Recently, we went on our very first family vacation. The planning was in the works for a really long time. That's me – the planner. As I thought about what we would need for our two babies, I started to wonder (and slightly freak out) about car seats!
I figured car rental places must rent them, but had no idea where to start looking. So, I googled it: “Where to rent baby gear when traveling”.
Here's what surprised me: it wasn't car rental companies that showed up in my search results.
It was baby gear rental companies.
Yep, entire companies dedicated to renting baby gear!!
I switched my search to include our Phoenix area destination and came across what I'm going to claim as the best option if you're looking for where to rent baby gear when traveling.
In case you're wondering on the pronunciation (all honesty, I struggled 'til I saw the explanation) it's baby + concierge = babierge. Obvs, right?
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Why you need to rent when you travel
- Less wear on your own items
- Eliminate the bulky luggage
- Peace of mind knowing your items aren't going to be damaged in transport
- Money savings for packing extra in your baggage
Related: Tips for Traveling With 2 Under 2
Find your perfect and inexpensive flights here
Babierge is a growing company with trusted partners all across the United States, Canada and one representative in Puerto Rico. Find where to rent baby gear when traveling to your desired destination by googling the location + babierge, or by going to this page to see all the cities with available reps.
*Side Note: it's super easy to sign up to be a partner! I'd totally try this gig if we lived closer to a major airport center.
So how do you figure out where to rent baby gear when traveling?
Under the “Phoenix” category, there are 5 vendors. I made my decision based on proximity to the Mesa airport and our Maricopa house, as well as experience and rating. Which narrowed it down to Joe + Debra! They're both retired teachers (30 years!) and have been Babierge partners since June of 2016. They have a 5 star rating!!
I knew I wanted to rent car seats – I was terrified of ours getting damaged in transport, and didn't want to buy an extra seat for the kids. I also ended up renting a play pen for Pip. We probably could have got away without that one, but I'm glad we splurged on it.
*Disclaimer: As a thank-you for this post, Debra granted us the use of a huge bin of toys. The kids loved it! It was nice for them to have some toys that they've never seen before. All thoughts, opinions, reviews and recommendations are my own. Also, Debbie is who I'm referring to in all specific instances.
But what if I'm heading to more than one place, need a specific package, or am traveling with a huge group of little ones?
No worries, babierge.com has you covered. They do their best to accommodate all travel plans. Just scroll down on the home page 'til you see the “send us your itinerary” button.
This company can help each and every family, I'm sure of it. The items they offer is outstanding!
With 40 different products/packages to choose from, Debbie and Joe got you covered if you're wondering where to rent baby gear when traveling to the Phoenix area!
Anything from potties to toys, cribs to bath tubs, Babierge should be your first stop when considering where to rent baby gear when traveling. They have items for all ages of kids, and even ask the developmental age range to tailor the items to your child(ren).
All their products are super high quality, immaculate condition, and easy to work with.
The infant seat was the Britax B-Safe 35 Elite. It is such a nice seat! My husband couldn't stop raving about how easy it is to click off the base.
Graco is their choice for a convertible seat. We had the My Size 65. Again, it was fabulous. The one we currently own and use for Sweet Girl is a massive pain in the arse. Y'see, I wanted to buy a Graco from the beginning, but the store didn't have the one I was looking at online at the time I was buying, so I settled.
After using the Graco one, we ended up ordering a new seat for her! It's not the My Size 65, it's the 4-in-1.
How do we get it?
Some reps allow for product pick up at their homes. Debbie only offers delivery (they keep all their items in a climate-controlled storage facility). At first, I was kind of bummed about this – I didn't want to pay the extra $25 to have it brought to the house when we could just pick it up.
In the end, I was glad it went that way. The transactions were seamless. Debbie dropped the items off at the house (to my MIL before we arrived) within the agreed upon 2-hour window. On departure day they met us at the airport at 5:30 in the morning to pick up the 2 car seats and the play pen.
I'm sure this is common for them, but I was super impressed. I mean, wouldn't it be easier for them to open their house door in their pajamas and have us haul everything in?! Very professional.
It saved us a lot of stress + time not having to find their home and worry about the flights, etc. When you book your baby gear rental, be sure to choose delivery over pick up! Highly recommend.
[convertkit form=5151308]Rates
I thought the rates were reasonable. For me, it came down to the peace of mind and ease of not having to haul our own stuff along. Each car seat and the play pen were $10/day. For our 5-day rental and the delivery and service fees, our total bill was $175.73USD
Find your perfect and inexpensive flights here
Our overall experience
Joe + Debbie were fabulous to work with. Numerous emails and texts were exchanged and they knew exactly how to answer every single one of my questions.
Their experience was invaluable to me. It was extremely comforting to know that we were in good hands, especially when dealing with the safety of our children.
I'm super happy I chose them as our Babierge rep!
Would I rent from Babierge again?
Absa-freakin-lutely.
If you're wondering where to rent baby gear while traveling, stop searching. Choose Babierge today.
And if it's the Phoenix area, the only rep you should be considering is Debbie!