay, though, I can see the appeal of having a bin of age-appropriate toys waiting at your accommodation.
It gives your baby something new to explore without taking up luggage space - and you don't have to bring it all home afterward.
Our verdict: Bring a few favourites and consider renting the rest for longer stays.
4. Baby Bath: RENT
Definitely not making it into my suitcase.
We've improvised plenty of baby baths while travelling, and for a short trip I wouldn't bother renting one either.
But if we were staying somewhere for a week or more without a bathtub and wanted an easier bath setup, I'd consider it.
It's a perfect example of something that's useful at your destination but ridiculous to fly across the country with.
Our verdict: Rent if you'll actually use it. Otherwise improvise.
5. Beach Gear: RENT
This one depends entirely on the trip.
For a beach vacation, things like an umbrella, beach tent, wagon or larger beach toys can be fantastic.
They're also enormous compared with how often you'll use them.
We'd still bring our personal baby sun essentials - swimwear, sun hat, sunscreen and swim diapers - but I'd much rather rent the bulky beach setup locally.
Our verdict: Pack personal sun gear. Rent bulky beach equipment.
6. Stroller: IT DEPENDS
This one isn't as straightforward.
We actually travelled Thailand for a month without bringing a stroller at all. We relied heavily on our baby carrier and, for the way we travelled, it worked really well.
But there are absolutely trips where a stroller is useful.
If we're doing lots of walking on smooth sidewalks, spending time at resorts, visiting theme parks or expecting Parker to nap in the stroller, I'd want one.
The question is whether I'd want our stroller.
For a short trip where flying with a stroller would be inconvenient, renting a lightweight stroller at our destination could make a lot of sense.
Our verdict: Bring it if it's central to how you travel. Otherwise consider renting - or going stroller-free.
→ Travelling to Thailand? See what we actually packed for a month in Thailand with a baby
7. Car Seat: THE COMPLICATED ONE
Car seats are probably the baby travel item I think about the most.
Bringing your own means you know its history, you know how to use it, and your child is already familiar with it.
Renting means you don't have to haul a large car seat through the airport.
For our family, this isn't something I'd make a blanket recommendation about. Your decision will depend on your destination, transportation plans, the equipment available and what you're personally comfortable with.
If you're considering renting one, I'd ask questions about the exact seat being provided, installation and the provider's policies before booking.
Our verdict: Research this one carefully and make the decision that works for your family.
What Would We Still Pack Ourselves?
Even if we rented the big stuff, there are plenty of things I'd rather bring from home.
Our baby carrier is one of them.
It's familiar, easy to pack and something we use constantly while travelling.
We relied especially heavily on our carrier during a month in Thailand, when we travelled without a stroller. See our complete Thailand baby packing list →
I'd also bring personal everyday items like:
favourite sleep items
bottles or cups
small toys for travel days
sun hat
UV swimwear
swim diapers
medications and personal-care items
anything Parker relies on as part of his normal routine
The goal isn't to arrive with nothing.
It's to stop using valuable luggage space for bulky things that could already be waiting for you.
When Does Renting Baby Gear Make the Most Sense?
I'd be most likely to rent gear when:
we're flying
we're staying in one destination for several days or longer
our accommodation doesn't provide what we need
we're renting a small car
checked baggage is expensive
we need bulky destination-specific gear
we're visiting family who don't already have baby equipment
I'd be less likely to rent if we were road-tripping from home or changing destinations constantly.
For example, if we're driving somewhere and have plenty of trunk space, throwing our own playpen into the car is probably easier.
But if we're flying across the country for a week?
I'd absolutely compare the cost of renting with the hassle and baggage fees involved in bringing everything ourselves.
Is Baby Gear Rental Worth It?
I don't think renting baby gear is necessary for every trip.
And I definitely don't think you need to rent everything.
But after travelling with a baby, I've become much more ruthless about asking:
Do we actually need to bring this from home?
A travel crib, high chair, stroller and beach setup are four bulky things that can quickly turn a relatively simple trip into a logistical exercise.
If I can leave one or two of those at home and have them waiting at our destination instead, that's a trade-off I'm increasingly willing to make.
We haven't personally rented through BabyQuip yet, so I'll update this post when we do and share how the actual experience compares.
In the meantime, if you're planning a trip, you can at least see what's available at your destination and compare the cost with bringing your own gear.
More Baby Travel Tips
Planning a trip with a baby? You might also like:
→ What to Pack for Thailand With a Baby: What We Actually Used
→ What Does a Baby Sleep In While Camping?
