I talked to experts in baby safety to learn what parents should consider before renting baby gear. Here are a few questions to ask as you do your research.
Have you checked for recalls on your available products? Holly Choi, a baby and toddler safety expert and co-founder of Safe Beginnings First Aid, recommends asking your rental company: “What is your procedure for checking for recalls?” Rental companies should not be renting out gear that has been recalled, so it’s a good question to ask up front. Choi says that parents can also do their own recall research on the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s website.
How do you take care of the items between clients? “What do they do with the items between when they get returned and when they get rented out again?” Alisa Baer, MD, also known as The Car Seat Lady says. That can help you “find out what their process is for cleaning, and making sure that the product is still in safe working order.” Choi also recommends asking, “How do you inspect [the item] when it’s returned for any kind of faults?”
How is the item cleaned? There is a right way and wrong way to clean certain baby products, and parents should ask rental companies about their cleaning processes. “Some of the things they do to clean the items, like steam cleaning, are totally fine to do on most items, except car seats,” Baer says. “Hot steam is very dangerous to use on car seats. It can degrade the product in a way that it might not hold up in a crash. So the concern also with renting [car] seats is that the places that take more care of their items might actually be harming the car seat in the process of caring for it. Basically on the car seat, you just want to use room temperature water for cleaning—not steam and not chemicals or other cleaning solutions.”
Is the item guaranteed to be there when you arrive? Whether you plan for the rental gear to be delivered to your airport, hotel, or elsewhere at your destination, make sure that your rental is guaranteed to be there and available when you arrive, Baer says. When you rent a car seat from rental car companies, availability is first-come, first-served—so even if you request a car seat ahead of time, if they run out by the time you arrive, you can be out of luck.
What are your delivery options? Depending on what you’re renting, you may want your gear delivered to a specific place. For example, if you’re renting a double stroller, it may be nice to have it waiting for you at the airport. Check to see where the rental company will deliver—some may only deliver equipment to a hotel or vacation rental rather than an airport or car rental location.
What is your cancellation policy? If there’s anything parents know all too well, it’s that plans change and schedules can go out the window. With that in mind, it’s always good to check the cancellation and refund policies with your rental company so that you know what your options are if your travel plans are thwarted. And along those lines, check to see what happens if your schedule changes. If you were planning to retrieve your stroller rental from a company at the airport, but your flight is 5 hours late, how do you rearrange the meet-up time?
What are the reviews from other renters? I’ve always found other parents to be the best resource on baby gear. So check out reviews that other parents have left, especially making sure that the rented items arrived on time and in good condition.
Are there delivery and cleaning fees or a minimum order amount? While a crib or play yard may be free to rent with your hotel stay, most other types of rentals will come with a price—but how much? Check the company’s website for delivery fees, cleaning costs, service charges, or other fees that can add up. Additionally, some companies have a minimum order amount or rental period, so make sure those fit your needs.
