The Ultimate Hack for Traveling with Babies: BabyQuip
BabyQuip is the go-to service for renting clean, high-quality baby gear wherever you travel — delivered, set up, and picked up by local parents who get it. This travel hack lets you travel lighter and parent easier! Image: BabyQuip
BabyQuip launched in 2016 after two moms had the same thought we all do while juggling kids, strollers, and a pile of travel stress: Why is this so hard? Their next thought was simple, but brilliant: What if parents could rent baby gear the same way we book a place to stay or rent a car?
Fran Maier (who also co-founded Match.com) and Kerri Couillard (a savvy Santa Fe baby gear renter) created a platform that lets families rent clean, safe baby equipment from local providers who deliver it right to your door. It started in just a few cities but has massively taken off. Now available in more than 2,000 cities worldwide, BabyQuip has become a lifeline for families who want to travel lighter — and with a lot less stress.
PinI used BabyQuip recently, and I found a hidden use that I’ll divulge near the end of this article. Image: Zoe Yarborough
How BabyQuip Works
Here’s how BabyQuip works: First, you pop onto their website, plug in your travel destination and dates, and browse gear available in that area. After you’ve picked what you need — strollers, cribs, car seats, high chairs, beach wagons, toys — you’ll find local “Quality Providers” or QPs that have all or most of what you need, and you can see the pricing of each item per day, plus a total once you’ve finalized your selections.
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After you book, the QP contacts you to confirm the drop-off location and timeframe. They deliver the items, set them up for you, and then pick everything up when you’re done. Every provider goes through a background check and training. They clean everything like they’re handing it to their own baby. You don’t have to worry about checking gear at the airport, cramming strollers into rental cars, or wondering if the Airbnb’s “portable crib” will actually be safe or sleepable.
PinThis platform offers the convenience of bringing everything from home, without actually having to bring everything from home. Image: BabyQuip
What You Can Rent
If a baby uses it, BabyQuip probably rents it out. Their catalog is seriously impressive. Here’s just a sampling:
Toys & entertainment: Age-appropriate toy kits, books, bouncers, swings, soft play zones, puzzles, scooters
Extras: Diaper pails, baby monitors, toddler tables and chairs, beach gear, even tiny camping chairs
Pricing depends on what you’re renting and where, but it’s usually much cheaper (and way more reliable) than trying to source gear through hotels, shipping things you need to your destination, or buying doubles of things you can’t operate without.
PinSome providers even offer cleaning services or airport meetups. And many have curated “vacation packages” that bundle popular items for your kiddo’s age range. Image: BabyQuip
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What Parents Love Most
The reviews speak volumes. Parents consistently rave about how clean and high-quality the gear is, how friendly and helpful the local providers are, and how much stress it takes off their plates while traveling.
I can attest to this. I recently rented about eight large items, including a Snoo bassinet, a bouncer, a beach tent, and a foldable wagon for a weekend in Charleston.
PinAll of my rented items showed up squeaky clean and wrapped in plastic in the garage when we arrived from the airport. Image: Zoe Yarborough
BabyQuip renters especially love:
Not having to haul bulky gear through airports, cram it into tiny rental cars, or overpack their own cars.
Getting full-size cribs instead of fold-up nightmares. (Good vacation sleep is priceless!)
Enjoying age-appropriate toys to keep kids occupied on long trips.
Not having to buy duplicates of favorite items to keep at grandparents’ or second homes.
Renting things that kids grow out of so quickly, rather than buying.
Working with local parents and grandparents who get it and go the extra mile.
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The secret weapon usage of BabyQuip for me?
Trying out specific items before investing!
If I have a second kid, I’ll use BabyQuip to test drive certain big-ticket items before clicking “buy.” Is the Snoo worth it? It depends on whether your baby sleeps better in it than in a regular bassinet. Is this play gym a good fit? Not if it takes us forever to assemble and break down. The jogger stroller we’ve been eying? Let’s see how it feels to run with! Renting for a few days is an affordable way to give you a wealth of knowledge about expensive or trendy baby items.
Where You’ll Find BabyQuip
BabyQuip has a massive network of providers in more than 2,000 cities. That includes popular vacation spots (think Disney, beach towns, mountain getaways), major cities, small towns, and international destinations like London, Paris, Cancun, and Sydney. Basically, if families travel there, BabyQuip probably covers it.
PinBabyQuip is a hit with grandparents and other family members who don’t want to buy and store a bunch of stuff but want to be fully stocked when family visits. Image: BabyQuip
And since everything is handled by local providers who live in the area, they know the lay of the land. What kind of stroller works best on cobblestones, whether you’ll need a blackout curtain in that rental, or how to baby-proof a tricky vacation house.
Whether you’re planning a week at the beach, visiting family for the holidays, or heading to a wedding across the country, BabyQuip turns “Are we seriously bringing all this stuff?” into “Let’s just rent it when we get there.”
Zoe is a StyleBlueprint freelance writer, Charlotte native, Washington & Lee graduate, and Nashville transplant since 2012. She teaches Pilates, helps manage recording artists, and likes to "research" Germantown's food scene.
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