Traveling parents often feel like pack mules lugging around all the gear needed to succor an infant. I've long thought that for such tiny beings, babies consume a disproportionate amount of the available space when a family travels. Strollers, highchairs, car seats, cribs, toys, clothes, diapers, food, bottles -- if you're traveling with an infant, you need them all. Fortunately enterprising entrepreneurs have come to our rescue. You no longer have to pack half your home when traveling with little ones. Pack light and leave the heavy lifting to others. Vacationers can now rent all the essentials needed by their junior explorers, even toys! While the market is currently dominated by two companies, the increasing number of traveling families makes this a growth market.
- Baby's Away has affiliates in more than 70 locations nationwide. Daily rental on a full-size crib is $12; and ExerSaucer, $6.
- The Traveling Baby Co. operates in several states with plans to expand. Daily rental on a high-end stroller is $18; a car seat, $8.
While prices might seem extravagant, in reality they're fairly cost effective for vacationers. Avis charges $10 per day for a car seat. Many airlines charge $80 per bag for bags over the free 2-bag limit. And there's no way to pack a crib, bouncy chair or the essential baby swing in a suitcase. However, you can rent just about anything a baby or young child needs from toys to bathtubs, monitors to nursing pillows.
Many savvy parents have started using the rental services when visiting grandparents, even when they live close enough to drive. "It's just easier and it cuts the clutter," said one young mother of two. "After you get two car seats in the back seat and a couple of suitcases and the diaper bag in the trunk, there's not a lot of room for anything else."
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