Why You Should Consider Renting Baby Gear or Equipment
By: Chesca Rama
One of the biggest milestones in a parent’s life is creating life on this earth for the first time. Having your first kid can arise so many feelings of excitement and nervousness. With all of these intense emotions, it is possible for parents to over-do their parenting. What this means is that they tend to go overboard with wanting to spoil their child. Of course, all parents would want what’s best for their child and it is okay to do so. However, you can still spoil your child while being practical at the same time.
Having children really is an expense that could get costly. As first-time parents, it can be tempting to buy everything that looks good for your child. Providing your child with the best life could be something that you’re really looking forward to doing. It is good to have this mentality of being a providing and loving parent. However, it is important to be practical with how much you’re actually giving or how much you’re actually spending.
In reality, your baby will not be a baby forever. In fact, they may even grow up faster than you realize. What this means for you as a parent is that all the things that you bought for them as a new-born baby could be useless once they start to grow up.
Unless you know that you will be having another baby soon, all this baby equipment or gear could no longer be of use to you. With all these expenses to consider, this could be a huge loss for you financially. A solution for those who would want to cut down on spending on baby equipment or gear would be to rent. With renting, you would not have to spend so much on items that you would only be needing temporarily.
If you are interested in knowing more, here are some reasons as to why you should consider renting instead of buying your baby’s gear or equipment:
1. Babies Grow Up Fast
As said earlier, babies grow up faster than you think they do. From the day they are born until the age of 6 months, a baby could grow up to half or even a whole inch and, can gain up to 200 grams a week. By a year, they could have already tripled their birth weight. They won’t always be as little as we hoped they would be. With this being said, they would quickly grow out of the clothes or other equipment or gear that you first bought them.
2. Spend Less, Earn More
It’s no secret that having kids is expensive. With all the expenses that you are going to make, renting could be a more affordable option for you. With renting, you would not have to pay for the full price to have something.
If it is also not your first time being a parent and you still have your old baby gear or equipment at home, you could rent them out so that you could put them to use again. This way, you could also earn a little of your money back by helping someone else.
3. Travel
If you are a family that enjoys traveling a lot, carrying a baby around could be a challenge for you. In addition to this, the gear or equipment that your baby would be needing would be an extra challenge to carry around. Instead of having to bring so many things, it would probably be a better idea to rent in the area where you are traveling to. This way, you could lessen carrying around so many things on top of your baby
4. More Enjoyable Experience for the Baby
Babies are very sensitive, and with this, they need extra care to feel comfortable. Even small things such as the bed they are sleeping in or the stroller that they are staying in could mean a lot for a baby. It is hard to carry around a full-sized crib when traveling so parents usually resort to the pack-n-play kinds. Although this is a more convenient option, it could be less comfortable for the baby. Babies have better sleep when they are in their full-sized cribs. They could get cranky or cry a lot when they are in uncomfortable situations. You can prevent your baby from being upset by renting a full-sized crib. Through renting, you could find a full-sized crib in your area that would be a lot more comfortable for your baby.
5. Less Stress About Losses or Damages
When you’re out and about from one place to another, it could be quite easy to forget or misplace your items. This could include your baby’s equipment and gear. You could also be placed in a situation wherein you accidentally damaged your baby’s gear but don’t have a spare to replace it. Renting makes it more convenient for you to have your items readily available without you having to lodge them around everywhere.
6. Convenient Delivery of Items
Rental companies would usually offer to deliver the items that you need right at your doorstep. Whether this be at your airport, hotel, etcetera. Renting is a good way to have what you need at the time that you need it.
7. Less to Forget
No matter how much you pack, there is still a tendency for you to forget to bring items. Traveling with your baby for the first time could arise a lot of feelings of stress. With renting, you could pack less to forget fewer things to bring.
Where to Rent Baby Gear or Equipment
You might be interested in where to actually rent baby equipment or gear. The baby equipment rental industry is actually more popular in other countries such as the U.S.
There, they have a whole company that is dedicated to renting anything that your baby might need. If you are interested in learning more about it, you can check out BabyQuip. They are a baby equipment rental company founded in 2016 that aims to address a challenge that families usually experience when traveling. They do this by offering a variety of safe and insured baby equipment and gear for families who want to travel hassle-free with their baby.
In the Philippines, the baby equipment rental industry is not big yet but it does exist. If you are an expecting mother, here is a place where you can rent baby equipment or gear. iRent Mo is a rental marketplace that has anything under the sun up for rent. They will be launching baby gear up for rent soon as well. You can check out their Facebook page as well for more updates.
If you are considering renting baby equipment or gear, here are some tips that could be useful for you:
- Compare and Calculate Your Prices
The longer your trip, the higher the costs of renting could add up. Make sure that the prices that you are renting for are actually cheaper than if you would buy something at full price. It would also be good to inquire with the rental company for any discounts or promos for renting multiple items at once or for long periods of time.
2. Check for Reviews from Other Customers
A good way to check if any company is any good at the services that they offer is by checking the reviews. You should be able to check this out at the company’s website. If it is not available, you could ask the company to place you in contact with some of their past customers.
3. Quality Check
Items that are being rented are pre-loved but this does not mean that the quality is bad. Make sure that the company you are renting from mentions their sanitization process or rules.
4. Schedule Carefully
It’s important to ensure that your items actually get to you when and where you need them. If you want something delivered before you arrive, make sure you inform the hotel that you will be staying in beforehand. If you want your baby equipment delivered at the airport, make sure to inform the rental company with your flight details and give them updates on any delays with the flight.
Renting baby equipment is a good idea for new parents on a budget. Although it is not a big industry yet in the Philippines, it would be good to raise insight on the baby equipment rental industry especially for parents who do not have much budget to spend on their baby’s necessities. In general, renting could be a great way for you to save up on expenses! No matter who you are, renting could be a good option for you to try out today.
Sources:
Brewer, Author Celine & Dan. “How to Avoid Traveling with All That Baby Gear.” Baby Can Travel, 13 Oct. 2020, www.babycantravel.com/rent-baby-gear/.
Jay L. Hoecker, M.D. “Infant Growth: What’s Normal?” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 5 Aug. 2020, www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/infant-and-toddler-health/expert-answers/infant-growth/faq-20058037#:~:text=From%20birth%20to%20age%206,by%20about%20age%205%20months.
