Baby Gear Rentals for Family Vacations - 2

Keeping Baby Safe

Safety is the main concern of Tonia Tomlin, author, organization professional and mom of twins.

Tomlin is the founder of Sorted Out and author of the book, Chaos 2 Calm: The Moms-of-Multiples Guide to an Organized Family, which will be published in September, 2008.

Based in Plano, Texas, Tomlin is planning a trip to Cabo San Lucas and is looking into renting baby equipment for her twin daughters, Peyton and Sydney.

However, she will not sacrifice safety for convenience, she says, and neither should you.

“If you are renting items (like cribs and car seats) you need to make sure they are up-to-snuff,” Tomlin warns. “For instance, I am personally calling the resort to ask for reputable service providers, and I also advise bringing your own sanitizing products and bedding.”

Wierzba acknowledges that safety is a factor in renting baby gear, and he says his company is up-to-date on all Consumer Product Safety Commission warnings and recalls.

“We get emails from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and we forward them out to everyone,” he says, adding that most safety warnings these days deal more with plastics and toys. “These days, you see very few safety recall issues with cribs. In the 1990s, most of the manufacturers corrected most of the safety issues.”

A Bucket of Toys

Speaking of toys, have you ever tried to decide how many My Little Ponies to take with you on a road trip? Or better yet, tried to figure out how to pack wooden blocks in your suitcase?

I’m lucky that my mom and mother-in-law keep a small supply of “grandma toys” in their homes, but not everyone has that luxury. Of course, some kids will be content to explore their new environment when traveling, but others need more stimulation.

Well, along with the holy trinity of highchair-car seat-crib, you can also rent toys.

“One of the items we get the most positive feedback on is our bucket of toys,” Wierzba says. “We call it our babysitter bucket. Parents love it.”

Sure, what’s not to love? Toys your kid has never seen before? Bonus. Toys you don’t have to jam into your luggage? Double bonus.

To Rent or Buy on the Cheap?

Tomlin points out that you can sometimes spend less time and money (think rising fuel prices) by purchasing items like toys, booster seats, portable cribs and car seats, and shipping them to your destination.

“If you rent a full-size crib it can be as much as $20 or $40 per day, plus delivery charges,” she says, “These days you can order inexpensive versions of these items (online) and pick them up at a store location at your destination. Then when you are done you can donate them to the local homeless shelter or sell them on eBay.”

Either way, buy or rent, rest assured that you don’t have to succumb to the minivan madness that took over my family. You can travel light and make sure your family is safe and comfortable by taking advantage of either of these options, based on your time and budget.

Now if only I could find a place that rents massage tables and a masseuse, life would be complete.