Baby Travel Gear: Packing vs. Renting

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Before traveling with my own baby for the first time in July 2018, I had no idea that baby equipment rental companies existed. While planning for Carson’s first trip on a plane, I found myself frantically doing research on what to bring and worrying about how I would be able to travel with everything I “needed” to feed, transport, entertain, clothe, clean, and comfort my newborn. I knew I could use a baby crib provided by the hotel, but I thought I needed to lug everything else with me to the airport.

A caveat: there are many mothers (and fathers) out there who travel with their newborns with fewer things than I did. Yes, it is possible to travel with your newborn with only a blanket, diapers, and a food source. However, I wanted to be prepared and to be comfortable for the trip. Not only was it my first time traveling with the baby, but we were also going to be alone for several days in a hotel room while my husband attended a conference. The decisions I made on that first trip carried over into the future trips we’d be taking with Baby Carson.

Where to Rent & How It Works

If you are traveling to or near a large city within the United States, you can do an internet search for “baby equipment rentals in (insert city name)” and something should pop up. In the cities I’ve searched within, there are a few vendor options to pick from. In Chicago, Nashville and Denver, we used Baby’s Away. We had a great experience with them in Chicago and Nashville and an okay experience with them in Denver.

Reserving Equipment

In my experience, reserving the equipment could not have been any easier. Once I picked the vendor in the city I was traveling to, I went into their system to search their options, added the items to my cart, and selected the date and time of my arrival and departure. Once I received confirmation that the equipment I wanted was available on the date I wanted it for, I was then able to confirm my order with payment.

Pick Up/ Drop Off

In my own research, it looked like most of the rental companies provide a lot of flexibility on where to drop off and pick up the equipment. Baby’s Away certainly does, although it is dependent on the availability of the person who runs Baby’s Away in a particular city. We had very different pick up and drop off experiences in the three locations where we rented baby equipment.

In Chicago, since we didn’t have a rental car, we paid the $30 delivery fee for them to bring the equipment to our hotel’s front desk on the day of check in and to pick it up on the  day of check out. The staff at our hotel already had the items in our room before we arrived, so it was a very convenient and pleasant experience. In Nashville, we opted to pick up the equipment because we had a rental car. This was also a very pleasant experience; the woman who runs Baby’s Away in Nashville lives conveniently between the airport and the main part of town, so we drove to her house and picked the item up off her back porch. We did the same thing on our way back to the Nashville airport. In Denver, we were driving many miles outside of the city, so we paid to have the company meet us at the airport car rental facility for both arrival and departure.

What We Rent

Ultimately, it is up to you, your family needs, and the structure of your trip to determine what you should rent, but I want to share my recommendations. When Carson was an infant, we enjoyed renting larger equipment for lounging and playing. In both Chicago and Nashville, I wanted to have a place to lay Carson down that would provide entertainment for him or a comfortable place to nap. We rented a baby swing in Nashville and a Rock ‘N Play in Chicago. Both are large items that don’t fold up well for airplane travel, and I felt they were necessary for long stretches of time in a hotel room. In Chicago, we also rented a play mat because we did not own a small play mat at the time. I was so happy to have that mat for play time at the hotel.

Now that Carson is a toddler, it is easiest if we have a high chair for meals. So, when we recently traveled to the Colorado mountains and stayed in an AirBnb, we rented a high chair. We also rented a pack ‘n play since the AirBnb did not provide a baby bed (most do not).

These companies offer many, many options for rentals including, but not limited to: strollers, wipe warmers, baby toys, cribs, changing tables, infant bath tubs, baby gates, sound machines, rocking chairs, wagons, bouncy seats, car seats, and toddler beds. My recommendation is to bring smaller / compact items or items that fold up well for travel and to rent only the larger items that are inconvenient for travel or won’t fit in your suitcase.

What We Bring

While this is certainly not an all-inclusive list, here are my main recommendations of things to bring instead of rent when traveling with your baby:

• Stroller – It was easy enough for us to bring our own stroller because it folds up nicely and can be checked for free on an airplane either at the gate or at the check in counter. (Click here to see our stroller and here to see the travel bag for the stroller).
• Baby toys and books – Small toys and books were easy to stick in our checked luggage or in the diaper bag.
• Sound machine – We have always traveled with a sound machine. I purchased a travel sound machine earlier this year that is more compact and battery-operated, and we love it. It also easily clips onto our stroller which is great for nap time in the stroller.
• Car seat – We did rent an infant car seat in Nashville with our rental car; however, now we own a very light-weight, budget-friendly car seat that we travel with when we are driving at our destination.
• Baby monitor – Our baby monitor and camera are small enough to easily pack in our suitcase, and I believe that most offered on the market are around the same size.
• Play mat – For our first trip with Carson, we rented a play mat, and we were happy that we did. By the time we went on our second trip, we had purchased a second, smaller play mat for use at home, so we packed that up with us (and left the piano attachment at home). Once baby starts crawling quickly, there isn’t much use for a play mat anymore.

What We Don’t Need for Travel

• Infant tub – We used the sink and a washcloth for Carson’s baths when he was an infant.
• Changing table – It is really easy to change a baby’s diaper on a bed, a dresser, or even the floor. We just place the small changing pad that we carry permanently in the diaper bag beneath him, and voilà, you have a changing “table”.
• Large furniture items – I’m sure some people rent large furniture items since the rental companies offer them, but I can’t think of a reason we would need something like that for a short-term trip.
• Extra Play Equipment – When Carson was an infant, we had many different options for playtime at home. We had the baby seat, the baby swing, the Rock ‘n Play, two play mats, the jumper, etc. Those are all great for variety and stimulation at home, but in my opinion, you do not need this variety for travel and can make do with just one or two options (in addition to small toys and books).

Rental Costs

Most companies have a daily rate and a weekly rate. Each item has a specific cost assigned to it, but to give you an idea, I will share what we paid here:

Chicago –

• Rock ‘N Play (now recalled and unavailable) – $7/day (for six days)
• Activity/Play Gym – $5/day (for six days)
• $30 hotel delivery fee

Nashville –

• Baby Swing – $6/day (for five days)
• No delivery fee – picked up equipment

Denver –

• Pack ‘n’ Play: $18/day (for three days)
• High Chair: $18/day (for three days)
• $50 rental car counter delivery fee

General Experience

In general, we’ve been happy with the process of renting the equipment and felt that the equipment we received was safe, up-to-date, and clean. As I mentioned earlier, we weren’t completely satisfied with our experience in Denver, and that is because we received a high chair that was a little worn, hard to use, and uncomfortable for Carson, and the pack ‘n play we received came in a carrier with a broken zipper. However, both items were still usable. In both Chicago and Nashville, we were completely satisfied with the cleanliness and use of what we received. So, the baby equipment rental process may vary from city to city, but overall, I recommend it. It makes travel easier and less stressful, which I believe is very important for the family travel experience with a little one.

{Thanks for reading! Want to know a little more about me? I’m a CPA learning how to balance a career with motherhood and regular travel while planting roots at home in the Austin, TX area. When I’m not exploring my home city with my husband Daniel and baby boy Carson or cuddling with my chubby orange cat Banana, I’m probably either out on a playdate with my son or planning, packing for, traveling to, or daydreaming about our next adventure. After all, my travel mug collection is never complete. If you have wanderlust too, be sure to follow me on Instagram (and InstaStories!), Pinterest, and Facebook, or subscribe to my blog!}

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